Overwhelmingly Simple & Beautiful: Nature… and that’s enough.
Have you ever been somewhere outdoors with your kids and been just mesmorized by your surroundings… only to see that they weren’t quite so thrilled? Yeah. About that. What happened to beauty being enough? Nature itself just being enough? The ‘simple things’? Where are they you ask? They left with he latest update to your kid’s iPod. Sad but true, kids are jaded now more than ever and it’s showing.
This past weekend I took Isabella and Camilla out to a family friend’s home. Miss Anna.
Miss Anna has the most beautiful property with gardens, and orchards, and it seems to go on forever and ever until you walk right up to the riverbank! Just lovely. There’s even a magic forest! That’s where the fairies live, you know. Miss Anna says that they like it if you’re quiet and that sometimes they leave little treasures lying around. Isabella? Quiet? Um, yeah.
So it really is such a magical place, as you can see. The ‘fairies’ were there not long before we got there too! Aaaah, how fortunate:)! They left behind a delicate trail of pink silk rose petals that led us to the back of the forest. How much fun, right? This is where the need for me to write about this here on BFT comes in.
In spite of the glory, Isabella was bored. All of this beauty and magic in the air… and my three year old was BORED! I was cast more as the camera-in-hand mommy waiting for her in her big dress to burst into laughter and skip around soaking in the rose petals. No, she was more concerned with a few pesky mosquitos and “mushy grass”.
I started getting excited and showing her what a magical thing it was… and OOH! THERE”S ANOTHER PETAL!!! LOOK ISABELLA!!! It took a little coaxing, but soon enough she started to get it. “Look Mommy! There’s another one!” but with a suddenly scowled “You go get it” attached. 
So I went to get it and then a few petals later she was in the groove, picking up petals and putting them into her bag. She got it. It took a little bit of teaching on my part and learning on hers… but she got it.
Am I wrong to have thought that her imagination would take flight and she would have just loved the experience? Didn’t I love things like that as a kid? I think I did. Regardless, I want my girls to enjoy nature and simplicity and non-commercial things, etc. Thank you Wonder Pets and Yo Gabba Gabba, but things like this should be considered more fun by the three year old set, in my humble opinion, with or without DJ Lance. I’m really happy that in the end she was running around smiling with excitement, and picking up the pink petals on her own. The first part of things got me thinking though. I had to teach her how to enjoy something overwhelmingly… simple and beautiful.
In conclusion, there will be a lot more teaching going on in this area at Chez Bellaziza. We are going to get really good at this:). I welcome your comments and suggestions. As Miss Anna commented laughingly, “Boy, she really is a city girl!” I want Isabella to be savvy and smart, but also contented in quiet reflection and able to enjoy beauty. In measure, ok? I know she’s still three.
Crista
PS – Love the dress? Me too! Gap Outlet. Linen. Fully lined. Clearance section 12.99 mark down from 29.99. SCORE!
Fashion Tip: Buy dresses big because long hemlines make great photo ops! This is a 7/8 on a 3 year old. Hey, sometimes it works! The straps were fully adjustable so we shortened them up easily and *poof!* instant mini haute couture. Seems more Simonetta than Gap for sure!
