Best Resolution Ever

You may remember that I made a very special resolution last winter. I was inspired by Alamo to resolve to get outside and play more with my kids in our own back yard!

Even during those months when travel isn’t in the cards, there are some wonderful adventures to be had in your own back yard and the memories you make with your children are absolutely priceless.

Even though I love playing with my kids, there are times when I’ve put it off due to other tasks on my to-do list. It’s amazing how many things can distract us and cause us to tell our children, “in a minute,” or “we’ll do that tomorrow.”

Instead of beating myself up about not playing outside enough with my kids, I decided to make a very intentional change. Instead of waiting for the kids to ask me to go outside and play, I’ve been surprising them with special outdoor adventures on the days when the weather is cooperative.

The fantastic thing about playing with kids outdoors is that you don’t need to have any special activities lined up. For us, our creek and nature’s bounty are enough to keep everyone engaged, active and happy.

I love going down to our creek with the kids. We like to throw rocks and sticks into the water to see who can make the biggest splash. Sometimes we even lift the cool, slippery rocks to discover salamanders or crawdads hiding underneath.

Picking flowers never gets old; neither does running, jumping and playing fetch with our dog Sasha. Even on those chilly days, days when I would normally tell the kids it was too cold to go out, I find that we warm up quickly with a little activity and before I know it, I’m having just as much fun as they are!

I am so happy that I made this resolution with Alamo as a Chief Travel Mom. I knew that it was a good idea to get outside and play more with the kids but I had no idea that the benefit would be felt so deeply by myself and the kids.

I’m also really excited about this summer because both kids are old enough to really enjoy our travel plans more fully. They are growing and maturing every day and I know it’s going to be so fun to vacation with them in the years to come.

Let’s be honest, babies are scrumptious but not always the best travel partners!

In fact, seeing how much the kids enjoy exploring in our own back yard has made me consider planning a vacation to a national park.

Their enthusiasm for nature is really inspiring and I would love to see them have the chance to see terrain and wildlife that they’ve never seen in our part of the country.

Of course, we’re really lucky to live in a rural area and playing in the back yard means having a new experience every time. Just look at this place! Magical.

I made other resolutions for the New Year that, at the time, I thought were more important than this one. I couldn’t have been more wrong and I am so proud that I followed through with my promise to play outside more often with my kids. It’s been an amazing spring so far and I can’t wait to see what we can discover this summer in the back yard and beyond.

Did you make an #AlamoDriveHappy resolution along with me? If you did, I’d love to hear how it turned out. I’d also love to challenge all of you to spend more time outside connecting with your families this spring and summer—it is so worth it!