Our July Plans...To Name A Few
I just made out our summer calendar last night. It is a large desk calendar that I have made color-coded notes in so the girls (hopefully) won’t ask me every minute of every day what we are doing. I am all for preparing the girls and always have been, but our counselor has reminded us that having this written out makes Mita and Enu feel more secure. So a big calendar it is!
They each have their own color as Hubby and I do. I am green and Hubby got stuck with orange (ha ha). We carefully picked out the colors for the girls as Blue is all the rage and fighting would for sure ensue (parenting girls is a bit political as well as full of drama.).
As I filled out the various basketball and Girl Scout camps the girls are attending, as well as 4H meetings(Mita) and VBS I realized that we have about five full weeks of unplanned time this summer. Less than I had first thought, but still I am okay with this.
Last summer I over-planned, I realized that early in June, but had commitments I had to honor. This year I didn’t sign up to work at the Girl Scout day camp, nor are the girls going to day camp. I also didn’t sign them up for swim lessons as the girls are doing well with swimming and we can work on swimming a lot this summer as we got a pool pass this year. I also don’t have any Girl Scout plans for my troop and am helping out at VBS with pictures, not doing the story lesson which has more prep time. I feel really good about letting go on these things. No guilt, in fact I may even cut down more next summer.
With all of that said, as moms we know how bored the kids get in the summer. After a few days of sleeping in and goofing off they are reading to do something fun or at least hang out with friends. So I am all for activities that are organized and teach them things (camps) as well as family memory makers (camping trips) and of course the Summer Reading program that keeps us in the library and surrounded by lovely books. I also have some fun things up my sleeve like Summer Book Bingo and Summer Buckets that I promise to talk about in the future.
With all of these thoughts swirling through my head I look at my calendar and am feeling prepared and content. Then Hubby says, “I never had anything structured in the summer until the sixth grade.” What am I supposed to do with that? Does that make his summers better than our kids’ summers? I don’t think so at all. Free time and learning about basketball, piano and drama are all good.
Therefore I claim the summer of 2010 a well-planned summer NOT over-scheduled. I guess I truely cannot say that until summer ends, but oh well I did it anyway! What do you think about your summer plans of 2010?
I need to create some kind of schedule. Because we’re not doing well without our normal schedule. At all.
1. So glad to see the note about the V Kids!
2. I understand all about the drama and I only have two girls! Clare counts for at least two on her own though.
3. I’d hardly call you over scheduled. Lots of white space on that calendar. Just enough so the kids know it is summer vacation but boredom (and excessive whining, bickering and driving Mom crazy) is kept at bay. Good job! You are such an inspiration!