Twenty years a video editor is not conducive to a lot of physical activity. My job has always been a sedentary one. A few weeks ago a group of friends from work did a 5k and it sounded like such a great experience and it made me long to try something like that. While working, that would never be an option because our schedules were so jam packed. Now that I am home with the kids we are active all the time. We are hiking, climbing, and adventuring as often as possible. Combine that with working at the shop here and there doing physical labor and I have drastically increased the amount I have been moving around.

This evening the kids were hanging out with their Aunt Julie, so I snuck into the room with the treadmill and plugged it in. It took me a few minutes to get the gist of how it worked, but once I got it started I thought, “why not see how long I can go.”

I went two miles with a mixture of walking and jogging and I did it in about 23 minutes. The time isn’t that great, but I was pretty proud that I had accomplished it! I’m guessing I will have jelly legs in the morning!

 

My sister in law and I decided to take the kids to a splash pad in an old town area near her new house. We weren’t there more than a couple of minutes when Big E came to me and told me he had to use the bathroom. No problem, I thought as there was a bathroom right there. I grabbed his hand and headed towards it. That’s when I realized that you had to pay for the bathroom!!! It was only 25 cents, but I didn’t have any change on me. I looked down at my boy as he started to do the potty dance pretty emphatically. I looked around and saw a relatively empty parking lot with one SUV that could provide some privacy. I took him to the other side of it and had him stand next to some bushes. At the risk of being fined for public urination, I told him he needed to pee very quickly before someone saw us. He started doing his business and within a couple of seconds I realized that my arm and my face were getting wet. Wait?!?!?! What?!? Why am I wet? I looked down to see that while Big E was aiming for a bush, he was actually hitting a wooden fence, and it was splashing off the wooden fence and ONTO MY FACE!!! I couldn’t step away from him because I was providing cover, but I also couldn’t really speak at that moment because I was getting pee on my face so I tried to dodge as best as I could. I was really glad we were at a highly chlorinated splash park because I washed myself off once we got back. Not my grossest mommy moment, but it definitely ranked up there!

The kids played for about an hour and a half. Baby E didn’t do too much splashing. My one year old niece, on the other hand, was having a blast. We left as the kids started to complain they were hungry. We took them through the drive through at Chick-Fil-A and went back to my sister in laws house to eat. The kids played for awhile before we headed out.

On the way home, we decided to do a little geocaching. The first place we stopped led us through some tall, itchy grass and we never found the cache. The second stop also yielded nothing, however it was underneath a large bridge. The area had a cement boat ramp. Since there were not many people around, I let the kids take of their shoes and wade in the water on the ramp. They splashed and played for nearly an hour. On our way home after that, Big E said it was the best ‘adventure’ we’ve had yet!

I looked down from the table this afternoon as I was sitting there helping Big E with some schoolwork. Baby E had been on the floor playing quietly for a few minutes but I hadn’t paid attention to what he was doing. When my attention finally turned to him I saw that he had found some painting supplies and he had lined up all the brushes on the floor and was taking his time picking them up, pretending to paint and setting them down. All the while he was talking quietly to himself and giggling here and there.

“Whatcha doing, buddy?” I asked him.

He looked up at me and smiled. “I’m Bob Ross!” he said, and turned back to his imaginary painting. This kid is obsessed with Bob Ross. He takes his paint brush out on the front porch and ‘paints’ the sunset.

If it’s bedtime he asks if he can watch Bob Ross before falling asleep. He can carry on whole conversations about Bob Ross and he can even tell you Bob Ross’ son’s name because he hosted a few episodes.

Honestly, I think I prefer this obsession over his Moana one, so if you see him ask him about painting happy little trees!

Growing up and living most of my life where I did, I learned early on that answering the question “Where do you live?” more than 30 minutes away from my home was difficult because I would always get blank stares at my answer. For those of us that grew up there, we would never say the town because no one had ever heard of it. We would rarely even say the county. Instead we would start off with which section of the state we were from or the distance we lived from the nearest large city. I remember what a big deal it was when we got a second Walmart in the county or how excited everyone was to get a Burger King. And when the only movie theatre in the county finally renovated, people were thrilled. It wasn’t unusual for me to drive 20 minutes to the grocery store, 20 minutes to a nice park, 20 minutes to a Starbucks. Want to go to the mall? 40 minutes. Target? 40 minutes. Also, there was only one ‘main’ road in and out of the county and if there was an accident on it, too bad..

