Wednesday Park Walk: Bikes and Bruises

Hello, Hive!

Happy Wednesday!

It is officially the first day of vacation, and for the first time, I let the kids wake up late and enjoy their sleep. These past few days, we were busy with end-of-school-year activities, which is also the reason why I've been missing in action. I was busy accompanying my kids at their year-end rehearsals for their recognition day and moving-up day.

One of the struggles parents face during long school breaks is figuring out activities to keep their kids from becoming bored and restless. This year, we don't really have a solid plan for the school break, unlike previous years when we usually spent most of our time on family outings during the summer. This time, we will be spending Holy Week mostly at home to avoid the summer heat, traffic, and, most importantly, expenses.

This is where we usually utilize the free parks and playgrounds nearby to keep the kids busy and entertained without them depending too much on gadgets and devices. During this time, I also assign them their household tasks at home before they can watch TV or do other things they want. I want them to realize that they also have duties in the household, especially now that they have ample time staying at home.

Speaking of parks, the closest one in our neighborhood is almost finished with its renovation, so we visited it today. There are still more improvements being done, mostly on landscaping like planting grass and small trees, but most of the pathways are complete, and they have already installed the seesaw, mini slide and the monkey bars.

My two boys brought their bikes and scooters, so they rode them around the community park. It was almost empty when we arrived there, but other kids started showing up afterward. Some of them were my kids' classmates from school, so they were familiar with each other and began playing tag.

They played and had fun with the other kids for more than an hour. My phone battery was empty, so the pictures are limited. We weren't supposed to go home yet, but my youngest was asking for some water, and we had forgotten to bring their water tumblers.

After I mentioned we were going home to hydrate and get water, the kids bargained for a final five minutes, then went back to play one last time. I simply waited for them to come over and say they were ready to leave.

The youngest stumbled while riding his scooter and ended up with small bruises. He did not cry and got up immediately after falling. I asked if any part of his body was hurting and he confidently said he was okay. Brave little man!

❤️❤️❤️

_{All photos are my own, unless stated otherwise.
The lead image was edited using Canva.}