In less than 24 hours from this exact time, summer vacation begins.
I have a confession to make. I do not enjoy summer vacation. I am not one of those moms who LOVES to have my kids home all day long, day after day, for three months. I also am not one of those moms who cries on the first day of school when they send their darlings back to school.
I personally think that we should take lessons from the Japanese culture. Long school days, long school weeks, long school years.
I like my children. Really, I do. But I kinda prefer them in small doses.
My youngest will be heading to pre-school in the fall. I'm already making plans for the 7 1/2 hours a week that she will be gone. And none of them include scrubbing toilets or doing laundry. Or volunteering at any of the schools. I know, I know. What kind of mom am I?
Probably not a very good one. I start out every summer with the best of intentions. I have a schedule posted on the fridge of what time we will be getting up, doing chores, eating healthy meals, doing crafty fun activities, going on adventures, having learning time (so they don't forget all they learned in school), etc. By the second week, all that is out the window and I try just to make sure they don't kill each other, that the TV is turned off for a few hours a day and that they eat something besides popsicles.
Last year, our entire summer was unplanned. A friend and I decided we were going to start an Internet craft type business. We spent hours a day working on our "creations" while our kids generally ran amok - having water fights, jumping on the trampoline, playing on the swing set, jumping from the swing set to the trampoline while having a water fight - and eating their weight in popsicles. And they thought it was the best summer they ever had.
Too bad the business failed miserably and my craftiness died right along with it. No more fun easy summer for my kids with a pre-occupied mother! Oh no! The schedule is back up on the fridge along with lists of a thousand and one healthy food choices that don't include popsicles and a comprehensive list of activities they can do both inside and outside if they are bored (including nasty chores).
Actually, this summer will be a happy medium - and I hope that HAPPY is the key word. I have designated a theme for each week that centers around the name of a TV show.
I will post about our themes each week. It is a fairly laid back approach with hopefully enough structure to keep them in line and me sane. A couple of adventures a week, a couple of fun and relatively healthy meals to go along with the theme, a craft, game or movie that relates to the theme. Nothing elaborate. Nothing overly time consuming. Nothing overly strenuous on Mom or kids. Nothing expensive.
Which leads me to the other thing on my mind. Money. Things are so so darn expensive right now. Somehow, my husband informed me, I have to cut costs somewhere so our family debt doesn't resemble the national debt. He wants a balanced budget - you'd think he was trying to get elected President or something.... Let the fun begin. Maybe I'll discover some great money saving tips that I can pass along to all of you. Guess I better cut back on all those days at the spa, my weekly manicures and pedicures and massages... Just kidding. I'm lucky to have my toenails painted for church when I get brave and wear sandals. My budget is already limited - this will be as adventurous as summer vacation!
Let the fun begin!
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