Ali Edwards is the queen of storytelling and prompts and projects. When I saw this shared on her social media a few weeks ago, I knew that I had to play along. In general, wouldn’t consider myself a playful person. I definitely lean toward the “taking life too seriously” side and really want to incorporate play more often in my life. Especially as a mom. Here was my week of thinking about play and how it currently fits in with my life.
Monday: Right Now I Play
It’s really hard to think of play outside of activities and fun with Callahan. I have a lot of hobbies but sometimes I treat them as means to an end as opposed to actually slowing down and enjoying the process. After Callahan goes to bed, I try to take a little time to do something that brings me joy and fills my cup. Lately it’s been doing project life, reading good books, journaling, and moving my body. That’s about as playful as we’re getting around here.
Tuesday: What I Loved to Play as a Kid
I was HUGE into sports as a kid – tried pretty much all of them except for basketball. Here I am at 4ish for my t-ball pictures. I got really into soccer as an elementary-aged kid and then started playing hockey after that until I graduated high school.
Wednesday: Play Sounds Like
Play currently sounds like musical toys (the shape sorter is also a drum LOL) as well as reading books, pull back cars, and the Bluey theme song.
Thursday: A Playful Memory
Callahan, my Mom, and I recently went to Tiny Town Play Cafe (a little place space that resembles a town – a grocery store, office, house, vet clinic, etc – for kids to play in) and it was such a fun experience. Callahan loved it and it was fun to see him interact with new toys, people, and surroundings.
Friday: Something I’ve Learned from Play
Hobbies don’t need to be a side hustle to be worthwhile. Photography is 100% a hobby I tried to make money from and I realized that it took all of the joy out of it for me. I’d rather just play with my camera get a few good shots (of my son, of nature, whatever), edit one or two, and then ditch the rest. I love the idea that it’s all practice.
Saturday: Play Date
Mom and I made shirts for the Super Bowl that say, “I’m just here for the snacks”. It was a fun way to play around with my cricut, spend time with my Momma and get matching shirts out of the deal.
Sunday: Why I Play
I want to be caught playing, having hobbies, and reading. It’s such a wonderful way to care for myself and to fill up my bucket so I can pour into the other people in my life. I want Callahan to see that I do things for me and that I want to grow as a person. I want him to learn to independent play alongside me just as much as I want him to see me loving people and serving our community. He is looking at us as his example and I want to take that seriously.
There you have it – a week of PLAY! Glad for these pictures and words as a reminder of the importance of play in our lives.