I’m always amazed at how quickly a little fresh air erases my child’s crummy moods. My little guy apparently swallowed a grump monster while he slept last night because, man, he was super sour from the moment his feet hit the floor. No wait, I believe he pouted at me the second I opened his door to check on his sweet little sleeping self (that might be a record). I mean it was awful. Nothing was as it should be, every answer was dripping with whine and the day was quickly getting way out of whack.

So imagine my surprise when my son asked to tend the chickens. I think he sensed his need for change as much as I did. I sent him out the door with chicken food and the promise I would catch up in a bit. By the time I pulled on my rubber boots and ventured outside, he was already flitting about with the hens and had a smile on his face. Chalk it up to another win for nature!

As an added bonus we also discovered a box turtle clearly on his way to somewhere, but he was kind enough to make a short stop while we said hello (even if he didn’t eat the carrot I chopped for him at the request of my little man). That was no matter because the fresh air and animal encounters were just enough to turn my boy’s frown upside down, and that is how I prefer to start our day.