It isn’t the same at our new house. I was online last night and I searched ‘parks near me’ and I looked at a radius of what I figured would be under the 25 minute mark to get to. I was shocked to find not just a few, but over a dozen. So, I decided we needed to start checking them out and crossing them off the list.

This morning we went to one that boasted a large playground in the shade and some walking trails. It was less than 10 minutes from the shop so I figured it would be perfect. We pulled into a nearly empty parking lot and unloaded. When the kids saw the park their eyes got big. Big E had been there once before with his grandma, but the rest of us had never been. There were a few moms there with their kids, but other than that, it seemed pretty serene. We put on our sunblock and bug spray, put down our waters, and that’s when we heard it- a large group of kids was coming our way. By the looks of it it was probably a summer camp group, but suddenly the quiet park was inundated with at least 30 more kids and a handful of chaperones. It probably would have been more enjoyable if we had had the park to ourselves, but the kids did great with interacting, and when we got overwhelmed we decided to take a walk. The trail led us to a well used biking trail that took us on a bridge over the road we had been driving on. C wanted to stop and journal in her notebook about the bridge. She drew a picture of us walking on it.

After the park we headed for the shop to have lunch. We stayed for a little while and then headed on our way. We would be passing pretty close to a park we had seen signs for so we decided to stop at that one and check it out. We pulled into a tiny, empty parking lot and made our way down to a creek. To be honest, we were not at all impressed. There was trash everywhere. We had to step around broken bottles and old clothing. The site looked better suited as a mobster dumping ground than a park, so we didn’t last long.

From there we went to Rita’s. The Rita’s near us has a small splash park outside. After they ate their Italian ice, they ran and played in the sprinklers for at least an hour. Baby E was definitely the most timid, but even he enjoyed getting splashed. They were drenched when we got them back to the car.

When we got home this evening they played some video games while we made supper. After dinner they were invited to our neighbor’s to play on the trampoline and while the big kids were jumping, Baby E took the Jeep out for a spin.

Needless to say, they all fell asleep pretty quickly this evening!

I don’t think we could have fit one more thing into our day. I’m not sure if it is because I am trying to make up for lost time or if I really am so excited about all this new time I have with the kids, but we have jam-packed every single day since getting out here. With that said, tomorrow is going to be much more sedate!

My sister asked me today if I had to hop back into my former life, would it make me anxious after the week that I’ve had and I said, “No, it would make me sad.” I knew I was stressed. I knew I was tired. I just didn’t realize how bad it had gotten. This past week has probably been the busiest one I have had in ages, but it has also been the calmest and most peaceful. I’m not on autopilot anymore. I’m not counting the hours until I’m home with my kids. I don’t feel guilt. I’m so thankful I have this opportunity to be home with them!

Like every other day this past week we seem to have filled up every moment of today. We headed out this morning to hear our brother in law preach at his new church. Several other friends and family showed up and we all ended up at my brother and sister in laws house for lunch. The kids loved the fact they had eight cousins and three friends to play with! It made for a very loud afternoon, but they sure that fun.

When it was time to leave, Tim’s brother wanted to drop by to see our new house since they hadn’t visited yet. They hung out for awhile and the kids continued playing with their cousins. I think their favorite part was when they took turns driving the Jeep. Let’s just say I’m thankful no one is getting their license anytime soon!

 

“Want to go for a hike?” I asked Tim this morning with a tone that implied that I really, really wanted to. He hadn’t been able to join us the other day and I was aching to see some more of the beautiful scenery nearby. He had wanted to do some unpacking, but he agreed to go for a hike since the weather was completely perfect. Big E had spent the night at his grandparents house for a belated birthday celebration with some of the boy cousins, so he wasn’t around. Tim, C, Baby E, and I hopped in the car.

