15 Minutes Outside is a book that I received in my Getting Gorgeous with Degree giftbag. I was immediatley drawn to it because of the title, “Who doesn’t have 15 minutes?”, I thought. Rebecca Cohen talks about how her busy life got in the way of her feeling connected to her children. She decided to do something about it and every day, no matter what the weather, she heads outside for a minium of 15 minutes. She organizes the books in months and then breaks it down into days, thus the 365 days to connect with your children. Most activities require little but your imagination and she emphasizes that regardless of your space, you can take full advantage of the 15 minutes outdoors.
I love to be outisde, I love the sounds I can share with my children, the explorations we do, the discoveries we make. The really honest side will also admit that I love the fact that the mess stays outside! All winter long I would watch my good friend and neighbor, bundle up her son, put him in the jogging stroller and walk for 3 miles. We live in New York! It’s cold in the winter. ”Waaahhh”, she said to me repeatedly. I just could not bring myself to join her. Now, as I read Ms. Cohen’s book, I feel a little sheepish that I might have lost out on some memorable moments for fear of a being too cold.
I am going on 4 straight weeks of being outdoors every day, no matter what! The parameter of 15 minutes serves as a motivator because you know you can attain such a reasonable goal. Inevitably we are outside for 30 miutes or more before we realize any time has passed at all. It is special time shared within our family and it has become not only a daily ritual but a cherished one at that. I urge you to give it a try. Carve out 15 minutes to “get out of the house and connect with your kids”.
Great Book…..have to get it. This neighbor sounds interesting. She probably like to knit too! It is so true. Even walking your kids in a stroller is getting the both of you out of the house. Sometimes I feel selfish that I get to walk and he sits in a stroller but, then I think, we are walking and talking and sometimes, stopping for a special treat. It sould be a donut or the playground…….to him it is just fun! For all the mommy's who are "making it work" in whatever way she can and still keep sanity!!!!!!!!
She is a wonderful kind of neighbor to have!Getting both of you out of the house is such a key to happiness..no distractions, no mess to look at, phone to answer, bills to pay, laundry to do.,,It has proven to be a special treat for ALL of us and I am grateful for the little bit of "inspiration" (or a bit o guilt!) I received from reading this book!
This is a book I'd love to read! I always want to get outside more and I'd really like to learn about new activities to do. There's nothing like fresh air too!
Glad you found some inspiration in this book. I haven't had a chance to read mine yet. We spent all afternoon at the park