Summer Challenge: Update

Did you complete your Summer Challenge?

If you remember, a while back I posted a list of my “challenges” to myself for this summer. Well, as many of you know, this wasn’t the easiest summer for me…with two kids under 4, and pregnant with the third (not to mention a terrible pregnancy), I wasn’t exactly running full force at my list of challenges.  However, I did manage to complete a few of them, and why not focus on the positive, right? So here’s an update on my completed challenges…

Get to know my neighbors…I’d like to still do better with this one, but I’ve taken the boys over to one neighbor’s house to play outside with the other kids.  They had a great time, and it was an impromptu play date, which made it even more fun.  Gotta love spontaneity! Also, the neighbors right next door have a little boy the same age as Sam, and he and my boys have come to love looking for each other every time any of us walks outside.  In fact, the other night Matt walked over to tell the boy’s dad something, and our boys followed him and started chasing the neighbor boy around in the yard.  It’s so fun to see how fast kids can become friends and how they will just play and play, no questions asked.

Go to some new parks…once again, I’d like to do more with this challenge, but we have been able to visit a few new ones this summer (or new to us at least).  We went to a playdate with the Quad City Moms Blog at Memorial Park in Bettendorf, and this week we had a picnic at Marquette Park for Sam’s birthday week. The boys love any playground, and it’s always fun to go to a new one.  Plus, Marquette Park is so close to our house and yet we’d never taken them there!  So many parks, so little time!

Buy local…yet another half-done challenge.  I really want to do better with this one in the coming months.  We visited the Farmer’s Market a couple times this summer, but hope to go more before it gets cold. And although I didn’t get to do much shopping this summer, local or otherwise, I did get a couple opportunities to help local business owners.  First, a friend from high school started an online boutique for babies and kids (The Cherry on Top), and I’ve been able to get her name out there and share the news about her new items and events coming up.  Also, I recently had the privilege of a newborn photography session at my house (courtesy of Heather from Cherished Keepsakes, a local business here in the Quad City area) for a post I will be writing for the Quad City Moms Blog.  It feels SO great to help these small business-owners advertise and get more business!

Visit tourist sites…As I posted last month, we really took advantage of Family Fun Day Mondays this summer.  We visited the Family Museum, the Putnam, and the Botanical Center, all more than once! We also visited the John Deere Pavilion…a BIG hit with our boys! It was great to visit some of the local attractions (we sometimes forget to visit the places in our own hometown), and we hope to visit more this Fall as well.

Pay it forward…I’ve been working really hard at this one, both by sharing information on my blog and also just telling people about places we’ve been or local businesses that we like. I like to refer to myself as a “wannabe entrepreneur”…my only problem is that I need to focus on one idea at a time!  Private Spanish classes, baby blankets, the blog, party-planning business and soon-to-be a bakery attempt (more information soon!)…I love the thrill of a new idea and seeing where it goes.  That being said, I find it extremely important to be supportive of others who are attempting to live out their dreams as well. So, just keep paying it forward, people!

Take a different route…I’ve started doing this, and it’s actually been fun! Sometimes it may take a few extra minutes to get somewhere, but in the end I remind myself that I’m strengthening my brain and also getting a new perspective on my day-to-day surroundings! If you haven’t tried this yet, you should!

**the challenges I still need to complete are visit the library (although we did go to a library-sponsored event at the park), eat out (I knew we wouldn’t complete that one!), go to church (we did, but not as much as I want to), and last but not least…

…although I hold YOU readers accountable for this last un-met challenge: make the blog more interactive.  I’ve started a Facebook page for the blog, I’ve asked open-ended, conversation-starting questions at the end of my posts, and I’ve even mentioned an upcoming give-away in the works.  I believe I’ve done my part, people. It’s YOUR turn now! Let’s have some conversations!  Leave a comment, write on our facebook page, tell me what you’d like to see more (or less!) of on the blog! I welcome all comments and ideas!  And I thank you all again for reading and following “The Good”!

 

So…did you make yourself a Summer Challenge?  If so, how did you do? If not, let’s start thinking about some Fall Challenges…my favorite season!