I had researched some more of the nearby trails and found one that looked the most promising for a quick Saturday hike. It was less than a half mile from our last hiking location, but it was on the other side of the highway. Beyond that I didn’t have much information.

We pulled into the gravel parking lot and there were a few cars there. We got out and stretched and then hit the trail. It was actually a small trail that meandered through the forest until it ran into the Appalachian trail (which apparently is what we were on the other day.) The shorter trail was pretty easy, without many obstacles but when we got to the intersection for the A.T., I noticed our route was going to get significantly more challenging. All of a sudden the trail wasn’t just packed dirt. It was rocky and very steep. We had already committed to our hike and the kids seemed excited about the hill so we started up. I was really surprised at how well they navigated the rough terrain. We stopped for a few small breaks as needed, but for the most part we pushed through.

After an hour of basically uphill trail we got to an area where we could see the highway we had been driving on. It was further down the road than we had been, so the cars looked very small in the distance. C was amazed at how far up we were. We rested for a few moments and started our trek down. Naturally that went much faster and we made it back to the car in a half an hour.

Compared to our last trail, this one was much more difficult, but it didn’t stop the kids from asking if we could go back another day. 🙂

I have never thought of myself as an outdoorsy person, but I am beginning to think that I am. I love getting away from concrete. I enjoy the quiet and peacefulness of nature. I like to see the trees and hear the birds. Outside the world continues its bustle, but inside the forest there is no rush, there are no deadlines. It is calm. Let’s not go too crazy, you won’t find me camping in a tent or roughing it under the stars. That’s not for me. For now I will enjoy the best of both worlds.

 

 

 

I have been a stay at home mom for exactly a week now and this is what I have learned…

1- My stress level has dropped drastically. My life is no longer dictated down to the minute by a clock. We aren’t rushing everywhere. We aren’t constantly late to something. I don’t have a steady feeling of guilt that I’m dropping the ball on something important.

2- My patience has risen drastically. I find myself taking the time to get down on the kids’ level and talk to them more often. I can handle their outbursts much better.

3- The kids’ behavior has improved. There are still issues, but there are less moments of lashing out.

4- We are eating healthier. We have a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We’ve cut back drastically on eating out.

5- We are spending less money. With less eating out, driving, hurried evenings, our spending has cut back considerably.

6- I get an extra ten hours a day with my children. TEN HOURS A DAY! That’s 50 extra hours I got with my family this week! I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this.

7- The kids love the idea of being homeschooled. Every day this week they have taken at least an hour to work on some kind of educational activity.

8- We climb mountains, y’all. Literal mountains.

9- Our evenings are calm. We sit on the front porch as the sun goes down. Evenings used to be the final push to bedtime.

10- We are finally together. After months and months of limbo, our family is now under one roof. A year ago, this was all just theory. Now it is reality. And the reality is, I’m so incredibly thankful. 🙂

We pulled into the gravel parking lot around 2:15 this afternoon.

We were on our way home from visiting the cousins, when I decided I wanted to do something spontaneous. We have moved to such a beautiful area, that I wanted to take advantage of the incredible weather and lovely blue skies. I had checked online to see if there were any hiking trails along our route home and found one along the way.

The parking lot was just off the main road, and nearly every spot was taken- at least 10 cars already there. I didn’t know anything about the trail except the fact that we were near the top of a mountain. I got the kids out of the car, insisted that C put on tennis shoes instead of her flip flops and we readied ourselves for a walk.

At that time, the people parked next to us arrived at their car. They were in pretty standard hiking attire, and they were soaked in sweat. “How long is the trail?” I asked naively. “About 6 miles,” came the response. Yikes! “Ok kids, we will just walk a little of it.”

Now as embarrassed as I was as to the ridiculousness of my next question, I had to ask. So, I mustered my courage and asked nonchalantly, “So, there aren’t any bears are there?” Now folks, I take my phobia of bears seriously and we were on top of a mountain and the trail did look pretty rough, so I think it was a legit question! (BTW- my husband laughed at me later when I told him!) The three people just stared at me and giggled. “No, no bears!” “Alright, then we are good to go!” I exclaimed and the kids and I marched to the trail. (I’m pretty sure they laughed about the crazy lady and her kids asking about bears and wandering around where they had no business being!)

