Second Cup: Practice TOAD time

Going "together outside after dinner" can transform your evenings

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to rally your family or roommates for toad time,
that is time to gather outside after dinner. This spring,

(00:32):
my family set the norm of at least trying to
go outside most nights after dinner. My little boys in particular,
that's my three year old and eight year old love
playing in the yard until it gets dark. It's a
good way to pass the time before bedtime. When I
started talking about time outside after dinner, my eleven year

(00:56):
old daughter gave this routine a delightful name, toad time,
because that's what you get with the first letters of
each word. After thinking about it for a while and
realizing that we are repeating the word time in this acronym,
I think we might modify it to together outside after dinner,

(01:19):
because honestly, being out there.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
With others is part of the appeal. Whatever your household configuration,
you might enjoy toad time too. We have all heard
that being outside boosts our moods. Beyond that, I find
that being outside to gather foster's connection. My kids really

(01:43):
play with each other outside when they are climbing trees,
or sliding down the slide on our play set, or
creating a restaurant kitchen in a log pile. When folks
stay inside, they tend to head to their own rooms
and do their own thing. Many times that involves being
on devices, But being outside creates occasions to have fun

(02:08):
or relax together. If your household looks different than ours,
your toaed time may look different too. If you have teenagers,
maybe you'd like to play cards or jinga or pictionary
on your porch. If it's you and a partner or roommates,
maybe you want to have a glass of wine or

(02:29):
a cup of tea and chat. If you have an
elderly relative in your household, you could invite her to
share family memories while sitting outside. It can even be
nice to each curl up with a good book and
enjoy the fresh air and each other's presence in silence.

(02:50):
Or you can go somewhere if you want, take a
walk in your neighborhood, or bike to a nearby park
or ice cream shop. Visit your neighbors because maybe they
are having toad time too. One of the benefits of
summer is that the light lasts longer, so you get
extra opportunities for adventure or leisure that are hard to

(03:15):
pull off during the winter when you are in school
or at work. It doesn't have to be hard to
enjoy toad time. All you have to do is put
on your shoes and maybe some bugspray, set aside your
devices and chores for a little while, and go outside.

(03:36):
Let the toad time unfold from there. If your household
tries toad time, I'd love to hear how it goes.
You can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.
In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

(03:57):
here's to making the most of our text. Hey everybody,
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook and.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod that's b E the number
four then Breakfast Pod.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled
out with all the letters. Thanks so much, should I
look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a
production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts, from iHeartRadio, visit the

(04:46):
iHeartRadio app, Apple

Speaker 2 (04:48):
Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.