Hive Mind Holiday

I love my friends and family and since we cannot spend much time together right now,

social media has become my go to for advice. Advice of all kinds. I often ask questions like:

"What's the best type of air fryer and why?"

"Does anyone know the best place to buy shoe insoles?"

"I'm looking for a good romance, recommend one!"

"What's the last book you read and do you recommend it why or why not?"

etc.

Recently I asked:

Hive Mind: "What can you recommend locally that will help us feel rejuvenated as a family? A staycation? A special hike? ANYTHING.... Must be family friendly

and not expensive! TIA"

My hive of helpers did not disappoint. I had recommendations for hiking trails, campgrounds, day trips, hotels with amenities, and fun ideas like cookie decorating. There was something for everyone from a bare bones budget of under $10.00 to more expensive weekend long outings costing several hundred dollars. We ended up staying at The Lighthouse Inn in Two Rivers Wisconsin (just a hop skip and a jump from our house) and the children went swimming by day and dad and mom relaxed in the hot tub in the evening. The room was clean and decorated very nicely and we had the pool to ourselves because we stayed Sunday into Monday. Anyway - the point of this article isn't to brag about our adventure. I do however want to point out that for a little bit of time and a small amount of money, we felt better than we have since March. We felt more like a family unit and less like a small army battling against a difficult foe. 

I heard lots of laughter - and it's not that the children haven't been laughing, it's that I've been pulled in so many different directions I wasn't hearing it. We left our chromebooks at home and enjoyed board games instead. We unplugged a bit and it felt so good. I'm sure many of you can relate and have been looking for small ways to help reduce some stress. The point of this article is to suggest calling on your Hive Mind. 

Most of your friends are likely local to you and if you ask them about what they recommend in your area to help you plan your own mini holiday, I'm sure they'll come up with some great ideas. You'll learn about establishments you may not have heard of. Similarly, you could call on your Hive to help you with our holiday shopping. If you're anything like me, your hive includes authors and small business people who could help you purchase gifts for young and old.

So...

Whether you are planning a holiday, shopping for the holidays, or are in need of a holiday (regardless of what the calendar says), I strongly recommend using your Hive Mind to help you. I now have a list of places right here in my own state and I'm already envisioning the next rejuvenating get away which I'm thinking will be another family friendly trip - this time to the Wolf River Refuge! Looks like a relaxing time for the children and a great place for mama to do some writing! 

Now I want to hear from YOU:

-Do you ask your hive for help? what kinds of questions have you found to be a good "ask" and what kind do you stay away from?

-What have you done recently to help you feel rejuvenated?

-Anything else you'd like to share?

We love hearing from readers - so please leave a comment!

Hugs,
~Crystal

and now...a little more about me...

Shown from left to right:
Delphine riding Honey
Mr. Otto holding Eudora
Crystal riding Marv.
Thank you Forward Farm, LLC 

Crystal is the office manager, council secretary, financial secretary, and musician at her church, birth
mother, Auntie, babywearing mama, business owner, active journaler, writer and blogger, Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing, Press Corp teammate for the DairyGirl Network, Unicorn Mom Ambassador, as well as a dairy farmer. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and their five youngest children, two dogs, four little piggies, a handful of cats and kittens, horses Darlin' and  Miss Maggie May, a bunny named Penelope who is absolutely the most amazing companion, and over 250 Holsteins.

And now she runs a virtual classroom for her children who are distance learners! 

You can find Crystal milking cows, riding horses, and the occasional unicorn (not at the same time), taking the ordinary and giving it a little extra (making it extraordinary), blogging and reviewing books here, and at her own blog - Crystal is dedicated to turning life's lemons into lemonade and she has never (not once) been accused of being normal!

2 comments asking for advice, break from school, family hotel, feeling rejuvenated, hive mind, lighthouse inn, staycation, vacation ideas, wolf river lodge