CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 15 "You have to be comfortable working with the space and the person you are working with," she says. "It's a gut thing. You will know if it's a good fit right away." Take it outside For Kelsey and Anthony Payne, who have lived at Fort Bragg for more than six years, finding favorite areas around Fayetteville to spend time outside with their children is all-important. e 1000 Hours Outside challenge offers them strategies to "replace screen time with green time." "If you want your child to thrive academi- cally, socially, emotionally and physically, you have to build time into your life to spend outdoors," the challenge website says. e Paynes, who are originally from Oklahoma, have four children: Finn, 10; Owen, 8; Arlo, 4; and Nora, 2. e challenge is measured through tracking hours they spend outside with charts and other methods. Noting that the average child spends 1,200 hours a year in front of a computer or TV screen, the challenge encourages each child to spend 1,000 hours a year outdoors. "I'm very low-tech with our way of tracking," says Kelsey Payne. "It's a good old pencil and my planner. I just jot down our hours for the day and add them up at the end of the month. e number of hours is always inspiring, but at the end of some lower-hour months, I am inspired to get more the next month. It's not anything I stress over. "My husband and I have always loved the outdoors, and everywhere we have lived we have had outdoor hobbies related to the area. Since moving to Fayetteville area, my husband has taken up fishing again along with mountain bike riding with our older boys," says Payne. Other favorite outdoor pursuits include camping and fishing at Jordan Lake; day trips with the boat to Harris Lake County Park in Wake County; Cape Fear Botanical Garden; Carvers Creek State Park; Woodpeckers games; trails at Smith Lake; and pretty much any playground around. "ere have been some months I have created mini-challenges like an hour outside before noon every day or one meal outside every day," Payne says. "is year, we made some outdoor-specific bucket-list items including a cave visit, playing in the snow and camping 10 nights. We actually started off 2022 by waking up in our tent aer spending New Year's Eve at Smith Lake campgrounds. at was a very fun way to spend New Year's Eve and something I probably would not have thought about without the 1000 Hours Outside challenge." Payne says she has noticed that her attitude improves the more her family spends time outside. "When we are outside, we are in nature and nature is natural. I notice attitude changes in myself along with my kids when we are outdoors. … I can think clearly. I oen meal-plan or write to-do lists outside while the kids are playing. ey are young kids with lots of energy, and they are able to release it in a healthy way. "We sleep better the more time we spend outside. We exercise a lot together as a family — even though the kids just think we are having fun." 910.483.1331 | 545 R amsey Street, Fayetteville, NC 28301 | www.JerniganWarren.com Ben Chambers and Lucy Warren Chambers Celebrate your legacy We wish you and your family a Happy New Year. Make 2023 the year to pre-plan your final arrangements to ease the financial and emotional burden for your family during a difficult time. When your family needs us, our family will be there.

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