When school comes to an END…let the SUMMER FUN begin!
NO RUSHING out the door.
I HATE rushing around on school mornings. Hurry and eat! Have you brushed your teeth? Put on deodorant. You don’t want to be the stinky kid! Get your lunch. CODE BROWN!! The toddler has to poop. I’ll meet you in the car!! This is just a short list of sentences you might hear in my house on any given school morning.
NO waking the kids!
I wake up long before the kids each morning to do my quiet time and work. This time being the only one awake is pure gold. I literally squeeze out every second each morning before having to wake them up for school. During the summer, I can keep on working till they rise on their own. YES!
Spontaneity!
I love a good routine, but in the summer it is just SO FUN to be able to say, Hey kids! How about a trip to the pool?! Let’s head up to the beach! Who wants to go see a movie? Wanna meet friends at the trampoline park? And of course, those spontaneous gestures are always met with excitement and enthusiasm. And maybe even an occasional, “You’re the BEST, Mom!” Yes, yes I am.
Help around the house!
YES! This might be the best. My kids are more than capable of actually helping around the house. Disclaimer: This would NOT make it on their “summer fun” list. 😉 I have put a little time and energy into teaching them how to do helpful chores around the house. I really let them slack off on chores during the school year. They have long school days and even more homework each night when they get home (yuck!). Add in practice for whatever sport they have going on at the time, and the evenings are shot. All I really want for those boys after an exhausting school day is for them to run and be kids for as long as possible until dinner, bath, and bedtime. They NEED that time, and I can’t justify filling it with chores during the school year. But, in the summer, they are nothin’ but bored anyway, so, CHORE ON, my loves.
Sharing moments.
Considering the busyness of the school year, quiet cuddle moments, sharing laughter over our favorite TV shows, and idle time spent is too few and far between. THIS is the stuff summer fun is MADE OF over here. When the hubs is on a 24 hour shift (every 3rd day), the boys and I will often have a “movie night,” where the boys will prepare a pallet for us to chill on the living room floor, I’ll gather our favorite snacks, and we’ll watch a favorite movie or a few episodes of a favorite TV show together. Sometimes I’ll even let them crash in my bed for the night. (THIS is a special treat for them!) I love that this is something we can share and talk about for days (and hopefully years) to come! (Do you follow me on Instagram for year-round Friday Family Fun ideas?)
More time with Daddy.
As before mentioned, my husband works 24-hour shifts every 3rd day. This means that 2 out of 3 days, he’s home. This is great for us, but when the kids are in school they aren’t getting that extra time with Daddy. During the summer he will often come home the morning he gets off work, tell the boys to grab their fishing poles, and off they’ll go on an early morning adventure. I excitedly await the pictures of the boys proudly holding up their big catches! During the summer, Daddy is also available to go with us on some of our spontaneous adventures and, of course, VACATION!
NO Pressures!
Oh, how the school year brings on so many pressures. Due dates, unkind friends, tough homework, failed assignments, and tough quizzes to prepare for. During the summer it is so nice to escape those pressures for a few months. Don’t get me wrong…we make sure young minds stay fresh during the summer by reading every day (this is one of their “chores”), Math Mondays (we practice some sort of age-appropriate math), etc., but we are free of so many of the pressures the school year brings, and it’s nice!
Refreshment.
R&R. There’s just something about having an extended amount of time off that refreshes your mind. The rest and relaxation bring assurance that you can tackle another school year, and by the end of August, somehow, excitement abounds and nervous anticipation creeps in. It’s always fun to go school clothes shopping (online), learn who the new teacher will be, and find out who will be in the kids’ new classes. They will love being back in school for a little while, and it won’t be long before we’re counting down the days to Thanksgiving Break.
This time flies by all too quickly; more and more each year it seems. Let’s revel in these long summer days and moments of summer fun while we have them! We only have about 18 summers with our kids at home. Let’s treasure them and make them something to remember!