Friluftsliv (pronounced FREE’ – loofts – liv), a Norwegian custom that means “living life in fresh air.” A co-worker introduced me to this word, and I fell in love with it. Not because my life fully depicts this but because the idea of this is refreshing.
Years ago, I came to realize that my busy, chaotic single mom schedule had no time for the outdoors unless I was pulling a kid on a sled or shouting at a soccer game. As I complained about this on the phone with my co-momma (an affectionate term my fellow single mom friend and I used to describe our single mom sisterhood) we made a decision: we would start walking and talking on the phone around our respected neighborhoods, in sight of our houses in case World War 3 broke out. This got us both outside breathing fresh air, and moving.
When Jennifer and I started taking these walks I didn’t know where to go. I had to keep my house in view and found myself pacing on my driveway. This led to more anxiety. Finally, one Saturday morning I forced my kids to help me pick up the dog poop in the backyard so I could start using that area to walk. Over the course of a few months, I found that I loved getting outside. I started to view my backyard as a blank canvas that I could create in. After one very cold, winter walk and talk with Jennifer I stayed out back and made a plan. I was going to start a garden. My first garden consisted of two potted plants, some free lilies from the neighbor’s yard, and a row of sunflowers. Fast forward many years later and my backyard is an oasis. I have advanced to garden beds, and a couple trees that stay green all year. Rocks with quotes and Bible verses mark my rows of vegetables. At the center of my garden is an old wooden cross where vines crawl up it in the summer. I love to take a blanket and sit on the ground next to the cross and be reminded that God will provide for all my needs just like he does for the birds that visit my garden (Matthew 6:26).
Forcing myself to get outside, literally changed my life.
This winter I have found getting outside is extra helpful for my mental health. With the drop in temperature, it can be easy to say “no way” to going outdoors. Here are some things I have found helpful in my quest to live “life in fresh air”.
When my coat isn’t warm enough, I walk with a blanket wrapped around me.
On days I feel too exhausted to walk, I sit outside with all my gear on and cover myself with a huge blanket.
If it is dark out, I light a candle and sit for a while on my front steps.
I make my favorite hot drink and take it on the walk with me.
I committed to trying one new winter outside activity a month and found I love bonfires outside in the snow.
I invested in crampons. These over the shoe devices help you not slip while walking. (There are many version of these walking traction things that attach to the bottom of your shoes - they can be spikes or cleats or chains, so find whatever is best for you! Our local Ace Hardware carries YakTraks or you can search “ice stabilizers for shoes” on whatever platform you prefer to purchase.)
One of my favorite memories of living in town was walking with my kids to enjoy our favorite comfort food. We lived in a small town called Bellaire, home to Shorts Brewing Company. Over the years Shorts has exploded in popularity. But back in the day it was just a local haunt that we would walk to in the middle of winter for loaded Mac & Cheese. To this day we can’t eat Mac & Cheese without the sweet memory of all the cold walks we took to enjoy this meal. What is within walking distance of your home? If you have the luxury of being in town, getting outside could mean walking to your favorite restaurant or coffee shop for a treat.
Try this recipe for the amazing comfort of a good bowl of Mac & Cheese and let us know how you make it!
A wonderful activity to balance practicing the word Friluftsliv during the winter season, is creating a bath bomb:
Instructions:
1. Add baking soda, citric acid, epson salt, and corn starch to medium mixing bowl.
2. Add carrier oil, water, and essentials oils to a small mixing bowl.
3. Very slowly, and while stirring the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients. Mix until combined.
4. If using natural food coloring to dye your bath bombs, separate mixture into as many colors as you are using.
5. Add dye slowly to mixture to the seperated bowls. Mix until desired color is achieved.
6. Fill the bath bomb molds with the colors you want. Remove excess from outside desired mold.
7. Remove bathbomb from mold. and let cure for 2 days in cool, dry place.
8. Add to bath and enjoy!
(If the mixture begins to fizz/bubble when mixing it all together, your bath bombs may not set propertly. If this happens, don’t throw the mixture away! Just add it to the bath as is, without putting in a mold.)
Our staff holds immense value in laughing together. Have you ever had a really hard season and then encountered something that made you laugh and as you are laughing you say, “I needed this so bad”? Laughing can be the release valve we need in the midst of stress.
The other day we were all chatting about funny movies that were set in the winter. One staff member reminded us all of the movie, Cool Runnings.
“I wanna take a hot bath, just thinking about all this ice!”
- Cool Runnings
If you haven’t watched this oldie but goody, give it a try. It goes with our theme this week in Hibernate – balancing, living life outside with things that bring warmth and comfort.
We would love to hear from you – what movies make you laugh?
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Email: info@singlemomm.org
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Did you have hopes, plans, and dreams?
Does it feel like you’re climbing aimlessley in the dark without a clear next step?
Maybe the life you desire for you and your children seems unattainable.
Do you want to chart a bold new direction for you and your family?
If this sounds like you and you desire to...
• Gather with a community of strong women who understand single motherhood
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• Overcome personal barriers ...then we invite you to join our community of single moms who are walking through our stories, embracing the mess, uncovering our greatness, and living courageously.
