Posted by Kimberlee Morrison on Jul 31, 2010 in
Goal Setting,
My Life It’s been a month since I moved. The whole experience of finding the right place, the cost of moving, the actual moving and getting adjusted to the new neighborhood has been really stressful. But all-in-all, it’s been totally worth it.
Worth it to be closer to family. I’ve seen my sister more since moving than I did in the entire time I lived in Orange. It’s awesome to know that my hometown is just a bike ride away and that I can throw that bike into my friend’s car should we decide to go out on the town.
Worth it to be part of a community. I walk down the street and people smile and say hello. My neighbors gather at the pool on Sundays so we won’t all be strangers living near each other.
Worth it to be near the ocean. I love the breeze, the atmosphere, the people biking everywhere, the friendly laidbackness of beach communities. I’m going to learn to surf and hopefully hit the beach a few times a month.
Worth it to live two blocks from a park/community center. As is my style, I can send the boys outside and tell them not to come in until dusk. No, you can’t sit here and watch TV all day. Take your ass to the park and play. Make friends. Meet other kids. Do what kids are supposed to do.
Worth it to make new friends. To live near people so excited to meet you that they offer to take your kids off your hands for a few hours a day because they’re doing a softball training camp. Nope, they don’t want money. They just like us and offered the activity for the summer.
Worth it for the Boy to attend a good school. The reviews of the school he’s attend were raving! The kids we’ve met who go there love it. There’s a farm and creative freedom for the teachers.
There will always be challenges, but they don’t seem so bad when you have a great place to call home.
Tags: Lifestyle, Moving, New Digs, New Home
Posted by Kimberlee Morrison on Feb 9, 2010 in
Parenting On the way home I heard an NPR report about a new initiative to fight childhood obesity and I had two thoughts: man, that’s sad and I’m glad I’ve started on some lifestyle changes. One of the quotes from Michelle Obama was for parents to think back to when we were kids and we spent recesses running around and literally weren’t allowed to come in the house until it was time for dinner.
I loved it and thought about how on the weekends and during full days of free time, I always send the boy outside with strict instructions not to return unless he’s hungry. If I didn’t do this, he’d sit in front of the TV or computer. That’s no way for a kid to grow up. Sure kids who use computers regularly have higher reading aptitudes, but too much computer time can lead to a sedentary lifestyle. That’s not what I want for my boy.
The thing is that with the paranoia about pedifiles and the safety police on high alert most of the time, it can be hard for free-rangers like myself to allow kids the freedom they need to be active. And if you can’t afford to (or simply don’t want to schedule every moment of your child’s activity) pay for extracurricular like t-ball and karate, finding active options can be difficult.
What we need to do is bring back that village mentality where parents in the same neighborhood knew each other and looked out for each other’s kids and kids were free to roam their respective neighborhoods without the parents being accused of being neglectful. I’m fortunate to live in an area where the kids (and parents) are given just this freedom. Sure the kids get into trouble sometimes, but mostly, they just play and respect the responsibility that comes with their long leashes.
So here’s to a return of parental and childhood freedom. And to the healthy lifestyle that is being a free-range kid.
Tags: Free-Range, Health, Lifestyle
