popcorns.

On Conference Sunday we decided to take a drive up Butterfield Canyon during the last couple talks. When they were over, we found a place to pull over and took a little hike.

 We just walked along the dirt path looking for some Fall branches we could take home. I noticed an acorn on the ground and picked it up to give to Nora.

She was so excited about her "popcorns". No matter how many times I would tell her it was an acorn, she just kept saying "more popcorns!".

It was nice to get out into the Fall air and search for flowers, sticks and leaves.

I was talking with a close friend about how I'm a little bit nervous for winter to come. It's hard to be inside all the time and find enough activities to keep them occupied. The alternative is turning on the TV. We all know how easy it is to pop in a movie or turn on Sprout. I'm sure Nora is an average TV watcher but I still feel guilty on a daily basis. This is where my close friend brought me some perspective.

Nora is extremely smart, she loves to be outside and she can play independantly most days. As much as she loves watching a princess movie, she also adores playing with dollies and reading books and coloring.

Why stress about something so small? Why do we, as mothers, constantly burden ourselves with guilt over how we are raising our children?

As long as we're doing our best, teaching our children daily, and being loving and kind, I really don't think an hour or two (or five, somedays) of TV is going to suddenly stunt their brain growth.

It sounds silly, but I feel grateful to have found Pinterest. I have come across so many wonderful (and cheap) ideas for Nora that she has absolutely loved. I'll have to do a post exclusively on Pinterest things I've found to give others plenty of ideas for the winter.

 I wasn't planning on going off on such a tangent, but hey, that's how I roll here on the old blog. At least I finally posted, right?