Family
Permission to Be
My kids pre-coronavirus. Ready to take on the world.
I have fallen off the earth, it seems. Like the rest of the world, I’ve been adjusting to a new life where my kids are on the computers all day attending zoom classes and doing homework in virtual classrooms. Posting on my blog has dropped in priority. However, I’m beginning to think we need another computer, because I really miss my writing time! (Actually, I’m making 10-yo late for her class which starts in two minutes, so I guess this will be short.) 😬
For many, this has been a great time to hunker down and write. For others it has been a time of anxiety and fear, and zero writing is getting done. For even others, it’s a time of adjusting schedules and finding a way to get in writing again (like me!). Times like these can mean a lot of guilt for some. Guilt for escaping from the realities of life. Guilt for NOT escaping from the realities of life. Guilt for having time and ability to write when others don’t. Guilt for not writing when you feel like you should. So. Much. Guilt.
I can’t be productive in any way with guilt, so I gave myself permission to take a break. If I write, great! If I don’t write, well that’s great, too. Right now, my focus is on my kids. Helping them cope in a time that is pretty stressful. They worry about school. They worry about friends. They worry about the world. They worry about their dad who still goes in to work everyday in a high risk environment (he’s a physician). I perhaps can’t fix the world right now, but I can make my home a little spot of peace for my kids. Give them some stability in a world that seems to have very little of that.
I hope that you will all give yourself permission to be the person you need/want to be right now. No guilt. We’re all doing our best. Big hugs, and stay safe!
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coronavirus, hugs, kids, parenting, writing2019 Summer Bucket List
The day after Labor Day. Whether school started earlier or not, this is pretty much the official day of the end of summer. Pools close. Weather starts to change (we hope!). Free weekends are a thing of the past.
But happily, memories live on, so it is time to report on our 2019 Johnson Family Summer Bucket List. To be honest, things have gotten a little out of hand. We used to make a list with the intention of finishing every last thing. Now we make a super long list with the idea that we can find something to do when we’re bored.
Personally, considering how long our list was, I’m impressed we got through so much! And because I like numbers, here you are.
Number of items on our bucket list: 70
Number of items checked off: 42
Percentage of the list complete: 60%
Even better than numbers are pictures, so here are a few highlights:
Monster Pizza!! This was our kick-off activity. So. Much. Pizza. We definitely want to do this again . . . when we can drag along a few more people!
Here’s a two-fer: Go to Oregon. Play on the beach. And really, this beach was the site of many bucket list fulfillments. Go for a walk. Go on a picnic. Roast marshmallows/make s’mores. Visit cousins. Seriously, the beach is my favorite.
We went to Lagoon.
We went to Canada.
We ran a family 5K (even if I only have a picture of two of us). And actually we ran TWO family 5Ks, so kudos to us!
But alas, we had a few items on the list I lament not getting to:
- Learn to make macaroons.
- Learn to make a curry dish.
- Fix the trampoline.
- Silent day!!! Okay, maybe the kids were glad about this one, but we’re even because we also missed . . .
- Hatchet throwing. (It could have been fun, I just have visions of a bad ending to that. o_o)
My favorite bucket list item was going to the beach (and we did that a lot). Girlie says her favorite was going to Canada (so shout out to Aunt Becca for making that happen!).
Anyway, the point is, we had an awesome summer, and I love that our kids love doing the bucket list. And who knows? Maybe we’ll keep pecking away at this list over the fall. That WOULD break the rules, but we Johnsons are known rule-breakers,* so it wouldn’t really be a shock, would it?
Tell me about your summer! What was your favorite thing you did this summer?
*hahaha! This is a lie, we are ridiculous rule-followers, and when I DO break a rule or two, my kids are horrified. HORRIFIED.