Summer Survival

Watch out for the ice cream thief!
Summer 2013

Summer!
Oh sweet summer!
How I adore Summer!

Really...I do...the arrival of summer comes on the boot heels of a very chaotic school year that was jam packed with countless projects, endless tests, and a flurry of after-school activities.

Truly, we have been blessed that both kiddos love school and do their best during the school year, however, the heralding of summer days makes each of our hearts sing for lazy mornings, fun outings, Popsicles on the lanai, and chasing fireflies as the tree frogs begin to play their nightly performance from the treetops over lush green grass.

Often, I hear as the days of school slips down to merely weeks left and finally days the tales of summer camps sign-ups,  endless activities to keep the energy level at a doable level, and the plight of moms everywhere to avoid the dreaded (as far as I'm concerned not even a word that describes anything so don't use it) phrase escaping past their loved ones lips:

 "I'm bored."

This phrase is simply overused, not possible, and frankly, a huge pet peeve of mine.  There is no way that anyone can be bored.  Find something to do with your time.  Make use of a handy dandy survival kit to ward off that nasty phrase.  Place it near your home first aide kit so you are ready and charged for the months of summer.  The following are some of my favorites in my kit for summer:

10.  Hoses

       One minute you're feeding the parched plants and the next minute finds everyone running      

       through the sprinklers for some great splash fun.

9.  Sidewalk chalk

     Make sure you are well stocked with sidewalk chalk.  Budding artists will have a blast drawing all

     over the walkways, driveway, and lanai.  If your mind draws a blank on what to draw, open up the   

     dictionary and pick a word...learning and playing...perfecto!

8.  Bubbles

     Even the most stubborn kiddos can't resist blowing bubbles.  Even that hormonal prone preteen

     will try hard not to let on that they are having a great time seeing who can blow claim the title of

     "Blower of the Largest Bubble"

7.  Fruit & Yogurt

     Smoothies are simply da bomb dignity during the summer.  Make sure you stock up on mother   

     nature's bounty in season for a reason...to make relish smoothies!

6.  Library Card

     Get out of the heat and the house.  See how many libraries you can visit and make sure to stay a 

     while choosing the best book before heading back for a smoothie on the lanai.

5.  Camera

     You will be surprised at what your darlin's find interesting.  Taking a walk with the dog you may 

     notice that the grass is really green but did you notice the ladybug hanging out on the flower petal?  

     Young eyes are still phenomenal for spotting the interesting in what adults take for granted.

4.  Pandora App

     Hook up your iPhone or iPad to blue tooth speakers and take a dance party outside as the sun   

     starts to make its farewell before night.  Nothing beats dancing crazy with your kids.  Especially  

     during moments that you feel like you are going to go crazy!

3.  Fire Pit

     Take a stick and you can roast just about anything over a fire.  Hotdogs are super fun for young   

     hands to assist with dinner cooking.  Some of the best evenings are spent around a fire roasting    

     s'mores.  Try to see who can come up a new recipe for s'mores.  It's amazing how many variations   

     there are!

2.  Hammock

     Place one of these up and nap time is a breeze.  Wrapped in a cocoon, starring up into the trees 

     towering above with birds singing...Zzz.....

1.  Wine

     Your days are full of excitement, discussions, preparations, so any mom is going to need a nice

     glass of wine to unwind after a wonderful day spent with your darlin's.  Life goes fast when you

     are a mom.  Take it all in.  

Yes, I am one of those moms.

I crave summer with my kids.

This is not to say that every moment is picture perfect.  In fact, on any given day during the summer I am sure that you will hear a sibling squabble, a frustrated mom who is tired of saying "clean up ____, please", and a dog who is wondering where on earth all this extra noise came from that messes up his nap time.

Summers will only be like this for so long.  One day, when I blink, my kids will be calling me and asking, "what in the world should I do...it's summer and the kids are out of school!"  Well, at least they have some kind of memory map to use when planning an awesome summer for their own children.  That, in a nutshell, is the goal behind any summer...memories.