Tag Archives: leisure

I’ll Do It Tomorrow

I went outside this morning for the first time this week. You might think that going three days without ever leaving the apartment is crazy, but there have been weeks this winter when we haven’t ventured out. It’s a beautiful, sunny day, and if I wasn’t able to look at the temperature or see the snow, I’d think it was spring. The sky is blue, there’s a breeze rustling through the trees, and I can hear the mellow clanging of our neighbors’ wind chimes. Sure, I could bundle my baby up and take her for a walk in the stroller. … Continue reading →

Oh, To Be Semi-Retired!

Recently I was having lunch with an old friend and former co-worker who referred to herself as “semi-retired.” What a marvelous ring that moniker had and I realized that one of the motivating reasons for starting my own home-based business had been that I wanted to work toward semi-retirement. For some reason, however, I’ve gotten off track and actually find myself working more at my business and work stuff now than ever! I suppose in my mind, semi-retired means less hours and less stress and so far in my home business this has not been the case. While I have … Continue reading →

Telling Them What to Do with Their Leisure Time

How in control do you have to be as a parent? How much “say” are you trying to have with your children? Are you someone who is pretty laid back, or do you have your family life scheduled and everyone has their own copy of the activities calendar? Regardless of how fabulously organized you are, it might be worthwhile to think about letting go a bit on the leisure time and allowing your children to have some completely unstructured time to do “their own thing”… Sure, it might seem like your kids are “wasting time” or doing something silly and … Continue reading →

Getting Older Children to Read for Fun

Reading books starts out as something purely for pleasure. When our children are small, we read wonderful, colorful storybooks full of rhymes and rhythmic words and delightful stories. Once a child starts school, reading becomes increasingly about “work”—the work of academics. There are more and more books that HAVE to be read and, before long, a child who loved to read might turn into someone who dreads and hates it. While some children are just naturally passionate and voracious readers, some might need some encouragement to continue reading for pleasure as they move through the upper elementary, middle school and … Continue reading →