In the new year, people usually jump into resolutions or goals that they want to strive to achieve. I used to try to come up with something to work towards to test my willpower, but as the years have progressed, I’ve become more laid-back in new year’s resolutions.
I’ve tried and failed at plenty of resolutions and now I’m moving towards reorganizing and prioritizing what’s most important and leaving room for grace and flexibility in my goals. I am a person who wants to do so much, but needs to take time to sit and be grateful, pray, and enjoy the moment even in the chaos going on around me. I have so many little interests I’d love to take up, but coming to terms with and appreciating where God has me is a beautiful existence that I get to be a part of right now.
I am learning and growing as a busy mom and doting wife. It’s not always sunny skies and smiles, but I’m seeing the growth in the cloudy and gray days that I and everyone eventually face in the real world. One way that I plan to face the more challenging days is to spend more time outside. God’s creation has always made me feel small but in the best way.
I love the immediate way the outdoors lifts my mood.
A while back, there was a challenge called 1,000 Hours Outside. I was always curious about the concept but never pursued it. Basically the goal is to spend way more time outside in spite of the fact that screen usage is at an all-time high and children don’t play outside anymore.
1,000 Hours Outside challenges you to get out even when the weather is less optimal by bundling up and wearing whatever gear you need to face the weather that day and make it a habit that you will go out no matter what. The factors that affect outside time are numerous and some very understandable, but I wanted to increase my family’s time out and make screen time almost non-existent. I challenge everyone to remove screens as much as you can and see if it improves your overall well-being.
So far my family has made an effort to be outside for at least an hour a day and I plan to increase that time even more once the weather is more comfortable. I think the goal for the challenge was about 2.5 hours with some days getting more and some less due to adjustments needing to be made. My situation as a homeschooling mom should make this challenge easier, but it’s shocking how easy it is to get caught up in chores or other duties inside and forget to get out and get some fresh air. 
One difficulty that we ran into was having correct footwear for the kids when they were out playing in the yard. We’ve lost more shoes than we can count to mud piles, the one overlooked pile of dog droppings, and water mishaps, but I finally have found the perfect all-weather rain boots to keep their feet protected are easy on and off for the transition from outside to inside. We settled for the kids Crocs rain boots because of their durability and the endless amount of times they can be washed good as new for a fun-filled day outside. At first, I was skeptical of the higher end price tag, but I was tired of having to toss several other rain boots with the cheap cloth interior that gets wet and stinky when I washed it, despite my best efforts to dry them completely. I wish I would have made the splurge sooner and ended up saving money in the long run. So far we have invested in quality rain boots and light rain jackets for throwing on over outfits. We have done well getting out most days until we caught a virus that had us staying in resting for a few days, but I made an effort to open the windows and let the house air out every day as well. On cold days I try to let the house air out for at least 15 minutes before I shut the windows and hopefully squeeze that in at least twice a day.
