What do you and your family love to do on your patio? You might think that’s a hard question for this indoorsy girl, but you might be wrong. The patio is often as far as I venture outside, so THAT is where the family fun happens! (What? We have a crazy amount of mosquitoes hanging around this place and you know about my recent battles with the poison ivy. Concrete is just safer.)
A few months ago (you know, before it turned – and stayed – scorching hot?) I posted this on Facebook: “Nothing brings back childhood memories of summer like the smell of the grill and the sound of a frustrated father and clumsy daughter playing catch.”
That statement right there (and, by the way, if you aren’t hanging out with us on Facebook, why not?) sums up much of what my family does outside. We grill. We play catch. And sometimes we cover our patio, our driveway and much of our selves in sidewalk chalk.
It probably won’t surprise you to hear that I’m not great at getting down on the floor and playing with my daughter. I love reading to her and hugging her and singing and dancing with her. And I even love playing catch in the back yard (or makeshift basketball with a laundry basket in the garage). But when it comes to playing . . . with toys . . . on the floor . . . I am not that kind of mom.
This is probably why nothing gets Annalyn more excited (except sparkly pink Hello Kitty shoes or Doritos with her peanut butter sandwich or hearing her favorite song on the radio or FINE, she gets excited about a lot of things!) than the two of us sitting down on the porch and drawing rainbows and butterflies.
I mean that literally. My go-to sidewalk chalk subject is the butterfly, and – if I do say so myself – I’m pretty good at it. Of course, ask me to draw a puppy or a castle or her friend Zoe, and we are all out of luck. But a butterly (or a rainbow or a very simple cat or fish)? That I can handle.
Though I understand why Annalyn loves coloring with sidewalk chalk outside (Mom’s on the ground playing, everyone gets messy, three different shades of pink chalk), I’m not really sure why I like it so much.
Maybe it’s just taking a few moments to revert to childhood, getting my hands and shorts messy while I scratch the most basic shapes and letters on our steps.
Maybe it’s the fun of an excuse to write in bubble letters again.
Maybe it’s the memory of the sidewalk chalk festival Mark and I went to several years ago and the idea that fantastic art could be created right here on my patio.
Or maybe it’s just the fact that even though I’m not outdoorsy (what with the allergies and the sweating and all) and I’m not the get-down-on-the-floor-and-play kind of mom, THIS is something I can do. This is something I can do, with my daughter, and enjoy it.
Sidewalk chalk art is just one of my favorite activities that I enjoy with my family on our patio. What activities do you and your family enjoy on your patio? Answer the question below for a chance to win a $25 Sears gift card!
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sears. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.
