Alright, late on the recap but I wanted to write down a quick synopsis on how our outside time looked in 2023. We totalled 642 hours outside. There were 56 days where we didn’t go outside at all. I’m trying to view these numbers with as little judgment on myself as possible, and allowing the excuses of: a rough year of weather, constant pregnancy illness, a literal province wide order to not spend time outside etc, to account for the lack of hours I felt we got. Hopefully this means we can EASILY beat those numbers this year. Our worst month was January with just under 16 hours (yikes but also that looks to be about all we’ll get this year too haha) and our best was August with 98 hours. So close to 100! I think a sub goal this year will be to have two months with plus 100 hours.
We finished the year strong, with Christmas in Cape Breton and a few trips out to the cabin where we had lunch by the fire and enjoyed the outdoors. We also got the kids a zipline for Christmas, so we set that up back at the house for a few hours of fun. The boys have already been asking when we can return to go on the zipline again. With a 300 lb weight limit, it was a hit for the kids and the adults. Oh the things you can find on amazon!
We made so many great memories outside last year. Zoo visits with friends. Trips to the beach – however not nearly as many as these as I thought we would get due to the summer weather. We also didn’t get to Cape Breton in the summer, which I was planning but my pregnancy and Matt’s work schedule would not allow. We spent hours playing by the ocean and in our backyard with our visiting family. Hoping for more of that this year too. I loved spending time in our modest garden this past year with the boys as well. Although our crop of giant pumpkins was a complete bust, we had a surplus of cherry tomatoes (in fact, still have some frozen in our freezer, and a jar of our cherry tomato jelly still good in our fridge) and got a good crop of strawberry plants on the go. I am excited to expand on our skills this year.
Overall, despite the limitations we struggled with, I am proud of how much time we got. I think the outside time improves everyone’s mood, especially mine, and let’s face it: happy mom, happy kids. I know how much our mood and attitude as parents transfers to the kids, so ultimately doing things that benefit us can benefit them. I look forward to the memories we can make outside this year, and seeing what new places we can explore!
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