Summer 2021: Home Is Where The Heart Is

 Week 4 of 8: Home Is Where The Heart Is

We spent the long 4th of July weekend away from home so by the time we got back the week got cut short. On top of that, we had a very fun surprise when my husband's car wouldn't start for work. He ended up needing to use my car for the week which left the kids and I stuck at home. I pivoted from my original plans and came up with some "home" themed ideas for us to do. Honestly, it was a nice little break from the go-go-go of my other weeks and gave me a chance to do some work around the house.

Crafts & Activities

Once I realized we were going to be homebound, I hopped on the internet to get some speedy activities sent over. Michael's same-day delivery was a life-saver! I got three stepping stone kits which the kids absolutely loved making. I did order some extra mosaic pieces off Amazon to give the kids ton to choose from. This was a really fun craft and now the stepping stones are in my garden and I just love them.

I also had the kids use fabric markers to decorate canvas totes as their "lake house bags." We are incredibly privileged to have access to a house at the Lake of the Ozarks and we absolutely consider it our "happy place" and our "home away from home." That said, it does get a little stressful for me when it comes to planning and packing up a family of five. Now that the kids are a little older, I'm ready to give them some of the responsibility and I thought it would make it more fun if they were excited about having special "lake bags." We have already taken these for a test run and they absolutely LOVED going through their packing list and making sure everything was in their bags.

Aside from those two things, I mostly took this week for myself. I replaced our VERY old and outdated mailbox and porch light, and I also did a ton of work in our landscaping.

Special Treats

If there's a food that says "home" and "heart" more than fresh chocolate chip cookies, I'm not sure what it is. The kids helped me bake a huge batch of my own personal recipe and we happily snacked on them all week long.

Entertainment

Mostly the kids played in the play room downstairs and watched countless hours of whatever kid show they were into that week... I honestly just gave myself permission this week to put some of my own needs and the needs of the house first. We did watch the movie "Home" to tie at least one thing into my makeshift theme.