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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

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