In the Summer time...

This whole summer vacation thing is not only a novelty to my kids but to me as well. I was a classic latch key kid, my sister and I wore our keys on a shoestring around our necks to let ourselves in after school. Vacation meant curtains stayed closed and no one went out front. We watched The Price is Right and Perry Mason while playing marathon Monopoly tournaments. Interspersed was the random beating of each other and a few 'harmless' prank phone calls. Luckily, most of our friends were also home alone so the braver of the bunch would leave their domains and hole up in ours until the threat of parents arriving became too much and we all began cleaning up and starting dinner. All this in elementary school. Granted I was in year round school, our longest school break was about 6 weeks and it was in December, otherwise we had 2 weeks off here and there, I thought it was great until I went to high school and it was a 'normal' school year. Teenagers should never have 3 months off with no parental supervision, enough said.

So it begins, going from the minute by minute schedule of a classroom to fly by the seat of our pants daily life. Ethan wants every moment occupied by a friend or activity. Elaina and Elijah are used to the random play dates, store runs and house cleaning frenzy. Ethan is not. Elaina and Elijah occupy themselves if I am doing laundry or fixing a meal. Ethan does not. Elaina and Elijah know that if they have one play date they probably aren't going to see another friend that day. Ethan is used to seeing all his friends, every day, all day long. Not going to happen. If I hear 'now what?', 'what will we do after that?', or 'when are we going to?' one more time I'm putting them on Free-Cycle. Two more months, I know it goes quickly. Family vacations sprinkled randomly over the weeks will keep them hopping. Sending them both off to school will be here before I know it. Back to school shopping already front and center on my brain. Elijah sending them on their way with me, anticipating the trauma of seeing his siblings off for the day. And at the same time, MOPS starting up for the year, still not sure about my sanity there but it's out of my hands. We will garden, we will play with the new chicks (coming in 2 weeks) and we will hang. Most of all, I will soak up the time I have with them that they still want to be with me.