If I haven’t said this before, kids and parents alike are simply happier beings when we’ve had the chance to play outside.

This morning, we spent three hours playing at the park, climbing trees, exploring nature, watching someone fly a kite. The girls gathered leaves, mud, sand, pinecones and grass clippings to be magically converted into a five course meal in their make-believe, drive-thru window restaurant.

Courses included; licorice soup and my favourite was when the executive chef announced the following; “Madame, your steak with cock sauce is served.”

I’m going to assume they’ve heard something being served with cocktail sauce at some point and I decided not to challenge them on the choice of name, lest the cock sauce be repeated on the playground with a less forgiving audience.

From pirates saving the one armed surfers in the water from sharks (thanks Soul Surfer) to explorers climbing to the tops of trees and overlooking the baseball diamonds and public washrooms spotting sparkly treasures (probably foil wrapped chocolate eggs…the only ones our baby hasn’t attempted to eat), they were happy. There they were, best buds, the Three Amigos, spotting each other on the monkey bars, chasing each other with fewer instances of “T” which is the quick version of yelling “time out” usually involving a disproportionate number of tears by the person who has been “it” for the duration of the game.

Returning home was a different story. From outdoor treasure hunters, friends of the environment, the inventors of cock sauce began to bicker.

They had simply run out of ideas. The outdoors offered endless opportunity for being creative, walking in our door, they had seen it all before. In case you were wondering, with boredom comes mischief, so today for example, the baby discovered a new roll of toilet paper can be pulled from its home in the girl’s bathroom, down the hall into our family room with paper to spare. Thanks Chloe. When I knelt down and looked at the tp’d hallway, I locked eyes with her and firmly said, “No.” She stared back knowing she was being disciplined for doing something she shouldn’t have and I awaited my “ug” from a remorseful baby. Instead, she swatted me across the head and waddled quickly and with purpose, giggling into the other room.

I liked it better outside.