My Dream Backyard

We were lucky enough to have a pretty nice backyard in St. Louis, with enough room for Desmond to frolic (ha!) and to throw a couple of balls around with his dad.  However, it wasn't very kid-friendly as far as backyards go and he would get pretty bored after a while (which means, he would start to do things that were bound to get him into trouble...like sneaking into our neighbor's yard or trying to figure out how to open the gate that leads to our driveway).

In our backyard with our very own "sandbox": Flour mixed with baby oil.  Feels osfter than sand and can be easily molded into balls and sandcastles. Plus, it leaves your hands extra soft and smells nice. 

Because we didn't have a kick-ass backyard, we were so lucky to live in a neighborhood that has access to a community gym and rec center.  We are able to drop Desmond off at a great childcare service right in the gym while we go workout.  There is also an indoor pool, with a kiddie area, a library, and, best of all, a beautiful eco-friendly playground.  If we owned our own house, this is the kind of backyard I'd love to have for Des. 

The playground was made from recycled plastics, used steel rods, and tires. 

Everything in the playground was made out of reclaimed and repurposed materials, mostly wood.  I love the idea of reusing materials or buying sustainable ones to make a play area for Des, partly because of the feel-good-for-helping-mother-earth factor but also because a lot of these structures (for lack of a better word) encouraged Desmond to interact with them and have open-ended play (as much as a 1.5 year old can).  He can feel the different textures and climb on all of the wooden objects and see how things can be reused in different ways for different purposes.  I'm sure it hasn't dawned on him how awesome that is, but hopefully my enthusiasm will rub off.d

I remember being so excited for the plastic swing and slide set that my parents had bought for us when we were little.  We used them for maybe a summer and then "outgrew" them and they just sat there, bleached pale pink and green by the sun.  Even if Des does outgrow a backyard like this, I think it could be repurposed for other, more grown-up uses as well (like to finally have my own vegetable garden, replete with compost and rainwater collector!  And maybe an adult tree house.  And a hammock.)