The Magic of Ordinary Days
I have been a stay-at-home mom for a long time now. The enthusiasm for the job definitely ebbs and flows! Some days, I feel like there’s no way on Earth I could possibly make a difference by cooking the same meals, teaching the same lessons, and dealing with the same behaviors. Other days, I really connect with my children and feel like there is hope after all! The last ten days, I have taken my own challenge and have been intentional about making time for family fun activities every single day. It has helped me to see the magic of ordinary days.
We have kept our kids learning this week with the suggested activities, but it’s the weekend! Friday night is always time for family fun! What are your plans?
We live in a rural area and things are still pretty shut down here. There are a few places we could go that are open, but we would all have to wear masks, which doesn’t sound all that fun to anyone. Parks are open, but also crowed. So, our options seem quite limited. But they’re actually not. It just requires a bit more creativity.
Five Fun Family Activities to Do This Weekend:
- Play Hide and Seek—
We played this a few nights ago and it was so much fun! This is actually one of our family favorites, but you can take it up a notch by playing it in the dark with flashlights. My kids call this “flashlight tag,” but it really is hide and seek in the dark. The seeker uses a flashlight and whoever gets “tagged” with the flashlight is “it” and starts counting again, allowing everyone to move.
It’s a little faster-paced than regular hide-and-seek because only one person has to be found before the game can move on…and that way, the younger kids don’t have to seek so long that they forget what they’re doing. Obviously, it doesn’t get dark until pretty late, though, so remember that if you’re planning to include young children.
- Play Tag—
I HATED playing tag as a kid! HATED IT! I was always the smallest, slowest kid…which, of course, meant that I was always “it.” Not fun. So, I will admit that I am always resistant to playing tag. Not to mention the fact that I’m tired! But the other night, my daughter was “it” a lot because she was the target of her brothers so I decided to jump in to rescue her. My husband got in on the fun too and I have not laughed like that in a long time!
The game evolved into a game of “Blob Tag.” (This is where everyone who gets tagged has to link arms with the one who is “it,” and they run around together tagging others.) I was the last one standing, but finally got tagged and we just fell to the ground as laughter and shortness of breath erupted! The side pain was totally worth it!
- Hit the Tennis Courts—
When I was a kid, this was one of our family activities. Everyone grabbed their rackets and we hit the courts to play some tennis. I was the youngest, and there were five in our family, so I never actually got to play. I had to just practice hitting the ball up against the wall. So, playing tennis is definitely more fun if you have an even number of family members to enjoy it! Our tennis courts are free to use and never crowded, and yet, still extremely underutilized by our family. It might be time for that to change!
- Catch a Fish—
We live in an area where it is not uncommon to see a couple of kids down by the river on any given day. I love that my kids can call a friend and meet up at the river to go fishing. My oldest son doesn’t enjoy fishing, but his best friend loves it. Often, he just goes along for the socializing and doesn’t even bring his rod.
Fishing can be quite boring if the fish aren’t biting though. Depending on where you are, you can always find some fun activities for everyone in the family. My oldest daughter doesn’t love to fish for very long, so for her, especially when she was younger, I often brought some permanent markers along so she could color some rocks that we found along the shore. Now, she just brings a book and she’s perfectly content!
Packing a picnic or some snacks makes it much more fun for everyone and there is one big key to making it a fun family activity. QUIT at the first signs that it isn’t fun anymore! You don’t have to stay out there all day, especially if the fish aren’t biting! It will be okay to quit early. Some fisherman disagree, I know; but if you bring kids along, pay attention to their levels of engagement and leave when they drop.
- Jump Rope and Play Hopscotch—
My children had no idea that I was the rope-jumping queen on the playground! Even better? I learned that my husband was the rope-jumping king of his playground! He even knows how to Double-Dutch! I was never brave enough for that. Had we gone to the same school, we would have been a match made at recess!
We homeschool our children, so this is one of the things they have missed out on at the playground (along with the name-calling and the “You can’t play with us!” drama. I think we’re still coming out ahead!) My mom actually showed up with a long jump-rope she had ordered—the kind with the plastic pieces all along the rope, which are the BEST!—and so we all took turns jumping.
It turns out that my husband and I are pretty rusty! That actually makes for more laughter! Get in there and give it a try. By the end of the month, you’ll have done some pretty great cardio workouts.
If you’re like me, none of these things sounds like something you really want to do. I absolutely dread when my children ask me to play pretty much any of these games because…they don’t appeal to me. That’s why we have to be intentional about saying, “yes” to play more. And that’s also why I’m sharing with you that I have NEVER–seriously, not once that I can think of–regretted saying, “yes” to playing with my children!
And just in case you’re thinking that I’m one of those moms who plays with her kids all the time…or maybe you’re thinking that I’m one of those moms who actually doesn’t do anything with her kids, but sits and writes about it instead…neither is true.
I’m a real mom. I do spend a lot of time with my children, but often, the responsibilities of housework, laundry, bills, meals, and just plain fatigue get in the way of spending real, quality time with my children and doing fun family activities. In other words, I’m probably very similar to you. I’m not going to challenge you to do something I won’t do myself. Why? Because pretty much everything I write here is written to myself. If someone else can benefit, great! But in the end, I’m just trying to be a better mom. And I am becoming one. How about you?
RElated: Backyard Activities for Kids