Summer Fun?

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself typing these words into my Google search bar: "How to survive summer with kids." I am sure that I will look back one day at laugh at this post. But right now, there is nothing comical about it. I was actually beginning to feel dread at the thought of summer vacation. I like my kids, I promise. But there are some things I don't like about summer vacation:

*not having a moment to myself all day

*my 3 kids bickering with each other

*having a messy house

*hearing, "What can I have to eat?" all day long

Please don't hear what I'm not saying. I know that I am so fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom and able to spend time (a lot of time) with my kids. I really do want to enjoy our summer together so I decided to come up with a game plan to do just that.

I read somewhere that our kids live by a schedule 9 months out of the year so it wouldn't be a bad idea to add a schedule to our summer days. I jumped on this idea after remembering how much fun my kids had when I created a schedule for them during Easter Vacation a couple of years ago. They really enjoyed knowing what was coming each day. And as a former teacher, it was fun for me to write out our plans on a big dry erase board.

I thought about those things (listed above) that really drive me crazy about summer and then instead of whining about them, I decided to try to change our fate.....not to sound overly dramatic. :)

Last week with summer vacation only 4 days away, I sat down with my good friend over at http://wilkinstory.blogspot.com/ and we made some plans to keep our sanity this summer!

I wish I was more creative and could make these schedules and lists look pretty but I can't! So, as my kids like to say, "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!"

Summer Schedule

7:30 Breakfast, make bed/clean room

8 Get ready for the day

*brush teeth

*wash face

*brush hair

*get dressed

8:30 Morning Jobs

*clean up living room

*clear table/put away breakfast items

*unload dishwasher

*clean bathroom

*water plants

*food/water for Charlie

9 Morning Exercise

(bikes, scooters, play ball, walk, run)

9:30 Pack lunches and clean out car

10 Snack and Fun!

12 Lunch

12:15 15 minute clean up

12:30 Rest and Reading

(kids who stay in their rooms will get a popsicle at 2:30)

2:30 Snack and Free Time

(tv/wii/ipod/toys/games/art)

3:30 15 minute clean up

4 Water play (swimming, sprinklers)

5 Dinner Prep

5:30 Dinner

6 Fun for kids who were kind to their brother and sister and obedient to mom and dad (offenders will get ready for an early bedtime)

7 Bath/shower

7:30 15 minute clean up

7:45 Prep for tomorrow

*set out breakfast stuff

*pick out clothes

8 Bedtime

I will replace our morning schedule with the following one during the weeks (yes, there are multiple weeks!) my kids go to Vacation Bible School:

Summer Schedule

VBS

7:00 Breakfast, make bed/clean room

7:30 Get ready for the day

*brush teeth

*wash face

*brush hair

*get dressed

8 Morning Jobs

*clean up living room

*clear table/put away breakfast items

*unload dishwasher

*clean bathroom

*water plants

*food/water for Charlie

I am trying not to buy a lot of our typical snack foods (pretzels, crackers, etc.) during the summer. I feel like they are a bit of a necessity during the school year when they need snacks at school. I think my kids are going to go through withdrawals for a while but this is our list (with some help from my friends on Facebook):

Snacks

Fruit

Strawberries, peaches, grapes, nectarines

Veggies & dip

carrots, celery, broccoli, peppers, cucumbers

Cheese slices or string cheese

Yogurt

Bananas or apples with peanut butter

Granola

Hard boiled egg

Peanut butter balls

Peanuts

Almonds

Lunch

Peanut butter & jelly sandwich

Peanut butter & honey sandwich

Quesadilla

Turkey & cheese sandwich

Crackers & cheese

Peanut butter & crackers

Weekly Dinner Menu

Monday: Tacos/Burritos

Tuesday: Sandwiches

Wednesday: Salad

Thursday: Beef

tri-tip, steak, hamburger, ribs

Friday: __________

Saturday: __________

Sunday: Breakfast for dinner

Summer fun? Yes! I even made a list!

Summer Fun

Go to the park

Swimming

Movie theater

Playdough

Baking treats

Bike ride

Board games

Water balloons

Dress up clothes/make movie

Chalk

Bubbles

Dance party

Sprinklers

Slip n slide

Library

Snow cones

Zoo

Storyland & Playland

Farmer’s Market

Skating

Go out for ice cream or frozen yogurt

Picnic

Go for a walk

Go for a bike ride

Train to Hanford

I am hopeful that we are going to have a great summer-if we follow the schedule. Just kidding!

If you have any great summer plans to save your sanity, please share them!