We Stay at Home

Three years ago today, Nancy and I registered We Go With Kids.  Our family had just returned from an amazing trip exploring the Ring Road in Iceland, and she and her husband had just returned from Africa.   Our kids ranged in age from two to nine, and we knew plenty of people who thought our family trips were unusual or even a bit crazy.  We wanted to share our stories and travel advice in hopes of inspiring other families to take a trip out of their comfort zone.  We’ve been fortunate to take dozens of trips near and far and explore some of the world’s most famous landmarks and museums over the past few years.  We never imagined that three years after starting We Go With Kids, we’d be quarantined at home with no travel plans likely for the foreseeable future.

On our last family trip over Thanksgiving break, we spent a Sunday in Fatima, Portugal, where Mary appeared to three children in 1917.  We learned that two of these children, siblings Francisco and Jacinta Marto, died in 1919 and 1920, respectively, as a result of the 1918 influenza.  I knew about this flu pandemic but didn’t realize that it lasted over two years and never before had a face to connect with its millions of victims.

Image by Dorothée QUENNESSON from Pixabay

I remember thinking that I was so grateful for modern medicine, which made the recent scares of SARS, H1N1 and Ebola outbreaks mere news stories.  I had no idea that the COVID-19 pandemic was on the cusp of wreaking havoc on the world and bringing the 1918 flu back into the news. I would not have imagined that COVID-19 could put our “going” on hold.

Like so many others, our family has been taking social distancing seriously.  During the stay-at home order, our kids spent weeks playing in our backyard, rarely wandering past our property line.  My husband and I have been working from home since mid-March, and our family excursions look a lot different from last summer when we visited about 20 museums, zoos and amusement parks and also went to Lake Erie and on our first family camping trip.

I long for the opportunity to plan a trip, make use of our ASTC Passport Program membership, pack a suitcase or spend a night away from home, but the health and safety of our family is our first priority and therefore, we’ve stayed at home.  We definitely look forward to a time when effective treatments and vaccines are available so that we can resume our usual germ-filled lives without fear.  In the meantime, we have learned that there are some silver linings of our “staying.”

Our Backyard

We spend so much more time in our own backyard than ever before.  Our basketball hoop and playset have never had so much consistent use.  The kid’s soccer goal doubles as a badminton net, and we also enjoy playing catch in the evenings.  We notice every new bloom in our garden and spend weekends sitting on our patio visiting with grandparents.  With the community pool closed, the kids cool off by running through the sprinkler or taking a dip in the tiny plastic baby pool we bought for our daughter years ago.

Daily Walks

After months of being more sedentary than I’ve ever been before, I noticed my clothes fitting more snugly than before.  After school ended, I decided it was time to make a conscious effort to be more active and asked my oldest to go on a walk with me around the neighborhood park, Horseshoe Lake.  Our three-mile walk was not only an opportunity to get some exercise but also a great chance to have some one on one time with my son.  The next day, I took a walk with my younger son and then my daughter the day after that, and we’ve had a constant rotation of “walk days” for about a month.  Each child gets to choose their own destination and route, and we use the Runtastic app to keep track of how far we go.  We certainly have a lot of family “togetherness” now, and it’s so nice to spend some quality time with my kids one at a time.

We’ve enjoyed taking family bike rides to Horseshoe Lake in previous summers, but we never seemed to get there as often as we liked.  Now, we are there so often that we notice every slight change.  The Lake is currently drained, and on one visit after some heavy rain, we noticed that the “Lake” was covered in grass and vegetation.  Even when the pavilions, swings and jungle gym were closed due the virus, it remained a favorite respite.

On our walks, we also often visit the Duck Pond (also known in our house as the “Lake with water”) and check out its dam where water rushes down carrying tiny fish after a heavy rain and slows to a trickle after a few dry days.

We have lovely chats on these walks and also notice our neighbors’ landscaping in a way we never have before.  When our rhododendrons were blooming, we closely observed all the other bushes in the neighborhood and the slight variation of shades.  My daughter notices when a new flower begins to bloom and watches as colors change over several days.

Weekly Field Trips

After the success of the daily walks, I decided to start taking all three kids on mid-week field trips to explore Metroparks and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  We’re lucky to be surrounded by so many beautiful nature reserves, but we rarely seemed to have the time to visit them until now.  We thoroughly enjoy our walks in the woods and the chance to explore the nearby outdoors.  We first went to Penitentiary Glen Reservation in the Lake Metroparks and hiked the Gorge trail.  The kids found a vernal pool and spent more than 20 minutes watching the tadpoles, frogs and turtles from every angle.

We also visited Squire’s Castle in the Cleveland Metroparks for the first time in several years.  The last time we were here, my youngest was still a toddler and not able to do much hiking, but she’s now a trooper who loves any walk in the woods as long as she can get her water bottle on demand and avoid the mosquitoes.

Our last field trip was to Brandywine Falls in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  Brandywine Falls were probably the most beautiful sight we’ve seen on our weekly hikes, but they were also the hardest location to maintain a social distance from other visitors, so we probably will not return this summer.

We do look forward to the time when we can plan our next family trip or even visit a museum.  But, until we are confident that we can do that safely, we’ll continue to stay at home explore nature in our own backyard, neighborhood and nearby parks.