T Minus One Day and Counting Until...

...it's time to start reaching for our outdoor time target of 4-6 hours per day.  Where do I get this random number of hours?  From my spiritual guide Charlotte Mason.  Just kidding!  I do, however, think her philosophies are so right on in so many ways that I definitely want to follow this one.

"I make a point, says a judicious mother, of sending my children out, weather permitting, for an hour in the winter, and two hours a day in the summer months. That is well; but it is not enough. In the first place, do not send them; if it is anyway possible, take them; for, although the children should be left much to themselves, there is a great deal to be done and a great deal to be prevented during these long hours in the open air. And long hours they should be;  not two, but four, five, or six hours they should have on every tolerably fine day, from April till October. Impossible! Says an overwrought mother who sees her way to no more for her children than a daily hour or so on the pavements of the neighbouring London squares. Let me repeat, that I venture to suggest, not what is practicable in any household, but what seems to me absolutely best for the children; and that, in the faith that mothers work wonders once they are convinced that wonders are demanded of them. A journey of twenty minutes by rail or omnibus, and a luncheon basket, will make a day in the country possible to most town dwellers; and if one day, why not many, even every suitable day?" (Volume 1, p. 43-44)

Thursday is April 1st.  We'll see what I can make happen.  Maybe I should do a running tally on here of how many hours we spend outside.  That might be kind of entertaining...okay, maybe not that entertaining.  I think it would interesting though to see how many hours we can clock outside in a season.

Today we were outside from about 1PM until about 3PM because it was in the low 50s and sunny.  I thought we did pretty good, considering Tom still takes a nap and Red had ballet class that we had to leave for by 430.  We'll get there.  4-6 hours here we come!!!