Mostly Extra-Ordinary Daily Adventures

 Moving from vet clinic life to stay at home mom life has been an adjustment. Finding a rhythm to manage the needs of both boys in completely different stages of life plus try to manage the household duties was a bit of a struggle in the beginning. Little turns 6 months in a day, and I feel like I'm just now really getting the hang of life...including leaving the house on an almost daily basis! 

One income means I have to be careful with finances. When it comes to low-cost, delicious and healthy meals, I got that down. But entertaining a rambunctious two year old while also keeping an always eating, curious 6 month old was a bit of a mystery. On days when the weather isn't cooperating, or momma is just too dang tired to manage an outing, Pinterest has been an absolute God-send! I've found so many easy crafts that can be completed with household items or cheap Dollar Tree supplies. But that's a post, or rather several, for another day!

On those days we have errands to run or just want to get out in the fresh air, we've found a routine of mostly mundane tasks, which turn into extra-ordinary adventures to keep the kids happy. 

Today is Tuesday, which means it's walking club day! Bridgewater Falls Shopping Center hosts a seasonal walking club (free to join!) with a set 1 mile course around the center every Tuesday and Thursday morning before the traffic starts. Both boys love getting out in the fresh air and watching the cars and trucks fly by on the highway across the fence. 

We typically manage 3 laps around the course before the traffic starts to get heavy and one or both of the boys is ready for some food. 

Middle's most favorite part of walking club is....Target! Gotta teach 'em young! We finish up right in front of the store. Middle loves the Dollar Spot at the front and Mom loves Starbucks so we both win. On days which he manages to contain the wild 2 year tantrums, I can justify a toy or treat with a low price tag that keeps him entertained for months. We recently collected an entire set of interchangeable, light up trucks that I regularly find around the house and even in bed with him sometimes.

Typically on days we go to walking club, Mom decides to to cram as much as we can into the morning before coming home. That usually entails a trip through Kroger for dinner fixins. We drive past 3 different Kroger stores but not all stores are created equal! One has the regular, run of the mill carts. While they get the job done, they are NOT entertaining for a two year old. Another Kroger has race car carts! Middle will settle for those, he loves to pretend to drive and he sits high enough that he can still chat up the ladies working. 

The last Kroger has the creme de la creme of carts. A full basket for Mom with room for Little and an entire car on the front for Middle. Are they the size of 2 full carts and completely unwieldy in tight aisles? You better believe it, but nothing keeps a 2 yr old more occupied and happy during a shopping trip than driving his own car, complete with squeaky horn. Middle also loves that they have two of every color so he gets to choose which one he'll be taking out for a spin.

Stock photo...somehow I don't have one of Middle in these silly things!

After Kroger and dependent on what we have purchased, the route we take home becomes a convoluted path of "dig digs" and train tracks. Put Middle in the car and he can tell you every construction site and train track in your vicinity. Nothing, and I mean nothing, gets this kid excited like watching excavators, road rollers, and bulldozers working on the side of the road. Except maybe rolling over a set of train tracks and eagerly glancing down the line for train cars or waiting at the gates for one to pass.

 

Am I driving out of my way and taking longer than normal to get home? Sure am, but those happy screams and giggles from the backseat make the longer ride worth it. Thanks to Goggle Maps, I'm finding new routes every day. Along the way between sites and crossings, we find big trucks and Middle tells me what colors they are. Who needs flashcards, right?

On sunny days, we might even make our way over to the "Time Tunnel." 

If you've never seen an episode of Dinosaur Train, this might seem a little trippy. Reader's Digest Version: Buddy the T-Rex and his Pteranodon family ride the dinosaur train through these tunnels to visit dinos from other periods of the Mesozoic Era and learn about their features. This was one of the first cartoons Middle fell in love with and continues to watch. Papa R is fanatical about keeping the cars clean, so we would visit the automatic car wash on a regular basis. Middle usually found this terrifying. That is until Momma started calling it the "time tunnel." The flashing colored lights and soap on the windows, it worked like a charm. We have a monthly pass, two washes and it's paid for, so we visit quite frequently now. Middle loves the trip and Papa R is happy that the car always so shiny.

On a good day, we've accomplished all this before noon. Just enough time to get home, eat lunch, and settle in for a nap while Mom tackles household chores. Afternoons are spent playing together until dinner.

Eventually there will be day when extra-ordinary tasks aren't fun adventures anymore, but for now, this Momma is going to soak up all she can.