One of the gals I follow on Instagram put up a picture of her pristine kitchen today with the comment that she was worried about how she will keep her white floors clean now that her kids are out on summer break.
Ummm, what?
It seems that moms are divided into two camps when it comes to summer break:
Camp A is relieved that all the scheduling, paperwork and homework that comes with having kids in school is over for the year. They feel like they are on vacation too.
Camp B can’t wait for the NEXT school year to start so they can get back into the rhythm they’ve created to keep their homes running smoothly.
You all know me well enough by now to guess which camp I belong to.
I have to admit that there is a part of me that wants to at least visit Camp B for a while. I want to go to their classes and learn a few things. But alas, I am a charter member of Camp A (I would love it if any of you Camp B moms would write a guest blog on this subject though!).
I was blessed that my jobs allowed me to work evenings in the summer or even to take summers off. To those of you who have to deal with finding summer daycare: I salute you. I really do. And, if you have any ideas on that subject that would help other mothers, please share them with us.
There is one thing I believe is universal to all moms though and I say it to even the most stressed out mommies:
Use summer break as an excuse to become kids again.
I promise you that your kids will remember the moments you get silly and play with them far more than they’ll remember any vacation you could provide them with.
Here are some ideas:
Buy popsicles from the ice cream man, have a water balloon or squirt gun fight, and eat pancakes for dinner.
Camp in the backyard, stay up late watching old movies and search for four leaf clovers in the lawn.
Blow bubbles, play hide and seek in the dark, and ride bikes.
Roll down a grassy hill, make a daisy chain, and take silly pictures.
Run through the sprinkler, make snow cones, and get out your old Mad Libs books.
Or, teach some empathy while you play: Bake cookies and pass them out to the neighbors. Weed an elderly person’s garden (I’ll give you my address). Draw pictures and send them to faraway relatives.
I hope these ideas help to remind you that summer isn’t just for kids. And, no matter which camp you belong to, I wish you the very best of summers!
