Suddenly, my afternoons are open

So, I had this random mommyhood epiphany the other day, well, a couple months ago. I realized that I've been kinda keeping Sydney and I home in the afternoon, and been incredibly resistant to leaving the house. I got to really thinking about it one day and discovered that my problem is a matter of habit. For about four years, my entire life revolved around the afternoon nap. And that nap was sacred. And nothing would make a wave in that nap time frame. I was keeping the nap schedule without the nap. It was getting tedious.
Obviously, my child no longer naps, and now, I have afternoons to fill. It finally occurred to me the other day (and this may sound incredibly ridiculous) that I should be able to go out with my kid and do things in the afternoon. While my preference is still to hang at home and just play, I have begun branching out and including afternoon adventures in our day. We went to the zoo last Wednesday afternoon (because it was cooler out. Believe me, during the summer, ALL afternoon activities will be indoor).
Today, we visited the aquarium. I was pleased to see that the aquarium wasn't packed with a ton of after-school visitors. And that the adventure itself was not a painful one (morning adventures are always better on my temper and attitude). And then, we met the Japanese spider crab. Dude is really, really big! And kinda scary to see.
I need to come up with some additional adventures for us. Besides the pool downstairs, of course. Once it really warms up, the pool will become our go-to afternoon activity. But we'll need other distractions, too. I'm on it!