a playground mom

I have never really experienced having a backyard, and neither have our kids, and you know what...we don't mind.

For the past 18 years of our married life we have always lived in apartments except for the past five years. The house we've been living in New Jersey has been no different from apartment living because our backyard is literally like the size of a patio. There are some areas in Jersey where the houses are almost touching each other. You can look outside your kitchen window, and say hi to your neighbor without shouting. That is how close my neighbor and I are. 
Seriously...we have no space to build a chicken coop, plant a nice garden, or have a swimming pool. Those are the only cons of living in the house we are in.

The nice thing about it is the fact that I have come to terms in not really worrying about those things for now. I guess that is why I have a pinterest board that's titled "in the garden" because I hope that someday I'll be able to have a nice size backyard to be able to accomplish those things that are on my board. It's nice to dream. 

The weather hasn't been too bad lately because we haven't had any major snow, and I can only tolerate Noah watching so much Thomas the train, and Dinosaur train. One of our favorite things to do that ranks on the top of our list is going to the park. 

At three years old Noah is very sharp, and knows when it's time to go out. I'll mention the word 'park', and he will turn off that TV so fast, grab his shoes, and will utter two words, "c'mon mom." We are fortunate enough to have so many parks within a 10 mile radius, and we have become spoiled living here in this borough. 

Taking the kids to the park has become a ritual, and something that we honestly can't live without. I think of all those years living in apartments, particularly the ones when we lived in Utah. Yes...for ten years we lived in at least five different apartments in the Salt Lake Valley. That's a lot of experience in exploring parks with young children. 

As a young mom it was an adventure to constantly walk or drive to various parks. It prepared us for the move up here to live in our first house with no yard, or even trees. (probably a good thing since super storm Sandy caused tree stumps to fall and crash into some of the homes...counted those blessings!)

We have been exploring parks for 18 years, and it never gets old. I have literally become a playground mom, and I don't mind. If we never own a home with a huge enough yard to put a swing set in, and have all those extra amenities it's okay. 

Even in the house I grew up in the yard wasn't very big. Memories of my mother taking us to the park were the best ones.

I love public hangouts, and that just gives me the opportunity to meet other moms, and dads who are on the same boat as I am when it comes to having no backyard. It's a good thing I'm a social person! 

Whether one goes to the park to socialize, get out of the house, or because they live in apartments is something that I probably would do even if I had a house with a hundred acres. Who needs a trampoline, or expensive swing sets that'll probably break within a couple of years? 

Not us.

These girls have way too much fun playing with all the weird looking gadgets they put in the parks nowadays.

Taking Noah to the park is always fun, and the look on his face is priceless.

With the way our children's reactions are when it comes to venturing out to the playground. I can totally get used to the fact of having no yard to maintain, or chicken coop to clean up.