Balance.
It seems to be all the rage. Everyone is looking for balance. Companies woo potential employees with promises of a work/life balance. Realtors are quick to point out the potential indoor/outdoor space. You try to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. People get a handle on their finances by balancing their budget.
Balance.
We strive to find balance in the way we live our life, and the way we raise our kids. We balance activities and outings that they just might sleep through, with activities and outings that they will most likely enjoy more than we would. A step further, we even try to balance our indoor activities with plenty of outdoor activities, and fresh air. We split our time between letting the kids burn off energy, and keeping them in a containment device of some sort (we’re talking stroller, or car, people… nothing crazy!)
Now that the weather was turning warmer, and the kids were getting bigger, we were hopeful for a major increase in our fresh air count.
We had some weekends coming up that we planned on sticking closer to home, so we decided to treat ourselves with some new gear.
Two Deuter Kid Comfort IIs joined our family in June, 2016.
With our purchase, we were encouraged to put the kids in a few times before actually trying to hike with them. Wonderful wonderful advice. We followed it, and sure enough, the first time up was a little scary for both kids. By the second or third lap around the house, however, they were begging for more.
It was time to take our Kid Comfort IIs into the wild- Or at least the wild-ish.
We had big big plans. We would take the kids on a hike near the shore. It was about an hour drive, so we figured they would sleep on the way there, then walk for a bit before we put them up in the carrier. Another snooze on the way back, and it would be a perfect day!
As with most of the plans we make, things didn’t quite go as we’d hoped. We were just pulling into the starting point of our intended hike when the skies opened, and the rains came pouring down. POURING.
On to plan B.
Hm. Perhaps we should come up with a plan B.
Lunch, it is!
We detoured to a little hibatchi place, and the kids had their first experience combining food and entertainment. They loved it, but the jury is still out- did they love the entertainment? The food? The extra attention they received from all the serving staff? Or all of the above?
By the time we were done, so was the rain.
We settled on park much closer to home, and set out on attempt #2.
I was never really a big hiker. I love the outdoors, and being outdoorsy, and doing active things, but hiking is not my favorite. Or I should say, it wasn’t my favorite. Hiking with my littles is infinitely more fun, more adorable, and more exciting than hiking on my own.
Every new adventure is simply another chance to explore the world through their eyes- and what an amazingly exciting world it is.