Want to have a mellow summer trip? I just figured out a hack that's stress-free
We got back from Glacier National Park last night and it was one of the best visits we've had. Here's what I did differently that made all the difference.
It’s June and summer is basically here. We had a rough start to summer break with losing our best friend, our kitty Bijoux, but we’ve filled our days with distraction and are continuing on. Last night we returned from a week in Glacier Country Montana and it was much needed. We’ve got two weeks until our next adventure (UnCruise in Alaska!) so our time at home will be spent doing some important things: packing, charging camera gear and relaxing.
This week I wanted to share a few things about life right now and what I think may be helpful for others navigating the summer season: 1. summer learning for kids (and adults); 2. how to plan an easy, stress-free trip; and 3. a weekly thought about Pride season and how to positively be a part of it. And then I’ll let you start your week with a good vibe for Monday.
Stress-free Summer Trip Tip - hack for having an easy and awesome vacation
So here’s the hack I learned for setting up a really fun, stress-free vacation. When we went to Glacier National Park last week we planned half of our trip with Glacier Guides Montana Raft. We have done rafting with them before, but this time we did a bunch more. I have a whole blog post up about it, so check it out!
Here’s why this was a great travel hack: we stayed at their lodge (modest but very nice and wonderful), we did bike rentals through them, did two guided hikes with Glacier Guides, and we rafted the Middle Fork of the Flathead River with them. Having a central hub for both lodging and activities, including some meals, made it so very easy to just arrive and relax. Yes, we kept busy, but we had such a great time and the variety of things we did kept it fun.
It may seem odd to have a National Park trip and treat it like a cruise or something, but having everything booked in one place and me not having to plan it was delightful. Our waivers were done in advance, food allergies in advance, all info about our travel party… So simple and it was a blast!
Brain Exercises for Everyone - adding them to our summer
I’m always on it seems, so it’s not like my brain is out of shape or my critical skills are slipping, but that may not be the same for everyone. Yes, it’s super important to take time off, to let your brain and body rest, and then to indulge the part of you that wants to have fun. It’s also important that we keep our minds in tune. So, here’s what I do for me (and then I’ll share what our kids do).
For me, I like to read things on paper. This doesn’t mean that in my free time I’m reading War and Peace but that my eyes and brain are working together to ingest information differently than normal. I work at a computer screen and on my phone, so paging through magazines and books that I can just pick up vs needing to be fully invested in helps me. I can take ten minutes and read a magazine article or two and that resets my brain in the best way, ready to either do a little more work or to engage with my family WITHOUT work on my mind. Reading PAPER articles and passages really helps me keep my brain agile and open.
For the kids, we do a few things that are more fun: word games, mad libs, pleasure reading and on-location education. Word games fill the multiple magazine subscriptions the boys have, so they are always at our fingertips. What magazines do they get? I’m glad you asked:
Highlights
Ranger Rick
National Geographic Kids
Smithsonian
Sports Illustrated Kids
I know that seems like a lot but they get read and reread over and over. Every few months we recycle a stack, but by that time the magazines have been well loved and read at least three times.
Mad Libs is actually a great tool for any age kiddo, but especially for Elliott (going into 4th grade). It helps him practice his writing, spelling, reading and being creative. My mom sends Mad Libs for every occasion so we always have them with us. She just gave Elliott a huge 10 book compilation of Mad Libs that we started working through during our Glacier trip last week.
Pleasure reading never has to be required because the boys love reading, but we do make an effort to get them to pick up non-graphic novels. I know that it’s all reading but there’s more to live than Big Nate and Amulet…
The last thing we do is educational activities while we’re traveling. From Junior Ranger packets at National Parks to ranger talks and guided hikes, we take every opportunity to make travel something they get some lesson from (even if it’s just courtesy and person hygiene, aka the greatest lesson you can learn at a theme park).
Pride Today - why and how YOU can be a force for good
Last week I shared about why Pride matters and how to be an ally, and today I have a few more thoughts on it. It’s funny, because I was scrolling Insta earlier and saw a meme from the Golden Girls that captured a key element of Pride very well. Blanche was struggling with her brother coming out to her and wanting to have a commitment ceremony (the 1980s) and she said that she didn’t see the point of him shouting it out so loudly. Sophia then asked her why she’d gotten married previously, and her response was that she loved her husband and wanted to share that commitment with the world. Sophia returned that sentiment for Blanche’s brother and said “Everyone wants someone to grow old with.” I think that’s a key point to just one element of Pride and what LGBQTIA2S rights are all about.
Yes, I added all the letters here because when were we in Montana I overhead some people talking about it and one lady asked “What’s the point of the extra letters?” The burly mountain-man of a guy she was dining with gave a great response. He said that some people in power want to keep everyone conforming to what they think should be the way, not considering that other peoples’ “way” may not adhere to the norm or what somebody else wants. He said that nobody should be stopped from being happy if nobody is being hurt along the way. And that’s just it.
Whether Pride means that you get to share your life and have legal protections for you and the person you love or if it means that you get the medical care and support you need to be the healthiest, happiest version of you, it’s something different for everyone. The best way to be an ally, even if you don’t understand another’s point of view, is simply to ask yourself “Do I actively want this person to be unhappy?” and if the answer is no, then great, you can easily support that person verbally, in your own actions, in the conversations you have with others, and in general by treating them as you’d want to be treated.
It all comes back down to the Golden Rule and it’s so frustrating that there are those who actively seek out ways to prevent others’ health and happiness. I think we can all do better for each other, and not just during Pride month.
That’s it for this week. We’ll have exciting news to share next week (and hopefully a new podcast episode too). Enjoy your June and thank you for following our life journey!