As we started hiking I noticed that the trail was steep and pretty rocky at points. I also noticed that all the people that we passed were dressed for hiking. Some of them were using hiking poles. Others were carrying bottles of water strapped to back packs. And then there was us… One mom and three small kids in street clothes (C was even in a dress,) one water bottle for Baby E, and a complete ignorance of our surroundings! We hiked for quite awhile. We would stop at anything we found interesting. We passed probably close to two dozen people along the way. Finally I asked someone what was at the end of the path. “An overlook, but it’s really far.” “How long does it take you to do the whole hike,” I asked. “Three hours,” a nice man responded. Right, yeah, we aren’t doing that.

We hiked for awhile, though. The trail was well marked, but very rocky, so some of it was slow going. We finally came to an area with a small rock out cropping where the trees were slightly parted and we could look out onto the valley below us. It was beautiful. We were much higher up than I realized and we could see other mountains in the distance. We rested for a few minutes and then started our trek down the mountain. By the time we made it to the van we had been on the trail for an hour and we were all drenched in sweat. Thankfully we were only about 15 minutes from home.

I think it is strange that I am completely intimidated about taking my children into public all by myself. The thought of taking them all to the grocery store alone gives me shivers. Take them to a restaurant- no way, not a chance. That’s such an overwhelming thought to me. But marching them up the side of a mountain on some steep hills and rocky terrain, well I can do that without a second thought… as long as there are no bears!

My hands are red and tender to touch. My legs are caked in dirt. Nearly every muscle hurts. I’m definitely not used to this.

I had a pretty good idea how I wanted this day to go. We were going to attend the local Fourth of July parade, which the kids have attended a few times in the past during visits with their grandparents. Then this evening we would find a place to watch fireworks.

But instead we went into the shop today to be a few extra hands for lifting and moving things. Turns out we ended up being there all day and we didn’t get home until nearly 9pm. So we missed the parade and the fireworks, but I really don’t mind. The only downside was that the air conditioning stopped working today in the office, so there was really no release from the heat all day. At 86 degrees inside, we were all drenched. The kids did great with doing their schoolwork, watching some tv, and keeping hydrated. By the time we got home they were spent and all crawled into bed pretty quickly.

When I saw some fireworks going off near our house, I found Big E still awake so I let him come in my room to watch them from my window. He’s asleep in my bed now.

The first week of my new life has definitely been more exhausting than I anticipated, but I cannot stress how much I love being around my children. My patience level with them has improved dramatically, and they seem to be happier as well. There are moments when I second guess our drastic change, but then there are moments like tonight, when I acknowledge again that it was the very best possible move for our family.

Now to remove a sleeping six year old from my pillow.

I’m pretty sure that we squeezed out every possible moment today.

After breakfast this morning we took a trip out to visit my sister in law and her kids to get some cousin time. They live about 35-40 minutes away, but the trip feels like half that because it is a beautiful drive through some gorgeous scenery. When we pulled up to her house, the kids could see one of their cousins inside and they couldn’t wait to get out. The kids picked up right where they left off a few days ago. Their cousins wasted no time showing them around and before we knew it they were playing in the basement and having a blast. We stayed for a few hours and ate lunch there.

After our visit we headed towards home (it still feels strange to say that!) and met up with my mom and sister for a stop at Sweet Frog. Yum!  🙂

After we got home we spent about an hour on school work.

And we finished our evening with time in the sprinkler and dinner on the front porch.

There have definitely been moments over the past few days where I have felt off-balance or completely overwhelmed. For that reason, I’m glad that we had already begun to establish a life at the new house before we moved out here because I know the transition would have been so much harder if we hadn’t. I miss work a lot, I miss my friends there, but I don’t miss the commute at all. I’m grateful to have my sister in law so close and that the kids have cousins nearby to play with.

Change is good. It pushes us out of our comfort zones. It is there we can grow. Change makes us value what we have and it causes us to self reflect, and this change is already teaching me so much.