Skip to main content

Summertime survival

I have four wonderfully energetic and creative kids. I teach part time all year and get to spend the summer at home with my kids, which I love.  Inevitably, though the first two weeks are a give and take of setting boundaries, redefining expectations, and the kids figuring out how to get along with each other all day. These are some of the things we try to stick to in order to make our summer days more enjoyable and agreeable.

Chores must be done before fun, however fun can be interspersed with chores-dancing in the kitchen, squirting each other with the hose while gardening.
What you take out,  you put away and when asked to help put away things that don't belong to you, you do it.
Reading or I-pad learning games for 20 minutes in the morning before other technologies can be used.
Everyone helps no matter what age. Our 5 and 7 year old are master kitchen cleaners. Our 12 year old mows the lawn, takes out the trash. Our 10 year old helps cook dinner, makes lunches, cleans bathrooms. I give chores based on their strengths and interests too.

We write down all of the fun, minimally expensive activities we can do and try to do one each week of the summer.
I give lots of hugs, morning snuggles, and take time to build my kids up with words of encouragement. The school year is tough, they worked hard, faced many struggles; they need to know home is a safe and nurturing place.
This is a newly instated one, if you call someone a name, you clean toilets. If you intentionally hurt someone physically, you vacuum and clean out the van. This is not to make chores a punishment but, if a child hurts their sibling,  which is unacceptable in our family, they might as well be productive rather than sitting in their room.
Minimal participation in scheduled activities. Summer, for us is a season of rest so, unlike many families, we don't sign up for every camp or class. We enjoy sleeping in, taking it slow, and recharging for the next school year.

Say our prayers before meals and bed.
Read a lot.
Play board games.
Swim.
Stay up late and catch fireflies.
Invite friends over often.
Eat lots of ice cream.
Enjoy the flowers.
Enjoy being together.

Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

 Have a restful, hug-filled, and happy summer!







Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 11, 2015 at 4:18 PM

    I love this! I remember the summers with my beautiful children where we did one or two fun activities each week. You are a remarkable writer, my sweet daughter.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Decluttering

Life is full, full of so many individuals to relate to and responsibilities to manage. My heart is full, my mind is full, my emotions are full. My time and my schedule are full. So full, there isn't room for one more need, one more opportunity to help another, one more cry to ...Moooooooom for help, one more touch on my skin that begs for attention and intimacy.  So where do I go from here? How do I move forward in the new year to be open to the needs of others, the opportunities that may come my way, the moments for love,  the potential to teach, to comfort, to nurture. I start by decluttering my inbox to eliminate the asks and advertisers begging for my time. I eliminate the influence social media has on my emotions by hiding the posts that hurt, that cause me to compare, that drain my emotions which are needed for much more important and valuable ones.  I clean out the drawers, the cupboards, the closets of unused, unappreciated toys, movies, games, supplies. I give awa
1 comment
Read more

When the Sadness Won’t Stop

 Sadness, exhaustion, lack of motivation. We have all been there at some point. I want to share my experience as a young mom to shed light on a hidden epidemic. Depression does not always look like someone dressed in baggy, filthy clothes nor do those with depression always appear unhappy in social situations.  Depression can be the smiling mom with beautiful children at the grocery store or the teacher with amazing ideas for her students. I have been there, struggling daily to get out of bed, cook meals, show up for my family.  Hindsight informs me it was likely postpartum. For some of us, it’s the lack of sunshine that seasonally gets us down. For others, it is the beginning of a new year with hopes and goals that quickly get overshadowed with the responsibilities of caring for our families. Whatever has led you to this place when you want to be happy but cannot physically make it happen, it is real and it is so very hard. I know this pain. So many others do too, we just keep
Post a Comment
Read more

Close to His Heart

                                                 We had just finished pushing Thomas the Train down the track to meet up with his red friend James, and read the last few pages of  Curious George Gets a Medal . It was time to get our coats on and head home for nap time, crossing my fingers he didn't fall asleep in the car. I pulled his blueberry hat over his ears to bear the Massachusetts winter chill, and guided his little arms into the royal blue marshmallow puff coat I thought would be so warm. Yet, now, the coat was an object of regret because what two year old wouldn't scream in opposition to being bound like a mummy, unable to move.  I wasn't sure if it was the coat or not wanting to leave, but the wailing began.     Feet stomping, throwing himself on the floor kicking, he screamed, “No, Mommy, I don't want to go home!No, no, no!"     I tried counting to ten. I tried calmly explaining it was time. I tried bribing him with a cookie. He was 2, h
Post a Comment
Read more