New England can be stormy in the winter, but in solely the once-a-week summer months, it is all sunshine, growth and fun. When the kids head to day care or play outside, you’re out in the garden, doing something together.

By the end of February, the garden would be roasting hot and the grass preparing to turn green. The falling leaves are crunching underfoot and cats and dogs alike would abound. You’d find yourself outside, snuggled in a blanket, squawking away as the world came into focus.

Along comes the school year again and the summer has long been over. It’s winter again and you find yourself time to contemplate your summer activities. Your family has laid low for the winter months and enjoyed the comfort that summer times brought. You’ve sat back, lost predictability of the day-to-day news – less going to school. You know you will not be going to all of the world’s parties, enjoying sports and keeping everyone busy all summer. What are your summer seasonal activities now but far from in the past?

Below are some simple but fun activities you can do to spend time together now:

1. The aforementioned gardening. My mother was a professional gardener so you could find out what that entails. Something you and your family always have fun at. If you don’t know anyone who would be willing to give it a go, just check with your local nursery. They can help you get advice or you can just curl up on the back porch, extra comfortably in an outdoor potting shed. There’s great skill and talent it takes to be successful as a gardener and you can share that joy with your family.
2. Mangercountrydirect.com is a fabulous website to get some ideas of how to get out of the house and do some outdoor activities. “A totally different experience in the country with your children” is the checklist this website provide to get you started. Hopefully, your children will love the time they spent playing in a fair day pool, getting attractions from a neighbor’s farm or they might choose to buy a pail and shovel set to help the local school fair come to life.
3. Just be. Your family might think that Winter is only never the following months but that may not always the case. Not having a lot of family in one place can limit what you do but you always need to have the family mentality and enjoying each other’s company that you have been missing out on in the community. Taking a blanket of warmth and laying on the floor to play a board game that you have never played before, then getting up and running around the house frequently to discover hidden treasures and staying hydrated afterwards.
4. As part of our family, it is always a great time to take the kids to a zoo for the day. It is usually easier to pack fewer bags at a zoo than, say, the supermarket, but more variety of activities can often be squeezed in to the limited space. If possible, choose a zoo where most or all of the animals are available for viewing and feeding. Bring a picnic lunch, ice-crackers and a cooler to have on hand for the ice or drinks you’ll need when feeding the animals.
5. To get out of your winter doldrums and to make your life a little easier, sign up for a morning class at the local community college. That way, no matter what happens with work and finances, you can still keep up with the rest of the world and see how it all works. Because sometimes, it really does work. Life is truly too short not to take the time to see it through.