Library visits

We've had decidedly too many posts with pictures for fall on here lately that I decided we could use a post decidedly not about fall. With pictures. About once a week we make our way uptown to the local library for story time and the use of their wonderful selection of toys. You see, library visit days, together with our walk through the woods day, our grocery shopping day and others, are part of our weekly rhythm. And my two love it. The library visits, I mean; not so sure about the grocery trips but we have to eat, right? 

The main library we use is one of three locations in our county and in addition to printed books also offers a wide variety of online resources. Before I had children I used to go by after work and get lost for hours looking for 'the' book to take home. Since then those days are long gone and now our main purpose to coming here is for them to spend time in the children's section. We can pass an entire morning flipping through books, playing with the toys they provide and listening to one of their talented storytellers. The whole staff in all locations we have visited so far, have always been quite welcoming and have shown my children loving attention every time, which is probably why all of us are always looking forward to coming here. On days I do feel like taking home a book myself, I have found it quite helpful to already pick out an author and title online while still at home, it makes taking home the chosen book a snap. 

At home, we continue to focus on reading and listening to stories to foster a healthy relationship to books {and music}. What we like to read {and play} will be for another post, but for now, please enjoy some moments of our morning last week. 

Having a wonderful and well-stocked library in our town also makes our decision to live minimally a lot easier. I can keep a handful of well-made toys and books at home for daily use, and between spending lots of time outside and coming here I know my children will always have "new" toys to grab their attention. My only regret with all three locations is that we live too far away. We have to take the car to come and visit. On the upside, though, we live within walking distance of our local state park. More on that later, though.