Take Some F Word Time is my second 2020 New Year’s Resolution.
Because I want to take back my house and Get an F Word Hobby, I want to add to the quality (and quantity) of time I spend with my husband and son.
How?
Step 1: Make breakfast.
Right now, my picky eater enjoys two things for breakfast: yogur’ and ‘nacks — and honestly he’s so picky that I don’t fight him about the maybe 10 things he’ll eat.
I just feed him those things.
Well, no more! Improving the cycle means dragging my sleepy butt out of bed earlier and making breakfast.
Some days that might mean eggs, sausage and toast. Other days that might mean toaster waffles and yogur’.
I mean, no one’s perfect, but definitely no more ‘nacks.
Step 2: Focus on family.
I’m a working mom, and my husband is a working dad.
Our son spends more than a third of his day with other people. Absolutely amazing people — but they’re not his parents.
When we all get home from work and school, we’re exhausted. Especially the toddler who’s been behaving all day.
At the end of the day, we’re not focusing on family — we’re sprinting toward bedtime.
Again, I say no more! Improving the cycle means bringing quality (and quantity) to our limited time.
That means…
- Dragging a chair into the kitchen, so our son can help us cook dinner.
- Eating together as a family — as often as possible — unless the toddler already ate because he’s not about to wait for food he doesn’t want to eat anyway.
- Playing, instead of relaxing after a long day — but that doesn’t have to be every day. Some days, momma needs to recline (and snuggle a toddler).
- Taking walks after dinner when the days get longer and warmer, which can be every day for all I care. Walking FTW. Plus, we love watching our son explore.
We’re going to ease into it. One weeknight. Two. Maybe three? While I want to give our son more time, I also know that we need time to ourselves to recharge.
Introverts, yo.
Step 3: Do Fun Family S***
We’re about to renew some local memberships to our favorite places, including Botanica Wichita and the Sedgwick County Zoo.
Our super active toddler loves climbing, exploring, jumping and running. Botanica and the zoo offer endless opportunities, but there’s even more in Wichita that he hasn’t experienced or explored yet.
- A library filled to the brim with books made for rough toddler hands.
- Baby goats at Elderslie Farms.
- Cowtown actors reenacting gunfights and slinging sarsaparillas at the saloon.
- Dozens of playgrounds with slides, swings and sand pits to dig in.
- Farmer’s Markets full of food I want him to pick out for himself.
- Gyms made especially for super active toddlers complete with ball pits, foam blocks and toddler-only trampolines.
- Movie nights made for kids, so there’s no fear of screaming ruining anyone’s good time. (We’re in this Pixar nonsense together, moms.)
- New exhibits at Exploration Place.
- Riverfest!!!
- Splash pads to beat the summer heat.
We also received a 2020 Bucket List from Ria Farmer, Realtor.
Not all are toddler friendly options — he can’t set a monster toddler foot in the Frank Lloyd Wright Allen House.
But I could see us breakfasting with ice cream at Little Lion, getting outside at the Great Plains Nature Center and taking ourselves out to the ballgame at Wichita’s new baseball stadium.
So.
Many.
Fun.
Things!
In 2020, we’re taking the F word time to do them.
