Thursday, March 1, 2012

Spring Fever?

Tomorrow begins spring break here.
That means, 10 days of no alarm clock
and only one day of having to be anyplace.

I should be looking forward to it.
But, I'm not.
I know my dear daughter is going
to want to do something everyday.
She'll only present me with the idea
that it "has to be something fun."
To her, that usually means shopping.
I can't shop for 10 days.


I've got Saturday covered.
We're shopping for her Senior Prom Dress.
It will be fun and wonderful but will
shoot the budget
(Senior Prom and Graduation party, oh my)!

So what do we do for 10 days?
I'm usually pretty good at keeping her busy.
But I am in a rut.
A big rut.
I want to get away.
Impossible.
But it's all I think of.

I'm sure we'll walk, bowl, do a movie
but there's got to be more.
I'm not a city driver so
that omits a lot of possibilities right there.

Too early to camp or
plant gardens here.
So what's a girl (or two) to do.

Just wondering how you, my dear fellow
bloggers get out of a rut?
How does one mix things up?
Find a little excitement
when one has become too comfortable
and complacent in their surroundings.
Any idea?



23 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

can't say i have any ideas for you. i like my rut just fine...

Furry Bottoms said...

Crafts?? Scrapbooking??? Take pictures of your nature walks and make a book of it. Rent movies! Play board games?

I understand the feeling of dread, I went through that with my niece when she was here a couple weeks ago. She hit the floor running with "So what will we do today? It has to be something fun!" until the moment our heads hit the pillows at night. So we watched movies... played card games... One day of shopping... two times of ceramic painting... that wild animal drive-thru park I was talking about...

Maybe you can challenge her to think of something fun to do that does not involve spending money at all. Maybe she will think of something new?

Unknown said...

Library, museum, beach for shells, hiking. Hmmmm visit an animal shelter. Learn to crochet. Guess that is all I can come up with. One last thought, try a new recipe together.

Bev said...

you could bake one day:)...have fun.. you'll miss those days when they are over!

Julie Marie said...

Oh Jill... I guess I never get in a rut I can't get out of... even today, with all the snow, and as much as I want to be outside in warm weather, I am sipping coffee and planning more for my gardens... why don't you and Becky "camp out" at home? You know, set up sleeping bags, wear flannel shirts and comfy clothes, make smores (even if it is over a pan on the stove), tell ghost stories, giggle, don't watch tv... pretend you are out in the woods (you really are I think from the photos you have shown)... I know you will come up with something fun... I would be soo looking forward to just spending quality time with my daughter if I had one... xoxo Julie Marie

Michaele said...

So many good ideas here. I am going to come back again just to read them

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

I've no suggestions--Shopping is my ole stand-by and you're right, you can't do that for 10 days, but I'll bet your daughter thinks you can!

Donna said...

You and your kids are so creative, Jill, what about crafts from nature? There are so many ideas out there for nature crafts! Becky love to be creative!

I hope you come up with great ideas!

Blessings to you both!
Hugs,
Donna

Nancy said...

Sometimes I jump in the truck and go searching for barns. Could you do that one day? :)

Blessed Serendipity said...

How about freshening up a room? You could paint a room (or two) a different color and rearrange the furniture. It could be fun! Or maybe you could have a craft day where you make something together. I think just spending some precious time with your daughter will be wonderful whatever you decide to do. They grow up too fast.

xo,
Danielle

Chatty Crone said...

I feel for you - we have that coming up in a month or so! I think you have some good examples - maybe some cookie making. Eat desert first one night. sandie

Scrappy Pink Corner said...

Oh, Jill. I don't even know what to suggest since you live in a cold state. I live in Florida and we would go to the parks and fly kites and roller skate and bicycle ride and the beach was a must. Collect lots of shells, just to throw them back, we would even have scavenger hunts.
Boy, you just brought bak so many memories. Good ones.
Thank you for that. My oldest now when she is off of school only hangs out with her friends and the youngest is going on a mission trip.

Dar said...

Does Becky have a journal to write in? She could journal her spring break to begin with and add some pictures you take together, like, shopping for the prom dress, etc. It just may be something she will continue to do., ' Memories with Mom'
No matter what, you two are sure to make sweet memories together. Make a mobile with old silverware or trinkets no longer used, buttons, thin strips of smooth wood, etc. You are both so creative.
Have fun and report back after the week has flown by.
BlessYourHearts

Anonymous said...

She seems to enjoy photography. Maybe make a photo journal of her spring break. Would she like to start some spring bulbs in a flower pot? Maybe hang some bird feeders around the house and photograph the birds from a window??

Dawnll said...

Well I am always crafting, trying a new class at a craft store, how about be a tourist for a day in your town? Try to list many places you have not been to before or for a long time.
Baking is one of my favorites -pre-make dinners so when you are tired you just need to warm.
Enjoy the time, I so miss spending time with my daughter that she is grown.

BlueShell said...

No ideas...
here is winter...and no rain at all: I', worried bout that!

Hugs

Lynne said...

Having read about the many things you and Becky do together I know you keep the zest and the creative juices flowing so first of all I suggest one day you stay in your PJ's and play and craft together. Make some cards, draw pictures of where you might like to travel and style each others hair, things like that.

How about having a color day theme for the week? Each evening, choose a color for the next day. Then decide on an activity based on the color. (Yellow-walking in moonlight, red-watermelon, strawberry, rasberry fruit treat day so off to the grocery to find those fruits and then create how you are going to eat them, Becky gets to have a "friend day" to share in the "fruity day." Green-everything spring, plant some flower seeds indoors, visit a garden center, are there garden shows going on . . . and on and on . . .

Many of us can feel like we are in a rut and funk this time of the year. I am in a bit of one too . . . playing a game of Skip Bo or Dominoes with the grand kids cheers me up. The grand kids however enjoy a bit more action!

I will keep thinking of some ideas to help you be "rut free!"

Let me/us know what you decide . . . smile!

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Our museums often have free days - you might look into that. Also, I like to browse farmer's markets. Or take a trip to the library (they often have interesting speakers in the evenings for free) and check out some movies - you could have a moviethon with popcorn and milk duds :-) If there are any hiking trails, you could go on a nature walk one day.

snowwhite said...

Jill,
Flora said "you'll miss those days when they are over!" Now I am feeling exactly what she said.I wish I could do it again like you are doing.
Have a great weekend!
keiko

ღ Jans Life According To Milo ღ said...

I love the journal, crafts and color theme ideas. Those are all great ones! : ).. Good luck, half the time I can't figure out what I'm going to do! Lol.

Jenny Woolf said...

Does she like to cook and decorate gingerbread men? This is something that is always such fun. You don't have to be men, they can be all shapes depending on the cutters, or else (if the main thing is the decorating) you can just cut squares. All you need to do is get in LOTS of jelly decorations and silver balls and frosting stuff, and then it can be fun mixing those up too. Food colouring - not so VERY good for the health, but okay once in a while and such fun to mix up a few drops. Or even divide the dough into batches and colour and flavour each one a bit different.

It all sounds such fun I'm going to end up doing it myself :)

Good luck. I hope you enjoy your fun time together.

EG CameraGirl said...

I like the idea of baking a ton of stuff, then squirreling a LOT of it away for the future. I;d include casseroles, lasagne, chicken pie.... so it's not all sweets.

Susan said...

I got a dog to get out of my rut. At first I was beginning to think I made a bad decision, but now I know I made the right one. I have others ruts, but they must not bother me to much because I haven't changed them yet.