Last Week of Summer VACA.

One week left of summer vacation for the boys.  I keep checking the calendar and should pinch myself too.  I have had 23 summers with children.  I have yet to look back on a summer and say..."I should have done that, or I wish we could have done that."   We just go, do, and play.  My garage is a testament to that.  So many stop, drop, and runs.  You can pretty much tell what we like to do, by looking in our garage.

Bikes tossed here and there.  The result of quickly getting them in the garage and running to the next thing.
Backpacks.  A few of them. Running out the door and grabbing another filled with the days food and water.
Beach towels. I have to many to count.  Luckily David will retrieve them to wash and have ready.
Life jackets.  All but one left in these, but there they are strewn about.
Swimsuits dangling and hanging out to dry.  We have so many extra's that all have been worn.
Tennis rackets, golf clubs, footballs, and toys everywhere.
Drum set, positioned in front of the freezer, with just enough to get the door open and closed.
Boxes and bins of things I have collected to start a little re-design side business.
Miscellaneous furniture stacked and packed when the olders get into their own homes.
Jackets, sweatshirts and coats, to many for our coat rack to hold just strewn about.
Socks, more socks than I can imagine...everywhere.

David keeps saying that he is looking forward to my first project of the school year. When all three boys are in school.  Cleaning and tidying the garage. I actually have on my list today. "Collect all the socks and shoes." It is a start. (p.s. that dining room table disaster is cleaned. Having a guests for a big dinner will fuel any dining room project.)

So, as we close out this last week of summer. Eric made me a list of the things he would like to do this week, and Ethan wrote a song.

 I love that Ethan is writing songs. Sitting at his drums with papers and markers...drumming, stopping, writing, and then drumming some more. I asked him what he wants to do this last week before school and he said write lots of songs.  Reading the words, my heart melts.

Eric is about the good stuff. Icecream,, donuts, and swimming.  Little does he know that I bought all the fixing for banana splits.  All his favorites hidden away. How did mom know this would be at the top of his list?  Every time we have a mama date he wants to go get icecream.

I don't have any written words from Emerson, but he said  this for his last week of summer "just play".  Enjoying this last week of summer vacation.  Thanks God how you give us such wonderful places to go, parks to play in, friends to play with, and lots of time in these summer lazy days.

The Start of Summer Vacation

I have come to the realization that I take my best pictures when I have no clue what I am doing.  Today I snapped this picture from my phone.  It started out as a sunny morning with a hint of gray in the air.  We decided to attend the noon service.  The two older boys and I decided to walk. David and Emerson would come later.  And so off we went.  Our church is only about three miles away, but the way the boys walk with all the switch backs, I am sure they clocked about double that. Walking together discovering adventures along the way.

I don't ever remember walks like this with Emily. Emily held my hand and together we skipped and sang songs and told stories.  She and I would look back and watch our shadows and talk about the colors of flowers and the clouds above.  Not the case with boys.  They run ahead, and then run back. They run through the trees and find things they should not pick up.  They find sticks and stones of all shapes and sizes and want to know how they got there and how long they have been there.  They climb on brick walls and balance along anything that is higher than six feet.  I just stroll along the sidewalk chatting away with them, making sure to keep them in sight.  Looking up, and seeing them standing on a wall. Eric with his stick and Ethan pretending he was a plane and then "click" went my phone. Capturing two boys and the start of summer on our way to church.

We took a short cut that brings us into the back end of the church. It requires some walking through a path that is over grown and then up a ridge that takes us over the railroad tracks. My nine year old said "mom let me take your hand." and my heart melted. I let him take my hand and lead me.  We stopped and listened for a train and then scrambled up and over.  Ran down the path and then saw the parking lot of the church.  We were all so proud of ourselves for making it time for the service and met up with David and Emerson.  What a terrific start to summer vacation. 

