My Natural New Year's Resolutions

The beauty of the natural world is that there is always more to do. More parks to see, nature to explore, trails to discover, logs to flip, ponds to dip, puddles to splash, mud to squish. Here, nestled in between the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Summit Metro Parks we have 43500+ acres of pristine parkland within a 20 minute drive of us. That is a huge playground full of potential, not to mention our own beautiful backyard. So my resolutions are goals that I have for myself (and my children) and the time we spend amidst nature, especially now that winter has arrived.

I resolve to play outside with the children at least 3 hours a week this winter. That's a very easily-attained goal in the warmer seasons, but one that pushes my levels of cold-tolerance during our long, cloudy, bitter Northeast Ohio winter. 

I resolve to try to find within myself the snow-loving joy that I had as a child. I will fake it, and mirror my children's happiness
and joy on my own face until it becomes real.

I will find more favorite trails to add to our growing list of stunning vistas, quiet pines, bubbling creeks, peaceful ridges and shaded valleys.

I will continue to guide my children through nature and conservation primarily with child-led messy play and meaningful experiences rather than definitions and adult-directed learning.

I will lead my family nature club even through the weeks that we are the only ones out in the cold.

I will learn to start a fire quickly to keep us warm on our backyard adventures.

I will start a family journal, this one actually, and grow this blog to include tales about the parks we visit and the adventures we go on.