“What do you want to do today?”

A simple question that leads to so many answer depending which member of our family you’re addressing.

“Go to the pool!” My daughter will tell you.

“Ride our bikes!” My son would say.

“Hang out at home,” my husband would reply.

“Is anything off the table?” I’d want to know before leaping into a slew of suggestions.

My idea of a good time before kids was taking Snoop to go kayaking on the lake, or dragging my husband to a dance club. After kids I’ve slowed down a little bit. My ideas of what was fun took a backseat while everything my kids wanted/needed came to the forefront.

I enjoy watching my daughter practice cheer. But that’s her thing. I enjoy watching my son build his extravagant train track bridges. But that’s his thing.

Now, I’m not in a hurry to run back to the dance club, but I do want to find fun beyond a game of Candyland for the umpteenth time. I deserve that much, right?

On our summer bucket list one item I wrote down was going kayaking. All of us. Together.

To be honest I wasn’t sure this would happen. It would involve careful planning around my husband’s days off, my work-from-home schedule, rush hour, making sure we have enough cash, finding parking, etc etc.

It’s not a long drive to the lake to go kayaking by any means, but it can feel like a whole trip by the end of it. Not because it’s a hassle, but because we never push ourselves to do these things. Teaming up with Shell has helped give me the extra motivation to follow through. It started as a fun idea to plan some summer adventures and blog about them, but it’s really allowed me to open up about the things I enjoy, and encourage my family to try new things together.

I told you a little about the *Fuel Rewards® program before. It’s a free rewards card to save on gas. On our last trip we saved $.15/gallon. If you scroll through the #FuelRewards hashtag on Instagram you’ll see the incredible savings people are finding at the pump (seriously, stop what you’re doing and go look, some people even got gas almost free).

If you’re on the road often you should look into signing up for the Fuel Rewards® program. When you become a Fuel Rewards® member, you will earn 5 cents off per gallon (up to 20 gallons/visit) for as long as you maintain Gold Status! We weren’t driving as far this time, but because I procrastinate my tank was on E and we made a quick stop at Shell to fill up and double check that we had everything we needed.

Plus, once you’re signed up, you can send your referral link to friends and family so they can join the Fuel Rewards program. The first time a friend uses the program by using the link you send them and earns a reward or uses their card at a participating Shell station, you will instantly earn 25¢/gal. And there’s no limit to how many friends you invite or how many times you earn.

When we got to the lake I quickly realized we were overdressed. Everyone else had on sandals and bathing suits and we were all dressed up in socks and sneakers which were sure to get wet in these boats. But there was no turning back. We were doing this dangit.

As expected, my daughter was pretty terrified to get in. My son wanted confirmation that there were no sharks, but he was easy to appease. I did make the mistake of giving him a paddle of his own (he insisted). So the entire time I was paranoid he’d let it go to be forever lost in the lake.

Once we got going my daughter calmed down, my son laughed, squealed, and flirted with every girl we paddled past.

They were having fun.

My husband and I took photos of each other across the way, and we smiled. A lot.

We were having fun.

I was having fun.

Becoming a parent doesn’t mean we need to give up on our goals, our hobbies or other things we enjoy doing. We are going to cherish the memories we have with our kids. Even thinking back to that day you played Candyland 12 times in a row. You’ll laugh about that some day. But you deserve to enjoy the time while you’re going through it too. It’s for you and for them, because guess what I learned?

When mom is having fun, there’s a good chance everyone else it too.

So what’s something you’ve been dying to do that you can bring your kids along for?

*Restrictions apply. To qualify for the Gold/Silver Status offers, you must be a Fuel Rewards^® member and swipe your Fuel Rewards^® card or enter your Alt ID when you fuel at a participating Shell station. With Gold Status, you will receive 5¢/gal in Fuel Rewards^® savings on every fill-up. The 5¢/gal reward for Gold Status will be combined with other rewards in your Fuel Rewards^® account. If you are an existing Fuel Rewards^® member, you will receive Gold Status from 6/5/2017 through 12/31/17, the “Existing Member Introductory Period”. If you are a new Fuel Rewards^® member, you will receive Gold Status for the initial month you join through the last day of the month, 6 full calendar months later, the “New Member Introductory Period”. The last 3 months of the Existing Member Introductory Period or the New Member Introductory Period (collectively the “Introductory Period”) is the “Qualification Period”. You will retain your Gold Status during the Qualification Period, but you must make 6 qualifying fuel purchases to qualify for Gold Status for the next 3 months, the “Benefit Period”. During the Benefit Period, you must continue to make 6 qualifying fuel purchases to maintain your Gold Status for the next 3-month Benefit Period. A qualifying fuel purchase is any fuel purchase at a participating Shell station in which you swipe your Fuel Rewards^® card or enter your Alt ID and fill up with at least 5-gallons of any grade of fuel. For example, if you are a new Fuel Rewards^® member and register on 6/15/2017, you will receive Gold Status through the New Member Introductory Period (i.e., 12/31/2017). You will need to fill up with at least 5 gallons of fuel at least 6 times during the Qualification Period (i.e., 10/1/2017 and 12/31/2017) to maintain Gold Status during the Benefit Period (i.e., from 1/1/2018 to 3/31/2018). Thereafter, if you continue to fill up with at least 5 gallons of fuel at least 6 times during the successive 3 consecutive month Benefit Periods, you will retain your Gold Status. If you do not maintain your Gold Status, you will receive Silver Status. With Silver Status, you will receive 3¢/gal in Fuel Rewards^® savings. The 3¢/gal reward for Silver Status will be combined with other rewards in your Fuel Rewards^® account. Redeem Fuel Rewards^® savings with your Fuel Rewards^® card or Alt ID at participating Shell stations. Fuel Rewards^® savings are limited to 20 gallons of fuel per purchase, per vehicle, or fraud limits placed by Shell and/or limits placed on your financial card by your financial institution, each of which may be lower. Fuel Rewards^® savings must be redeemed in a single transaction. Once you begin to dispense fuel using your Fuel Rewards^® savings, you must dispense to the 20-gallon limit or you forfeit any remaining discounted gallons of fuel. For example, if you only pump fifteen (15) gallons of fuel, you would abandon the remaining five (5) gallons of discounted fuel. If you have a rewards balance greater than the current per-gallon price of fuel, the price will roll down to the maximum capability of the fuel equipment, and your remaining rewards will be saved for a future fuel purchase. Dispenser may require a price of up to 10.9¢/gal. It may not be possible to combine multiple discounts and/or rewards in a single transaction. For purchases of $75 or more, please go inside to pay. Unbranded diesel and alternative fuels may not be eligible. The Fuel Rewards^® program is owned and operated by Excentus Corporation. Offer may be modified or discontinued at any time without notice. Not valid where prohibited by law. Please see fuelrewards.com for complete Fuel Rewards^® program details and Terms and Conditions. Other restrictions may apply. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. To learn more, visit fuelrewards.com/gold or call (888) 603-0473.

Tags: ad, family fun, Shell, vacation