When Adventures go awry…
We’re not perfect. Plenty of dishes go undone and kids toys are everywhere, laundry remains unfolded in the baskets and paperwork collects on the counter. But, with the help of Adventure Santa during the holiday season, we have made sure to put aside time to spend with our children. No work, no screens, no other distractions, just time with the kids on an adventure. We’ve been pretty good, so far…but sometimes our adventures don’t always go as planned. We had one such adventure the other day. It was Taco Tuesday at a nearby restaurant and we had supplies to do some cookie decorating and to string popcorn and cranberries. When the boys found Adventure Santa, they were so excited and had to call mom on her commute home to tell her it was adventure time! So far so good… Taco Tuesday was going great, tacos all around, some queso dip and a never-ending flow of chips. Nearing the end, all tacos are departed except young Seamus’s, who eats slow and gets easily distracted. Connor decides to reach over to do something to the taco that only an older brother would do. I not sure entirely what he had planned because I’m busy enjoying my chips, but I do notice when a full adult size cup of water comes rushing over the edge of the table to soak both Connors and my pants! No big deal, this stuff happens so we proceed to soak up most of the water, finish our meal, pay, and continue on our adventure. Until we get into the car and Connor realizes that he left his picture (aka kids menu) on the table and Seamus remembered to bring his. Epic meltdown as only an exhausted 6-year old can do. High pitched crying and tears all the way home. Cookies work as a great distraction, so decorating cookies goes off without a hitch. Then for the pièce de résistance: stringing popcorn and cranberries. We popped some popcorn a few days earlier and a bag of cranberries. This seemed like a great idea! I remember doing it as a kid, (admittedly maybe a little older and it was a pretty hazy memory) so let’s give it a shot. We get everything ready, popcorn, cranberries, needle and thread. But wait, needles are sharp and that doesn’t mix well with young kids. We decide Mom will use the needle and the kids can help pick out what goes on next and help pull them down the tread. This lasts a good 5 minutes before one kid is playing with Legos, and the other is jumping on Dad then checking out Legos then rotating through these activities again, leaving Mom to herself to string the popcorn and cranberries. They return to help with the stringing process periodically in what can only be described as an unwitting attempt to try to impale themselves on the needle. Adventure fail. We did get quality time with the kids, but we probably won’t try to string popcorn again until the boys can wield a sharp object without hurting themselves or others. The moral of this example – this might happen if you try new things with your kids. They may not participate fully, they may have a meltdown, or you might end up with wet pants at the end. Don’t worry, roll with it, keep trying, and remember, sometimes the disasters are the best stories and what everybody remembers anyway! Working, Stressed Busy Mom = Blessed by Adventure Santa!
By Catherine Life has been beyond stressful over the last month. While transitioning into a new role with the same company, the inevitable happens in that the “transition plan” essentially means doing two jobs until a backfill can be found. This started for me immediately following Thanksgiving and is looking to continue into the new year. Not only am I currently doing multiple jobs, but the last few weeks have been incredibly stressful with meetings and key deliverables being due. In addition to the work craziness, we are expecting # 3 and I am into the third trimester. While no longer feeling sick, exhaustion has taken over and I am typically ready to crawl into bed around 8pm with the kids. In thinking about this, the idea of adventures during the week is very difficult. Balancing between getting the work done and not falling over from exhaustion, while still spending time with the boys, is just that, balancing. And often feeling like it isn’t balanced at all. Earlier this week, I was struggling with wanting more times with the boys. And while my work hat said I didn’t have time, we pulled out Adventure Santa and sent the family on a Christmas Lights tour adventure. Even as we were popping the popcorn for the car and changing into pajamas, my head was saying loudly “Are you crazy? You don’t have time for this!” but my heart knew it was the right thing. And because Adventure Santa had already shown up, I listened to my heart. And it was exactly what I needed! Quality time with my boys - oohing over Christmas light displays, laughing over spilled popcorn and missed turns, squished between a car seat and a booster – it was great! And at the end of the night while putting Connor to bed, having him ask about my favorite display and saying how glad he was that Adventure Santa had shown up, made my work worries fade and put into perspective what was most important. Even though the following morning was an early one and the day was a busy one, the quality time we were able to have made it all worth it! I encourage all busy, tired and stressed parents to take the time to do things like this – whether or not you use Adventure Santa as a tool to do it. It makes all the difference in the world! |
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Adventure Ideas
We will provide you ideas regularly throughout the holiday season to help build out your adventures. Use these or your own but whatever you do, focus on the Fun. Family. Memories you are building!
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