Comments on: In praise of weekend anchor events

By: Planner Whisperer

Planner Whisperer — Sat, 30 Jan 2021 13:47:04 +0000

At the beginning of January I started ballet classes on Saturday mornings. The class starts at 11:00, and I’m usually up by 6:00, so I have a good chunk of time to get the must-dos done before class. It’s nice to come home, have lunch with my family, and then take a well-deserved nap, knowing that my critical tasks for the day have already been accomplished. And it’s also super fun!

By: Laura Vanderkam

Laura Vanderkam — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 13:38:00 +0000

In reply to SHU. @SHU- yep, the big kids doing nothing is pretty much full-on screen time all day. So I need to nudge them out at some point...

By: Beth

Beth — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 05:33:47 +0000

Yes! I try to plan one “adventure” per weekend. I originally planned to take my 2.5 year old to a specific new-to-us park; however, despite showing “open” online, the playground itself was closed due to covid. I quickly googled and found another nearby new-to-us park, and we had a delightful afternoon there! The playground itself was tiny, but it also had walking trails through the woods. We did about a 1.3 mile hike (approaching my daughter’s limit when she’s on foot), and we both enjoyed it. The moral of the story is that it pays to plan even when things don’t go as planned!

By: Celeste

Celeste — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 21:14:39 +0000

Walk at a local state park with friends and my youngest child, age 8. Even with older kids, if you don’t plan an outing during the pandemic, they don’t get out–as mine didn’t.

By: Lori C

Lori C — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:20:31 +0000

Nope, nothing planned this past weekend and I deeply regretted it. Relaxing in front of a book/TV is nice for an hour or two…. not for hours on end. The kids were climbing the walls and we all had short fuses by Sunday evening. I’ve already made a plan to go skating next weekend and take advantage of the freezing temps! All of us- parents and kids alike- do better in my house when we have at least one big outdoor excursion over the weekend.

By: SHU

SHU — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:15:10 +0000

Well, you know I’m an obvious yes 🙂 But I just had to share that we did a zoo trip with just me + the big kids this Sunday and it was great. Apparently 3 and up is the age at which taking your 3 kids on a somewhat more elaborate outing becomes more fun and less stressful.

Not sure when ‘doing nothing’ will be but I’m guessing everyone would have to be over 6. And you still kind of have to make sure everyone gets some active or outside time just for health/balance!