Free Activities

Playgrounds

If you’d like to go the, no spending money on activity route, we can start with the free activities. There’s this amazing playground that you must see in person. The Wizard of Oz themed Playground. You literally look like you’re following the yellow brick road, over the rainbow, and into the Land of Oz! The park features multiple slides, swings, climbing structures, and lots of things for pretend play. Some pretend play structures include a tractor and a house. There are two huge red shoe structures that mimics Dorothy’s shoe from The Wizard of Oz movie. In those structures are two slides in the middle of it.  My toddler loved that slide along with climbing up and down all the other structures. One play structure looked like a barn with a chicken coop. The way everything is set up with all the colors allows a child’s imagination to go wild. My 11-month-old got to sit in the little slinky structures (that’s what I called it), and she loved that it felt like a little ride for her. There are also big musical instruments for the children to play with. There are benches to sit and take a break if you need it. Also, alongside the playground are bathrooms to the right for your convenience. There’s another playground, the Horserace playground, that’s another option for you to take your little one. If you keep driving past the Wizard of Oz playground and turn right, you’ll find it. Next to the playground, there’s a huge parking lot.

Old Maryland Farm

Across the street you’ll see the sign for the Old Maryland Farm. You’ll follow the sign and walk around the Miniature golf course to the Farm. To walk around and view the animals and plants is totally free.  My daughter loved seeing the huge pig and horse. Just follow the trail around and enjoy reading about and seeing the animals. You’re not allowed to pet the animals, but seeing it is just enough.  You can also host a birthday party or field trip there. They are opened on Tuesdays – Saturdays from 10am – 5pm, Sundays from 10am – 4pm, and closed Mondays. Times are subject to change. They can be reached for questions at (301) 218 – 6770.

Watkins Nature Center

The nature center is also a perfect place to visit with your family. This is another Free option. Families can enjoy animal displays (including Reptiles, Amphibians, Birds of Prey, and insects), ponds, a feeding area for Songbirds, outdoor nest box exhibit, composting area, and a Butterfly/ Hummingbird garden. It’s a great place to host a birthday party or field trip.  There are some programs offered for a small fee if you wanted to spend some money. Besides the parties and field trips, the programs include campfires, hikes, puppet shows, crafts, animal shows, and day camps. The center is opened on Tuesdays – Saturdays from 10am – 5pm and Sundays from 12pm – 4pm. Check out their birthday party packages here. You can reach the center for questions at (301) 218 – 6702.

Fun Paid Options

Mini Golf, Train, and Chesapeake Carousel

Before or after heading to the trail for the Old Maryland Farm, you can enjoy miniature Golfing, a fun train ride, and the carousel all in one area. There’s also benches and seating if you’d like to take a lunch break for your convenience. For Mini Golf, it’s $5.00 per person per round for residents and $6.50 for non-residents. For the train or carousel, it’s $2.00 per individual resident and $2.50 per non-resident. If you’re in a group of 10 or more people, it’s $1.75 per resident and $2.25 per non-resident. You can also rent skates for $2.00 per resident or $2.50 per non-resident. Resident pricing is for those who reside in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County. Hours and availability vary depending on the time of year.  These events are normally not available on Mondays. It’s normally opened from Fridays to Sundays only in Spring, from 12pm – 5pm. In the Summer, they’re open from Tuesdays to Saturdays from 11am – 7pm and Sundays from 12pm – 5pm. In the Fall, they are only open on weekends. Saturday from 11am – 7pm and Sundays from 12pm – 5pm. Of Course, these times and days are subject to change. There’s also Family Fun days at Watkins Regional Park. It’s from 5pm – 7pm. On certain days you can pay one price to do mini golf, the train, and carousel with your family. $5.00 Per resident and $7.00 per non-resident. You would have to call in advance to find out dates, (301) 218 – 6757.

