New outdoor adventures day!

We got outside today and checked out some new spots. We were able to hike on some cliffs along the water in Beloit. Big Hill park is now on our permanent rotation for outdoor fun! It was so reminiscent of some hikes we loved in Tennessee and we were 2 towns over. 

Did you know that there's a nature area in South Beloit? It's a nice little walk with a stream educational signs and play areas. An Eagle Scout created a nature area with sticks, bark, benches and more so little kids can build and create with nature. It's only a bike ride away for us, so I see a lot of this area in our future. We stopped by here on the way home from Beloit to check it out. 

Between Rock Cut State park and all the hiking places in between, this summer is going to be great. I don't care about face masks, social distancing, e-learning, or anything else. We can have meaningful outdoor experiences. We can bike, hike, fish, camp, sleep in hammocks, enjoy. 

Retraining my brain to enjoy quiet time, nature, crafting, and relaxing is the plan. I don't mind as long as the days are long and the weather is pleasant. We have 2 hammocks hanging in the yard and a variety of beverages available:)

a new hustle

There are so many things I love to do and one of them is to just chill. In a hammock, on the deck, in my bed,  I don't discriminate against location. I love being busy and doing things, but this phrase really resonates with me right now. I pride myself on being a working mom. I can juggle life like the best of them, but burnout ensues and then resent and all the other things that come with that.

Right now I am working from home and helping my daughter with her e-learning. We do fun crafts, activities, and games each week. It's not all for her benefit. It's for mine, too. It gives me something to prepare, to look forward to, to think about. It replaces all the things we used to do out there (aka the world as we knew it) with things we can do in here (la casa). 

I didn't realize this until recently. Bike trips to Wendy's with a stop through Coral Cove (bouncy house arcade) are one of her favorite things to do over summer. We can't go to those places right now, but we played arcade games, got Wendy's and are currently eating a LOT of ice cream. We are able to replicate our fun in safe and meaningful ways without me killing myself to drag her everywhere and do everything. 

I am doing the work-from-home-grind right now and some days I am KILLING IT. Other days, not so much. I appreciate this break from the chaos because it made my family realize that we don't have to be on the go to have fun. We can do things at home or outside that represent just as much fun as driving forever, stressing about gifts, location, dishes to pass, or whatever.

We watched cooking shows all morning and painted our nails. We took a walk. We made milkshakes. We played cards. We laughed. I am learning that making memories and taking time for snuggles and meaningful moments is just as important as where we are headed next and what's on next weekend's agenda.

We are doing the home life hustle and it is working. Not everyone feels this way. I get that. I just really appreciate realizing that I can earn cool mom points by orchestrating pajama day with a marshmallow eating contest just as easily as I can orchestrate a day at the zoo. Will I remember this diatribe when the world reinstates itself? Maybe not, but for now, I will do everything I can to make every moment count.

making your own fun

The one thing my daughter misses most is Coral Cove, a bouncy house-arcade in our area. After some light googling, I came up with 7 games I could make from things we have at home. Luckily we had tons of stuff, from the recycling bin to the craft room, to make some fun games I knew she would love. 

Easter buckets are aplenty, so Bozo buckets was a must. Flipping a chair over and cutting the center out of paper plates = Ring toss. We used the mini basketball hoop she made for STEM and a laundry basket with a bouncy ball for mega hoops. A rope with a hook attached became a fishing pole. I glued toilet paper tubes to plywood and she rolled a ball across it, trying to get the ball through each tube. I even made a Plinko game by gluing lids to a piece of plywood and putting small containers at the bottom.

Everything was labelled with construction paper and marker. I even chopped up little game tickets and tallied her points. It took one hour to gather, label, and create. The choices were 1. More TV 2. More reading 3. Go to bed early. So creativity won! I created Covid Cove and she thought it was hilarious. 

She patiently used her tickets and helped me tally her points. Her prize list was minimal, but she got to choose from candy, pencils, cookies, ice cream, a makeover or a necklace. She ended up with a little of all of it and an hour of play later she had a big, happy smile.

For some reason, this was a long week. I had a moment. She had a few moments. I wanted to end the work week on a positive and this worked! The dress for the day was onsies and the bar was set very low for expectations and standards, high for laughter and entertainment. I managed another week of pulling off working-momming-quarantining :) 

define normal??

Defining normal is not always easy and these days, we have redefined the words many times over. We had a fairly normal weekend. Fishing, hiking, biking, yard work, the usual. You honestly would have never known there was anything going on in the world. We got outside, laughed, and enjoyed life. 

We even hit the drive through at Tom n Jerry's for lunch after some outdoor time at Rock Cut State Park (if you're not from the area, google them both. You won't regret it!). Watching people wearing masks while taking orders, making food and taking money is now the norm. Driving through town and seeing people going in and out of businesses wearing masks is just one norm I will have to get used to.

I have to redefine what is normal, but I find myself redefining things that are important to me as well. I can't believe how easy it was to adapt to a life at home. Once the novelty of it wore off and the routines set in, it wasn't bad at all. I find myself opting to do something or read instead of grabbing for the remote. I am at ease calling, texting or video chattimg instead of running to a friend's. I can make due with what I have in the pantry instead of running out for sweet treats and snacks.

I am interested to see how all of this translates once we go back to "normal". I truly hope I will continue to embrace the family concept and use my free time creatively. I now know I can live without sweets, going out, dining out, mindlessly wandering the store because I can, and so much more. I hope my new normal stays happy, healthy, grateful and productive. Cheers to a new norm!