by BabyCenter Guest Blogger posted in Parenting

By Suzanne Davis
There is nothing better for my family than some serious outdoor time. The kind of togetherness that happens out under the sun and sky is the kind of togetherness that makes us like each other more. It doesn't really matter if it's a long-planned trip or a spur-of-the-moment walk through the woods, the best cure for a case of the grumps is fresh air and dirt.
The big kids are like goats, climbing and jumping on every rock, log, or ledge they can reach. The toddlers are little monkey-see, monkey-do mimics, trying their best to keep up. It's great to see them learning about life beyond a TV screen. Sometimes they learn lessons the hard way (dude, throwing sand in your own eyes is a bad idea!) but even a sand-covered day beats one more minute of being trapped in the house.
That's why spring is cancelled and we're moving on to summer immediately for the following reasons:
1. Winter was approximately 486 months long and we spent way too much time cooped up in the house, driving each other nuts. There were many moments in January (and February...and March...and now in April) where I threw the bigger kids out into the snow and told them not to come back in until they couldn't feel their faces, but it won't work with the toddlers. It's time for us to forget shoes (and pants, in the case of the 1-year-old).
2. Spring is overrated. You go out wearing shorts because the sun is shining but quickly realize it's only 40 d...