Summer Activities

It happens every May.  When suddenly I am D.O.N.E. with school, homework, and my alarm going off annoyingly at 6am.  I want to sleep in, enjoy the sunshine, and go swimming.

This is also the first summer in two years that we are not moving.  Gawd.  How lovely to spend the warm summer months doing something other than packing up those mothereffing boxes!

So!

Here we are!

I am knee deep in compiling a list of the crafts and activities in which to provide endless enjoyment for my three offspring.  Of course, two of the male variety are somewhat skeptical (but secretly they love it) and so I need to adjust my plans...as I have been doing since the beginning of time...well, since the summer of 2000...so all three will be equally challenged and entertained.

I am going to share with you the themes for the ten weeks of summer in a few days when I am finished ironing it all out and I will list a few of the crafts/activities/outings we plan to do each week...then as summer moves forward in sunshiney bliss I will share in more detail what we actually did and photos.  I think it will be a fun summer!

Besides our weekly themes and activities, crafts, and outings there are a few things that will be a bit different this year.  Not necessarily different from years and years ago but definitely a change over the past couple of years when moving took center stage and I didn't have the time, patience, nor energy to do much else but move our asses across the country, twice.  Sigh.

1.  Reading.  I am going to insist the boys read at least one book this summer.  I'd love to suggest more but one will at least keep some of their skills sharp (maybe?) and it is the very least they can do in this Ipod world they live in.  Jennifer, on the other hand, reads a book a day.  We went to the library on Monday and she checked out five books.  By this morning she has read almost three already.  Her and I will be in happy book reading joy all summer long!

2.  Summer 2011-sans vacation.  Ah, boo hiss.  But there are factors at play here like Larry not being here and money and if we are looking for a big change come the end of the year we need to save as many pennies as possible.  I'm not ruling out fun little day trips around our gorgeous state and a car trip to southern California isn't totally off the table (but it is sliding off quickly) yet, we'll see.  Otherwise, we are going to stay home (yeah!) and relax.

3.  SWIM.  We are back to our neighborhood with the pools in our subdivision.  I love a morning of doing some work keeping the kids minds active and sharp (it won't kill them, surely), having some fun, doing a little craft (mainly Jennifer at this point), watering our garden, listening to the air conditioner hum, reading, having lunch, and heading to the pool for an hour or two.

4.  Garden.  I haven't planted a garden since the summer of 2008 and with a layoff looming and three camping trips that summer it was hardly a decent garden.  The kids also planted a ton of things too so we will spend the summer tending to harvesting all kinds of healthy vegetables and herbs.

I will be back with more detail of our summer plan.  What are you doing this summer?

Comments

[Melanie Daryl]

Your summer activities are really good ideas for your kids. They will surely enjoy, learn new things, and enhance their skills in swimming. You are also aiming to bring your children close to nature through gardening. Have you ever thought about fishing? It would also be good for them to learn fishing, since you have 3 boys and they will surely love the adventure.