The Poppins Perspective: Chalk it Up.

It's been a gorgeous (albeit allergen-filled) several days here in Sacramento. It makes me want to break out my shorts and flip-flops and head outside to soak up some Vitamin D. Frequently at work, however, I find myself strapped for time because of a schedule. What to do if I can't wander too far from the house because one of the little ones is napping, or a load of laundry is going, or I just don't have enough time to pop them down to the library?

Well, my answer is simple and easy (which is what I prefer). Sidewalk chalk! Kids of all ages love it - though the younger ones like to eat it, so do beware. The best part for them is their canvas is as big as they want it to be: a square in front of the door, the entire driveway, or the sidewalk all the way down to the corner of the block. The best part for you: the only clean up you have to do at the end of it is to brush off their little chalky hands with a wet wipe or let them run through the sprinklers.

Gabbie and I broke out the chalk yesterday and decided to bedeck the driveway with a myriad of colorful pictures. After a few minutes and a couple pink scribbles, Gabbie seemed to be running out of ideas -- and we all know that if a kid is running out of ideas, the next thing you're going to hear is those two horrible little words, "I'm bored." So I started drawing outlines of shapes -- hearts, flowers, stripes, people -- and she would follow me and fill them in. Then she started naming the different patches and I would write them down: The Great Mermaid Sea, The Twirly, Swirly Woods, The Magical Flower Patch, and the Cutie Crossing. Her imagination went wild and pretty soon we were working on those tank top tans and covering ourselves with a fine dust of rainbow colors.

Get outside, get creative, and soak up that sun!