Camping

Watkins regional park offers great camp sites for you and your family as well. Tents are available for rent if you don’t have your own to bring. There are 30 individual campsites offered. These sites are for no more than 6 people with a max of 2 adults. There are also 3 group sites available if you have more than 6 people. You can reserve a site on a first come first served basis. Reservations must be done online and canceled at least 48 hours prior to the reservation date. Camping is offered from March – November. Costs is $10.00 for Senior County resident and $13.00 if non-County. $12.00 for Bi-County residents and $20.00 for non-County residents. You can reserve a campsite here.

Other Options

The park offers some great trails if you’d like to go walking by yourself or with others. There are tables to sit at to eat around the park along with great places to picnic. There are Tennis courts as well as Indoor air conditioned Tennis Bubbles that you can utilize for a fee.

I highly recommend this park for a visit. It’s definitely one of the top parks in Maryland.

Park address:

Watkins Regional Park

301 Watkins Park Drive

Upper Marlboro, MD 20774

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Get Organized

Keep track of all events in your calendar/ planner. This might seem like a no-brainer, but so many moms forget this little tip and it’s the only way to start being more organized. It is super easy to keep track of everything in a calendar. Set reminders and notifications if you tend to be a bit forgetful on your phone. Most of the time our phones are with us wherever we go.

Digital planners are a fantastic tool for keeping track of all work projects and deadlines in one place. You are able to have a to-do list that makes managing work way more manageable. Being a boss mom doesn’t mean you have to remember everything inside your head. Writing things down in a physical planner also helps. I’m more of a physical planner type of mom, but whatever works for you is what you should do!

Having reminders in a planner is a great way to stay organized, not only for you, but for your family. Adding your children’s events, meals for the week, and family activities to your calendar is a beneficial way to keep track of your productivity throughout the week. Posting it somewhere around the house where everyone can see is also awesome for the family as a whole, this way everyone can be on the same page.

Create a Routine

Sometimes it can be overwhelming to find time for work (if you have a business), run errands, make meals, juggle family time, and find time for yourself. This is why creating a routine is imperative. Whether that is before the kids wake up, after they go to bed, while they are at school, or during nap time, create a routine and stick to it! You can’t get anything done if you aren’t making time for it. Be sure to budget enough time for each activity that needs to be completed. You know the saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” so don’t stress if you don’t get everything done within the allotted time. Be thankful that you got something done. Give yourself grace, not everything goes according to plan, and that is okay! Having a routine definitely makes your day more at ease.

Plan Ahead

Planning ahead can take so much stress off your shoulders. Start making plans for everything. Plan time to work, time to cook, time to eat, and even time to spend time with your family. Stick to your guns and follow through with what you say you are going to do.

Create a Happy Place

Working from home can sometimes lack the quiet focus of being in a dedicated workplace. Combat this by creating a happy place to work in! This could be a home office decorated exactly how you want, or it could be as simple as utilizing the guest bedroom with the door closed and headphones on. Wherever you choose to work, add a few happy and inspiring items to keep yourself motivated and remind yourself that you can do this.

Maintain Balance in All Aspects

When working from home, it can be very easy to let work spill over into every aspect of your life. Resist this. Set specific times for work and home life, just like you would if you worked outside of your home. By always being in work mood, you can neglect your family and the people you care about most. When you set boundaries for yourself, you can relax fully after the day’s work is done. Set goals for not checking work emails after a certain time and only work during scheduled times. Besides work, take time for yourself throughout the day to do something else that you enjoy whether it’s reading, meditating, baking, etc. You take time to do things for your family and your work that sometimes you can lose yourself in all of it. Having a work/ life balance is the way to go!

Why I Chose This Path

Although it can be stressful trying to build and maintain a business from home while caring for a baby, I decided to take the leap into the unknown. Working from home is a delight, and I’m able to watch my child grow up as I’d like and spend more time with my family than before. Also, being a stay at home mom is not for everyone. Sometimes you may like the idea of it, and when reality hits you may find that you’d be better off working in a 9 – 5 brick and mortar job.

Creating these essential habits will, however, bring a huge benefit to you and your household. There are moms who stay at home and those who don’t but want to stay at home and needs a little push in the right direction to be more productive. These tips will for sure aide in moving you in the right direction. You got this!

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