Working mom knows how to maximize a day off

I decided to take a day off from work this week to hang out with my kids. I haven't really taken any days off this summer that didn't require some 4-H/fair event. I asked the girls what they wanted to do on our totally free and clear day and a few ideas were tossed around before we made an ambitious plan chock-full of activities.

This is when I was reminded that having been a full time working mom for many years has taught me some really good time management skills. I, as well as many other working moms, really know how to maximize the hours in a day.

We started my day off with a trip to open skate at Family Ice in Falmouth. The girls have been doing great skating this summer and have now graduated to the ISI Delta level. I, on the other hand, have been stuck in the Alpha (beginner) level since April. The girls gave me pointers on my cross-overs on the ice and G. took a couple of photos to show me the error of my ways. The upside is I get some "good job mom" comments and provide some amusement for the girls. I count that as a plus in my communication repertoire with my teen daughters.

I don't look too bad doing cross-overs but that darn front skate doesn't want to point in the correct direction (for an inside edge) during the cross-over, hence why I can't 'graduate' from Alpha.

Then we made reservations to do some lobstering on the Lucky Catch. It was a fun hour and a half and a beautiful day to be on a boat in Casco Bay.

Then it was off to lunch for fried seafood. My kids are all about fish and chip plates.

We had to run home after lunch to feed the animals because having livestock requires you deal with feeding schedules and such even when you'd rather not (which is a topic for another time)...

Then it was off for a paddleboarding adventure with my friend Shannon at Ferry Beach in Scarborough. L. has been asking to paddleboard all summer (she caught the bug back in early June) and Shannon was happy to have an enthusiastic partner. G. and I opted out so L. could maximize her board time and we simply enjoyed sitting around on the beach relaxing.

After paddling around for a while Shannon started showing L. some yoga moves on her paddleboard (you can read Shannon's story about SUP yoga)...

.... and suggested L. might want to give it a try since L. had a good sense of balance on the board. L. and Shannon had some silly fun trying some of the yoga moves on the board. It turned out, L. was actually good at it.

We left the beach just after dark because really, we couldn't miss this beautiful sunset.

A perfect sight to end a fun, albeit exhausting, day. I might not be very good at ice skating (or paddleboarding) but I sure do know how to manage the hours in a day when I put my mind to it.