Summercation Anyone

The first day of "summercation" as Emerson put it. I am still in my jammies drinking my coffee. Fresh from Starbucks thanks to my lovely daughter.  One boy is off enjoying solitude play in his room.  A robotic toy with a million pieces and a million ways to build it. School cramping his ability to really spend the hours he needs to do those million ways of building. The two others stationed in front of a computer playing Flight Simulator.  A game that is only allowed on non-school days, thus only the weekends.  Whoopee today is a Thursday and they get to play it all day long if they want.

I have been abandoned to the fun in the house.  I can think of 101 things do in my house, but looking around my home think....what for. Not only do I have the rest of the summer, then all three kids go off to school in the fall I can do all these things in the fall.  I have the "Summercation" brain only hours into the first sunny day.  

This week we are laying low. No plans, no agenda.  No chores. (However Eric did mop the kitchen floor earlier because he has been wanting to.)  Next week we do start a more structured plan.  My kids go crazy wild without  structure and a plan. I go crazy wild without structure and a plan.   I have already laid out the plans for the summer. Camps all signed up and may add  one or two more.  Book reading club via Traub style, and our "school" pages.  Here is how our plan works each summer. For those moms who would like some ideas I will share how we do it around here.

Mon. Weds. Fri. are our structured days.  I like these days because the boys can read and can read the schedule and I am no longer having to remind them over and over what they need to get done.  The morning can start out as slow as you want it.  But here is how the rest of the morning is laud out.  If you come to my home, you will see the following printed out on my refrigerator by next Monday. (not out yet, we are still in lazy mode, I mean really we are only into day one of summercation.)

9:00am          2 Worksheets from your Binder (all three boys)

9:30am          Eric Reads with Mommy

9:30am          Ethan Practices Piano

9:30am          Emerson Cleans in his room

10am            Biking Riding Break

10:30am       Craft Project'

11:30 am      One household Chore together (in our home we all kind of work together on the same thing)

Noon            Lunch

12:30           Fun Outing

4:00pm        Eric practices Piano

4:00pm        Ethan reads his book (he is reading chapter books now and most likely will disapear for the

next  hour or two)

4:00pm        Emerson Practices Reading with Mommy

4:30             Everyone gets all toys PUT AWAY before papa comes home from work.

This is a basic schedule I have kept for many years with my kids. The reality is that I am not always the most popular mom with my friends because I don't run off to every activity.  On Tuesday and Thursday we always go the beach, hiking, have friends over, go to friends, and run all over Portland and beyond.  I am not an overly drill Sargent kind of mom  with my children. I think it's important to keep their minds thinking through out the summer, so when school starts they are not having to play catch up.  My summers are fun and easy and my boys love knowing what to expect.  That is not to say when I get a call that someone has tickets to some amazing adventure I drop the entire day and go, but for the most part I love how our summers play out. I know many young moms who struggle from one day to the next, and summers are something they dread. Even with kids who are not in school. Having a plan helps kids know what to expect.  Gives them something to look forward to. They then can take ownership in the process.

I love how Eric saw all the books on his reading shelf.  A shelf we just set up for his summer reading. A visual of over 70 books. He looks at those books and thinks how will I ever read all those mom.  But then the smile and grin when he knows he can do it, and I know he can do it, and then the shelf gets smaller and smaller, as the books get moved to the bottom shelf and his reading chart fills with his little stickers.  The confidence that grows.  And the reading skills the broaden.

The nice thing also about having a little structure is the selfish part of my day. I get a little more "me" time.  I know it sounds crazy, but while they are working away....I can sit and read a few chapters of a book with my coffee.  I can have my quiet time with God. I can write a few pages in my journal and pray.  Clean up my kitchen, and plan my dinner menu and get my salad made for dinner, so later if I am to tired to cook dinner as least the salad is made and I can throw in a sandwich or something and everyone is fed.  I have that time, that I don't have when everyone is board, crazy and wild.

If you are a mom and home this summer I hope you can take some of these ideas and this will help.  If you have some ideas. I love reading your ideas too. Let me know some of yours.  I learn all the time by reading your ideas.  Love and blessings for a wonderful "summercation" to all.