We have so much more time together as a family, and by suburb/city standards a lot less to do, which means *gasp* we are bored more!
I have grown to love being bored, my mind wanders and calms down. I see my kids explore simple pleasures and make up things to do like sew, paint, grab stuff from outside and paint it, make up silly games, etc. Being bored also changes your perspective on what's exciting - and sometimes the little things are the big moments. I have grown to really love the small moments that feel like big ones. I thought I would share a few.
A trip to St. Thomas is a *really* big deal.
The options here on St. John are mostly around beach, pool, eating and time outdoors (don't get me wrong - these are all really amazing things!). The places we would go in CT to stay entertained were limitless and so easy to get to, but here it requires planning - an early morning start and getting on a car barge to and from St. Thomas and getting back on in time to come home. In the past 2 months we have taken two trips - once bowling + Kmart, once Movies + Kmart. The kids brought their gift cards from Christmas, and I would say the excitement was on par with Disney World. Also, there was some excitement to see a stop light on these trips too..we don't have them on St. John. Sometimes perspective is everything.
We stop for animals.
Some people stop and smell the roses to relax, we stop for animals. We go to the animal shelter to play with kittens and see puppies. There is one cat, Boots, that we stop to see when we head back from the beach (he is at a local hotel). We also stop for Donkeys, Pigs, and Goats..we only pet the Donkeys, though (don't feed them from your car!)
Creative Arts. My kids room has turned into an art gallery with cute pug cartoons, scenic paintings, lots of sewn pillows. It has also turned into a dance and singing studio - where you can see regular practicing in front of mirrors. There was recently a broadway show (see a little gallery at the bottom) put on in the community with my daughter's grade - and this has really sparked their creativity.
Game Nights
We are playing so many more games as a family. I remember this fondly that my family did game nights on Fridays growing up. One of the things that now comes naturally when we are bored is board games (did you like that pun 😊) So far, our favorites are Monopoly, Life, Tacos vs Burritos, Connect 4 (my favorite is when we play on the beach), Chess, Saboteur. Any other good game recommendations?
Nature.
I think my Mom thought I was crazy because I really wanted a hummingbird feeder for Christmas, but it has been my meditation in a lot of ways - a hummingbird comes and I stop to watch with just happiness. They are beautiful birds and not scared to fly near you. I also love the view - watching ships, sun and moon come and go. There is one hill we drive down on the way back from school that literally takes your breath away - the steep drop into pure turquoise waters (no picture of this will suffice). Basically, for me, nature here can't help but make you stop and appreciate it - it really is so beautiful.
Somewhat Related
Mia's broadway show was a hit! Thanks Yelena Rogers for amazing photos
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