Time to rediscover lincoln
I went to the Haymarket last night with some of my friends from MOPS and we painted pottery at Paint Yourself Silly and then went to Ivanna Cone for ice cream. We spent about 3 hours together and had fun, great conversation and were refreshed by a night away from our children. In addition to just the fun in fellowship with fellow moms, I was reminded how much I really enjoy the Haymarket, and Lincoln in general. Since we've moved to Eagle, we've spent much less time in what seems such a distant location, beyond downtown Lincoln all the way to the Haymarket. The geographic obstacle coupled with the increasing busyness of our family schedule keeps us from even exploring the corners of the city like we used to. I was reminded of our time in Sioux Falls just because of the immense amount of exploring that we did there. I felt like I was someplace new and exciting last night because it's been so long since I've been there and I felt myself getting excited about gearing up for some adventure again with my children.
I think that sometimes I get a little overwhelmed with the amount of work it can be sometimes to take them out. I have an idea in my head of how something will play out...a trip to Barnes and Noble for some quiet reading of story books in the children's section often turns into chasing a toddler through the book shelves as he pulls books down and scatters them about because it's fun. Story time at the library becomes a little noisy when the Andreasens enter. Craft time at home even becomes a circus of flying paint and piles of glue in places glue doesn't belong, and a stroll through anywhere often becomes an episode of "Can I" where each of them ask hundreds of times, "Can I have, can I have, can I have..." I often leave feeling deflated and resort to staying home, turning the TV on to tranquilize each of them temporarily. The result is that I've forgotten all of the fun that Lincoln has to offer for families, and I have the prime opportunity to take advantage during times of the day that are less chaotic in the sense of just traffic in and out of many places. I've forgotten that interactive outings can be much more entertaining than a boring trip to the grocery store where there is nothing but "wait, wait, wait" followed by "stay buckled up, don't be so loud" and finally the return to home to settle down for naps.
I anticipate taking advantage of the beautiful spring weather that is creeping in and rediscovering Lincoln with my children next week. I think we'll begin in the Haymarket. I want to rediscover the sheer enjoyment that my children will find too.
I think that sometimes I get a little overwhelmed with the amount of work it can be sometimes to take them out. I have an idea in my head of how something will play out...a trip to Barnes and Noble for some quiet reading of story books in the children's section often turns into chasing a toddler through the book shelves as he pulls books down and scatters them about because it's fun. Story time at the library becomes a little noisy when the Andreasens enter. Craft time at home even becomes a circus of flying paint and piles of glue in places glue doesn't belong, and a stroll through anywhere often becomes an episode of "Can I" where each of them ask hundreds of times, "Can I have, can I have, can I have..." I often leave feeling deflated and resort to staying home, turning the TV on to tranquilize each of them temporarily. The result is that I've forgotten all of the fun that Lincoln has to offer for families, and I have the prime opportunity to take advantage during times of the day that are less chaotic in the sense of just traffic in and out of many places. I've forgotten that interactive outings can be much more entertaining than a boring trip to the grocery store where there is nothing but "wait, wait, wait" followed by "stay buckled up, don't be so loud" and finally the return to home to settle down for naps.
I anticipate taking advantage of the beautiful spring weather that is creeping in and rediscovering Lincoln with my children next week. I think we'll begin in the Haymarket. I want to rediscover the sheer enjoyment that my children will find too.
