With everything going on in our world right now, we are searching for ways to have fun at home. It is rare that the Country Boy and I get to escape and have fun. Traveling to exotic and fun places is out of the question, as most hotels don’t allow pets – much less cows and chickens.
Getting a farm sitter isn’t too difficult, but if we are gone for any length of time, it gets expensive. So when we really need a break, we usually create our own fun at home right here on the farm.
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Dreams
My dream of one way to have fun at home is to have an outdoor movie theater. The more I research doing that, the more I realize that I will have to have a lot of patience. I have to wait until the price of the equipment comes down.
Still, I can see in my mind’s eye a group of neighbors enjoying popcorn, Junior Mints and Cokes out in the front pasture. I can hear them laughing at the antics of Cary Grant, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair and Peter Lorre, all in their full glory on the ‘big screen’. (Can anyone name that movie?)
Since that dream isn’t in the cards right now, I have to find something else fun to do. If you are in the same boat I am, try a few of these things at home. They are great alternatives to going out, and you just might have a lot more fun!
It’s Easy to Have Fun at Home
1) Dinner and a movie
Movie rental these days are cheap. If you prefer to own your favorites, purchase them. Think of a restaurant you would want to visit, and mentally peruse the menu. Then do your best to re-create your choice in your own kitchen.
Set up a table (go ahead, add the tablecloth and use the good dishes) in front of the television. Pop in a movie, and you have an instant dinner theater.
Throw a blanket on the floor, grill some burgers or fry some chicken, and have a picnic. Either way, I bet the meal tastes a bit better, the movie is more entertaining, and you can have an inexpensive way to have fun at home!
You can serve dinner outside, and head back in to pop popcorn. Just don’t forget the Milk Duds and Junior Mints!
2) Game Night
One of the best ways to have fun at home is to invite a few of your friends over for a game of Mexican Train. You can have a Bunco night or play Trivial Pursuit. When the kids come to visit, we often surround the kitchen table playing Dominoes or board games. It is a ritual, and a few hours of guaranteed fun.
You can also set up lawn games, such as Bean Bag Toss and Croquet. Take it a bit further and have a competition. Set up several playing areas with checkerboards and mark one table for the winners.
As each game concludes, move the winner up one space, until there are just two remaining players at the winner’s table. The winner of that final game receives a prize as the Champion Checker Player.
You can offer any type of prize – keeping it simple and fun is probably the best.
3) Neighborhood Picnic
When I was younger, the adults in the neighborhood were the best at finding ways to have fun at home. Growing up on Bolch Street, this was a given every summer. All the neighbors would gather in our backyard. Daddy would grill hamburgers and hot dogs. The others would bring the rest.
All the kids would catch fireflies and play kick the can. The adults would sit and visit. At the end of the evening, those noisy ice cream makers would finally go quiet and we would gorge ourselves on several flavors of frozen paradise.
For several years, we held a Chili Cook-Off at the Plantation. It was a lot of fun, and I hate that we don’t do it anymore. I think it is something we need to get started again. It may not be a Cook Off, but a neighborhood picnic would be just as much fun. I believe I’ll get started planning that!
4) Walk and Talk
One of the most difficult things to find on the farm is Time. The Country Boy and I often find ourselves ‘speaking’ to one another as we pass each other through the back door – him leaving, me getting home.
At night, we are both usually so exhausted that we give each other a rundown of our day, then settle in to just enjoy the quiet. After a while, it gets too uncomfortable to us to be so ‘distant’ with one another, we find ways to have fun at home in the simplest, least complicated ways, like taking off for a walk down to the pond or across the pasture.
Relax & Enjoy!
In a world that is overwhelmed with busyness, some days the way to have fun is to just slow down, relax and enjoy life. Find a shady spot underneath a tree. Set up a hammock, or a small table and chairs. Then relax and enjoy by:
- Taking a much deserved nap
- Treating yourself to Afternoon Tea
- Reading a Book
- Working on a craft project
- Thinking about your dream life, and redesign your Lifestyle Plan
If none of these things appeal to you, think of what would, and get started. Set aside one Saturday a month to just do something. Choose one of the things on my list, or something impromptu.
Either way, you will have a day to look forward to, and a means to getting out of your daily rut. The fact that you will have fun doing it is just icing on the cake! (You will have some of that homemade ice cream to go with that cake, right?)
Looking for More Ways to Beat the Summer Heat? Keep Reading!
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