Finding Life's Simple Pleasures

I am a Milwaukee native who loves her town. The problem is I’m just not a city-living girl. I prefer fresh air and birdsong to diesel fumes and sirens.

Last October my husband and I decided to buy a home in the suburbs because we want to raise our family in a safe community with plenty of green space for our children to run around.

These are our household rules:

1. No whining

2. No running in the house

3. Treat others how you want to be treated

Our summer calendar was wide open. It wasn't filled with camps or sport practices or regularly scheduled activities. You might think I’m lazy, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to find treasures in the more simple pleasures.

The highlight of our week is going to the Farmer's Market in the Falls to buy fresh produce and whole wheat pizza crust.

We have a compost pile that we fill with food scraps and use a rain barrel to water our flowers. I hang out wash on a clothesline in our backyard because there is nothing sweeter than falling asleep in sun-dried sheets.

We don't own a TV, but our kids do watch cartoons on Netflix. If given the choice, our girls would likely choose finger painting or packing up a picnic over 22 minutes of Dora the Explorer.

We use the Bugline Trail religiously. We ride our bikes to pick up new books at the library, build sandcastles at Menomonee Park Beach or get a cone at The Merton Custard Shoppe.

Every August we've hosted 40+ family and friends for our girls' joint birthday party - a pot luck style picnic at a local park. There is no blow-up jumpy castle, no clown, no gift bags filled with dollar store trinkets for the guests. There are always two birthday cakes and plenty of Chex Mix.

My parenting motto is simple: Slow Down Children At Play.