Thinking about...summer 2010

Summer 2009 was wonderful! Balanced is coming to mind when I think of it. Also, simple. I think my efforts in the area of intentional paid off. We had fun on the cheap and got to spend lots of time with family and friends, but didn't feel like we were just crazy busy. There were definitely some lazy days in there.

It was a summer worth re-living, so I'm in the process of planning-ish Summer 2010. There are definitely some blessings coming our way this summer. The kids will enjoy a few different sports camps, sub money will pay for our vacation to San Antonio, plans have begun for our family to go back to camp, we're missing out on the Lastname family reunion, but will attend a family wedding to kinda' make up for it.

These dates are already set in stone. Where summer is concerned, I've never been one to let the big stuff go. The vacations and camps and reunions are the meat of summer. It's the little stuff I struggle with . . . the off-days . . . the down time. It's like trying to live on steak without the mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, or rolls. Or macaroni and cheese. It just ain't right.

On those days I tend to want to curl up on the couch and read the day away. Which sounds great until the end of the day when I'm pulling my hair out because the snacks/toys/coloring books are strung out all over the house and the kids are watching Hannah Montana for the 28th time that day while randomly throwing out the phrase, "I'm bored".

Last summer the down time was less of a struggle because of my handy dandy list of options. I loved having a list of suggestions that (1) fit in to the cheap or free category, and (2) were easy to accomplish in one afternoon or evening, and (3) at least one of the kids enjoyed. The list gave me purpose for the day. It gave the kids ownership in their day. It kept me out of the I-read-600-pages-today rut.

It also helped that I knew that there would be plenty of quiet time to read the day away when school started ;)

I've started coming up with a list of options for this summer. Many of them are from last year, but some of them are new. Here is my list of cheap or free stuff:

• Park (the one across town that we never go to, but the kids beg for)
• Roller skate
• Picnic
• Bike ride
• Game afternoon/night
• Movie afternoon/night
• Invite a family to swim & cook out one evening
• Breakfast picnic
• Invite friends to swim one afternoon
• After dinner walk
• Library
• Family devotional night
• Cancun
• Geocaching

Geocaching is new to us. We've never tried it, but two of my Facebook friends suggested it. Honey is down with it, so we plan on giving it a try this summer. You'll also notice that I threw in Cancun. Honey won a trip for two this year with work, so we're getting to go for free. Well almost . . . cheap for sure. And alone. Yay!

A couple of months ago Uncle Bubba moved out. Did I tell y'all that? Well, he did. He lived with us for two years and decided he'd had enough of providing free babysitting.

During his big move we reorganized the room he was using and sold some stuff on Craig's List. I holed away that cash and put it in an envelope named Summer Fun Money. We're currently trying to decide how to spend this money. Here is the list of options I've come up with for that:

• Scavenger hunt (the summer version of this)
• Visit to a really cool community pool in a town not far from here
• Visit the local water park
• Visit the local amusement park
• Attend an outdoor musical put on by the community theater

If I get creative and don't go overboard with the summer scavenger hunt, and if we cut out the outdoor musical (we went last year, and I'm not excited about this year's play), we might be able to do all of the rest. We'll see.

"Mom, what does 'we'll see' mean?"

"It means 'maybe'."

Bubba: "No, it means 'don't get your hopes up'."

And this summer is the year for the girls to complete their summer journal. I can't wait. We have read and re-read Bubba's. Now that the girls are more word savy, they have a great time reading what their Bubba wrote when he was their age.

We have 6 1/2 days of school left . . . counting today . . . which is half over. I can't wait for our summer adventures to start. I hope your summer is filled with fun days, blessed nights, and a couple of good books thrown in there just for balance. What are you planning-ish for summer?