As our kids grow up, I'm finding myself with more and more pockets of time in between school, doctor appointments, play dates, and classes. Forty extra minutes between a class and a doctor appointment. An hour with my daughter while my son is taking a class.

When the weather was a bit cooler and rainier, I started keeping a bag of board books in our car to read to my daughter if we got stuck in the rain. I also kept sand toys and her scooter in the car for when the rain held off. And we almost always brought rain boots, an umbrella or at least an extra set of warm clothes so my kids could jump in puddles or play outside if it was only drizzling. It took some planning, but we tried to make the most of these pockets of time even with the dreary weather.

Now that the sun is shining a bit more and the weather is warming up, I'm appreciating just how much easier it is to fill these pockets of time. We can simply just spend this extra time outside - stopping by a park, walking around the block, sitting on a bench and reading a book, or walking somewhere for a quick bite to eat. During the final stretch of pregnancy, I'm extra grateful for the sunshine making these parts of our day a bit easier and more enjoyable.