Afraid of Summer

Summer as a kid was awesome. Well, kind of boring, but mostly awesome.  I would weed the garden and play with my kittens. I was outside jumping on the trampoline for hours. Basketball. Lots of basketball. Another awesome part was that I was usually able to go on a parent-free trip, staying with my Grandma in Arizona. I would get to play with my cousins, Valerie, Cherie, and LaDawn. It was awesome. They had chickens sometimes and we would hike up the hill, and swim at the public pool in St. David, AZ. One year I went to Mexico for a month with friends living in Colonial Juarez. I still dream of that white cheese, and mango liquados, and limon palletas. Yummy.

Guys, I am a mom now. Summer is terrifying.
Don't let her fool you. She asks for things all day.

All four brilliant, active, creative children with me all day every day. They ask for stuff all day. All of them. Usually at the same time. "I'm hungry." "I'm bored." "What can I do?" "I don't want to do that." "Can I call a friend to come over?" "I'm hungry." "Can I do a science experiment with soap and the microwave?" "Change my diaper." In all fairness, the baby doesn't want me to change his diaper, nor does he ask for it. In fact, he fights me when I do it. I don't like that he fights me.

Summer, it makes me claustrophobic a little bit. In my brain. My brain wants some space to think things, a room of its own so to speak, and all of these other invading thoughts are constantly being torpedoed in.

Three of my kids are outside right now playing in the sprinklers. My baby is taking his nap. We've already eaten lunch. We've already read two chapters of Peter Pan. We've already fought about doing chores, where I did the chores and my kids told me they didn't want to do chores.

I need ideas. Help me friends. Help me with summer.




Comments

  1. UnknownMay 29, 2014 at 11:23 AM

    I need ideas too...how about we leave the kids and play basketball? Except I'm too pregnant :( today I locked ourselves in the backyard for 2 hours. I'm hoping everyone takes a nap...I'm crossing all appendages

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Evelyn HornbargerMay 29, 2014 at 3:53 PM

      You play basketball? Let's just take the kids to a basketball hoop place and they can run around and we can play our game.

      Delete
  2. ToddNSassMay 29, 2014 at 12:48 PM

    I saw someone who made a summer "bucket list" with their kids. Simple things they wanted to do. Then just pick one a day and let them mark it off. The way they get to do what they want and it's not so mind-boggling fit Mom. We can all do one thing a day! Wish us all luck! Haha. We painted toenails today and the baby ended up with nail polish all over her arm. Oh well!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jenni CallMay 29, 2014 at 2:25 PM

    My mom's rule was "I am not an entertainer" she would provide us the tools for a project and send us on our merry way. I feel like a play proctor, giving ideas and inspiration. If a kid swears (says I am bored) they have to drop and give me 10 pushups, then do a chore. We have a loose schedule that helps structure the day a little. Pinterest.

    ReplyDelete
  4. MelissaMay 29, 2014 at 3:08 PM

    My mom had us do a summer program thru parks and rec. We go to the park for breakfast and lunch. It saves me from total destruction of the kitchen. During nap time the kids play board games or read or let's be honest bicker. Lol. swimming lessons are great too. Anytime you can do something that's low stress.

    ReplyDelete
  5. EmilyMay 29, 2014 at 5:40 PM

    I remember we had a job jar thing. You'd pull a job out of the jar, and each chore was worth x amount of beans. My mom had this awesome list taped to the inside of one of the cabinets and it had all the things you could "buy" with x amount of beans. The highest was a trip to Lagoon, for like a bazillion beans. But there were small things like going to get ice cream with Daddy. Would your kids go for that? I remember my favorite job was "Spot Detective." We'd go around the house w/ a damp cloth and hunt for fingerprints on the walls, door jambs, and light switches. Other than that, lots of time at the pool?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. EmilyMay 29, 2014 at 5:41 PM

      My comment is confusing. You'd accrue beans, and then cash them in for whatever prize/activity from the list you wanted.

      Delete
  6. Sharee GarietyMay 30, 2014 at 4:23 PM

    I love summer. I love having my kids around me and "less" to do, and not as strict of a schedule. But I tell you what. After this first week of summer, I totally identify with "my brain needing a room of its own" concept. I just need some quiet, so I can hear my thoughts for a few minutes. AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! sorry. no helpful ideas. just empathy over here. :) I think what I'm definitely pondering is how to build some "regain-my-sanity-time" into the schedule.

    ReplyDelete

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