We began our 1,000 Hours Outside journey on January 5th. You can read my initial blog post below.
Between the cold temperatures and lacking a bit in proper snow gear, I knew there would be days when it would be difficult to spend much time outside. But we doubled up on layers of clothing and ventured out into the snow and slush many times this past month.
We ended up spending 549 minutes outside in January, which comes to about 9.15 hours.
I know that isn't a huge amount of time, but to be quite honest, it is probably the most time I have spent outside in January since moving to Michigan nearly seven years ago.
I don't like being cold and wet. I would rather curl up inside and look at a book.
 |
| Playing in the big piles of snow Noah cleared from the driveway. |
But I have noticed that spending time outside has been very good for my mental wellbeing so far this winter. I have struggled a lot with the dark and gloomy winters since moving to Michigan. The lack of sunshine really gets to me and it is just so dang cold! But forcing myself to get outdoors with the kids even when it is cold outside has been really great.
Speaking of the kids, they have really enjoyed being outside too. We have built multiple snowmen, identified the animal tracks we find in the snow, filled up their little buckets with "treasure", found a good sledding spot on our property, and we made ice decorations that melted too quickly for me to take a picture.
(Here's an example from Instagram.)
We have usually been going outside after the kids take their naps, around the time of day when I'm started to feel tired and sluggish but I have to push through just a little longer until Noah gets home. Forcing myself to get out into the fresh air when I would rather curl up and take a nap myself often helps me feel better and gives me the energy for those last couple hours of solo parenting. It also tends to be warmer later in the day, so that is another reason why we wait to go outside. I'm sure what time of day we go outside will shift as the seasons change.
Nine hours might not sound like much, but I know it has made a big difference in how we spend our time at home and I hope we are creating memories the kids will cherish in the future. It's very easy to go outside when the weather is warm and lovely, but going outside during winter can be just as fun. There are unique experiences available that you just can't replicate during the rest of the year.
I'm sure our time spent outside each month will increase as the weather warms up. Summer has cemented its position as my favorite season since moving to Michigan. I crave the warmth and sunshine so much. Working in the garden, enjoying beautiful flowers, visiting the lake, those are the hours outside I look forward to the most.
No comments:
Post a Comment