Summer Plans

Summer - so close!

The past few years, by June 2, all I want to do is shut myself in my air-conditioned house and sleep for 3 months.

This year, triple-digit heat has not reared its head yet. It has barely made it into the 90's. A refreshing change from recent history. The cooler temperatures has made me feel quite ambitious. I have learned to exercise caution when I have some free time on my hands AND I feel frisky. Last time that happened, I ended up forming and coaching a First Lego League team! Not that this is a bad thing, I just kind of tend to get myself into huge commitments.

Anyway . . .

With one week left of (home)school, I am looking forward to my summer. This spring, our summer was full. Almost completely full by February. We had three unscheduled weeks in July, and that was it. That is sad. I actually had a mini-breakdown with our busy schedule. That lil' breather helped me to see that a Super Busy Summer was going to do no one good. So, Art Guy and I talked and axed several plans, and suddenly, we have breathing space! Yee haw!

So, what do I want to do this summer?????

1. TV - yeah, that is SO not creative. It is not going to get me a bunch of followers on Pinterest, nor will it win me accolades of any Super Moms out there. But, we are so busy in the school year, there is not time to watch much tv or movies (not a bad thing, but still. . .). We ditched our satellite last December, and oddly enough, without easy-tv, there is even more I want to watch. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu - my watch list is piling up. I am going to do some serious vegging!
2. Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere! Summer will be my usual time to get the house back into some kind of working order. My Big Plan this summer is to clear out! Time to get rid of a lot of stuff that has accumulated in the house. I am feeling increasingly crushed by the weight of things. Time to lighten the load.
3. Cook, and get a plan. Every year of the 15 years of parenthood has been different. However, we have definitely entered the Super Busy phase. Between homeschooling, sports, robotics and creative activities, cooking has become a luxury. Getting dinner on the table is a daily challenge. I have learned a lot of tricks, but I need more. 3 or 4 days out of the week, in the school year, I am not home in the afternoon or evening, so I can't cook. The slow cooker is my friend. But, summer is the time I can get myself re-organized. And maybe it is time to get those boys cooking . . .
4. Of course, there is the usual - clean up from last school year and prepare for the next. sad face. 
5. Be creative. Time to get out the crochet needles and see if I remember what I learned last summer.
6. Be kid creative. The Monkey gets the short end of the Mommy stick. He is alone out there, a 5 year old in a sea of big people. Let's face it, the older 3 boys got a much more fun, less run-down mother. So, this summer, I hope to reach deep and find that More Fun Mother. Time to hit up Pinterest, I guess!

And so much more.

Sadly, the summer will pass quickly. Before I know it, I will be staring school in the face.

But for now, time for summer dreaming!