In addition to family movie nights this summer, another new tradition we've added into our routine is a daily walk around the neighborhood. Every morning before it gets too hot (and as long as it's not raining) we load Reagan up in the stroller and and Amelia and I take off for a walk around the block. There are several different routes we can take in our very large neighborhood so Amelia has had fun being the leader and choosing our direction each time.
Most days I turn on "Motown Radio" from Pandora on my phone so that we have some tunes to walk with. Amelia and Reagan wave and say "hi!" to every person we see and both just seem to truly enjoy this time together.
I feel like there are so many good things coming out of this new tradition. First of all, it's exercise for me and for Amelia. Nobody is looking at a screen and we're out getting some fresh air and vitamin D. Also, Amelia has really learned the concept of stopping and looking both ways before crossing the street. I feel so confident in her ability to check for cars that I don't even hold her hand when we cross the street - and I can tell this little vote of confidence makes her feel like a big girl.
Also, I'm teaching the girls to be friendly and say hello when they greet someone. It makes me sad when I go somewhere these days and everyone has their face buried in their phone. I'm not the world's biggest fan of small talk with strangers, but I do miss the days when we all made eye contact, said hi, and were just generally aware of our surroundings.
Last but not least, I am instilling a love of Motown music in them. Reagan seems to like any and all music, but Amelia can be a little picky. However, she LOVES Motown. But come on, who doesn't? :)
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