Good morning friends and happy Friday!
I hope you had a great weekend and a nice week.
We did actually have a very nice weekend last week, we met with two couples of Italian friends and their kids at our house. I was very happy to have the possibility to chat with some adults other than my husband and to see that the kids were happy to play together. They are close in age, so they played very well in the pool, on the trampoline and on the inflatables that we put in our yard. The kids also begged us to roast some marshmallows, so they did it and loved eating them together making a giant mess! On Sunday we had a very low key day, in the morning we got some croissants and coffee and enjoyed them in the town hall park, it was a beautiful day and we loved it! After we got home, the kids played nicely for more than an hour in the pool in our yard and I even had the opportunity to talk to my husband, which is not something that happens frequently when the kids are around!
So, since we had a relaxing weekend and since the pandemic is still around, I thought that I could talk to you a little about what we do to respect the social distancing and to avoid places that are too crowded. I am not an expert and I am still learning a lot through mistakes, but I really try to do my best to keep me and my family safe.
-Beach: as you know by now, the beach is my favorite place to be in Summer. We went a couple times to the beach already this season, but unfortunately I noticed that it gets very crowded and some towns even closed their parking lots in order to stop people from crowding the places. So I am still trying to figure out a solution, but I am looking for smaller ponds or lakes close to us that might be a little less crowded. The other option is not to go during the weekend, but to pick a week day, when it would be less crowded (hopefully!)
-Fruit picking: this is one of our favorite activities in the Summer. We went a couple times already and I noticed that it is well organized, people wear a mask and keep social distancing, because there is usually someone at the field who will tell you where to go.
-picnic at the park: we are enjoying picnincs this year! We did it the first time for my husband`s birthday: we got takeout from his favorite place and then ate it on a blanket in a park, then the kids played on the grass. It could be something more elaborate, where you prepare a full meal and bring it from home, or just a quick breakfast, where you bring some bread and cookies, or you buy something at your favorite place.
-trails: in Summer we usually don`t walk a lot in trails, because we would rather go to the beach, but I found some places around home that have nice, easy trails for kids and we want to give it a try!
-bicycle, rollerblades: We are enjoying a lot taking bike rides with the kids since both boys learned how to ride a bike with no training wheels during quarantine. What we usually do is something very simple: we pack a blanket, go downtown and then get an ice cream and eat it in the green of our town. The kids (and us) will do some exercise, they are happy with the ice cream and they don`t spend too much time in front of the tv! We found out that there is a big road in Cambridge that is closed to traffic on Sundays, so we went once and it was amazing, the kids went with their bike, rollerblades and skateboard and enjoyed being free of being in the middle of the road. Another thing that I like to do with Aurora is to pack a snack, go to a park and then while I walk she goes on her bike, skateboard or rollerblades. Then we will stop in the shade, have a snack and either do some crafts or she will read to me (changing scenery is great to keep the motivation!).
-skateboard park: Leonardo is getting better with his skateboard, so I took him once to a skateboard park. He got a little discouraged because it was hard for him, but little by little he got a bit more confident. I liked it because he could practice without touching anything (except from the ground!).
We also like to play in our yard with the trampoline, the inflatable, the pool, play basketball, football, volleyball, soccer, do bubbles and chalk art.
This is it for today, I am still learning and implementing a lot, but I hope I gave you some small ideas for something fun to do with your kids this Summer.
I hope you have a great weekend and I will meet you here next week,
Anna