POSTS TAGGED : summer vacation

End of the School Year Checklist for Moms

It’s the end of the school year. You knew it was coming sooner or later. Whether you’re getting ready to send your kids off to camp or preparing “Camp Mom” for the troops there are a few things that need to get done before summer vacation kicks in.

  • End of the Year Teacher Gifts. You may look forward to this as much as teachers look forward to expanding their “best teacher” mug collection. I’ll admit I’ve given a few mugs in my day…and candles, and lotions, and coffee gift cards. It gets boring. As much as every ounce of creativity may have been sucked out of you by all of the projects you’ve helped your kids with this year, try to at least put in a “C” effort for the teacher’s gift. They deserve it for all they put up with through the year. I’ve actually come up with a semi-creative idea that I’m excited about. I’ll share it with you…after I give it!
  • Plan to Keep in Touch with Your Kids’ School Friends…Some of Them. My daughter’s birthday is in the summer. She wants me to start planning her birthday party now so that she can hand out invitations the last day of school. She must have used too many glue sticks this year if she thinks that’s going to happen. I explained to her that’s the joy of having a summer birthday. You don’t have to invite the whole class. That rule goes out the window once the end of June rolls around. I did tell her to get the info of a couple of friends she’d like to invite. We’ll see how that goes. If there are friends your kids want to hang out with over the summer (that you approve of) make an effort to get their info. You never know when you may need to phone a friend.
  • Check out Free Events. If it’s free, it’s for me. That’s my motto. Check out what free events are available for the summer. Many local libraries offer free passes to museums and zoos. Take advantage of these. Make a list and take it out for those days when you hear “Mom, I’m bored”, because you know they’re coming.
  • Pre-summer Cleaning. If you didn’t get around to actual spring cleaning (like me), try some pre-summer cleaning. It’s really the same thing if you think about it. With the kids home, you know your house is going to look like a bomb exploded all summer long. The chances of you giving it a deep clean when the kids are around 24/7 are about as good as you getting front row tickets at a Bon Jovi concert. So clean now, have fun later.
  • Make Your Last Solo Target Run. Moms you know what I’m talking about. Shopping alone at Target has a certain charm to it that you can’t explain unless you’re a mom who’s had to shop at Target with your kids. Those $1 bins turn into $5 bins when you take your kids. It’s inevitable. But, when you shop alone you can look around at all the stuff you really don’t need but end up buying anyway for some reason. It’s a beautiful thing.
  • Pencil in Some Me Time. Let’s face it, summer is wonderful but finding time just for yourself without having the kids around can be a challenge. Before the final school bell rings, try to schedule a mani/pedi or whatever you like to relax. This will help set the tone for the summer. If you can’t tell, this is definitely on my “to-do” list over the next week and a half. That and maybe a massage! If you really want to go crazy, take yourself shopping too! You needed a new pair of sandals, right?
  • Make a Liquor Store Run. Yep, I said it. There are only so many amusement parks, zoos, and playdates you can take over the summer. Momma will need a break so plan ahead. Once the kids finally conk out for the night, you may want to treat yourself to a nice glass of wine. Better yet, send the kids off to grandma’s house and have some friends over for grown-up beverages!

Amid all the camps, playdates, and cotton candy induced carnivals, try to have fun with your kids this summer. As much as we may complain about our kids, we all know they grow up too fast!

I’m Not Ready for Summer to End

I’m Not Ready for Summer to End

As I look on my calendar, I realize that the kids go back to school in about a month. While many parents are doing somersaults and are ready to do the happy dance, I can honestly say I’m not. Truthfully, I’m sad that summer vacation as we know it will be coming to end sooner than I can say day at the beach.

Although there have been plenty of times my kids have driven me crazy over the past six weeks, there have been more times filled with laughs, smiles and hugs. For this, I am eternally blessed. There have been playdates and get togethers with friends that we don’t get to see as often during the hectic school year. I’ve been able to actually watch my kids learn how to swim right in front of my eyes. This is an accomplishment that I am more than proud of because there were plenty of moments when I honestly thought it would never happen! There have been walks on the beach and melting ice cream cones along with carnival rides and rollercoasters. There have been countless nights of no bedtime so we can stay up to watch “Full House” re-runs on Nick at Nite (this is a personal fave!). There have been lazy mornings listening to my girls actually play with each other without killing one another.

So, why would I want summer to end?

I’ll be trading all of this in for bedtime fights followed by morning struggles of literally pulling my girls out of bed. There will be the whole Kindergarten transition for my youngest (that’s a topic for an entirely different post). I’d rather poke my eye out with a spork! I can’t wait for the outfit battles this year now that our school has switched from a uniform to a dress code policy. That should be fun!

There will be extracurricular activities and sports to keep the girls busy and Mom crazy all at the same time. Saturday mornings will be taken up with soccer games and smelly cleats. There will be the birthday invitations coming home for kids I didn’t even know existed! Don’t forget the homework and the effort to get it all done without a fight.

Remind me again why I want the kids to go back to school? I’ll trade all of that in for an endless summer…along with the sunshine and great weather. A momma can dream…

 

 

 

10 Signs That It’s the End of the School Year

The end of the school year is here. You can hear kids and teachers rejoicing while many parents grunt and go hide in a corner. Besides the obvious calendar telling us what time of year it is, there are ten other things that happen to signal that the end of the school year has indeed arrived.

  1. The Thought of Buying Teacher Gifts Makes You Cringe. You know it’s the right thing to do, but you really don’t want to go shopping for teacher gifts. Although you should put some effort into the process and avoid buying another coffee mug, the temptation is too great. You could always go on Pinterest for some super creative ideas, but who has time for that? Coffee mug it is.
  2. Your Kids’ Homework is Wrong & You Don’t Care. So Billy added instead of subtracted his entire homework. At least he still did math, right? There comes a point in the school year when seven and six equals fourteen and you don’t care.
  3. Clothes Don’t Fit, Oh Well! Your children’s toes are rubbing against the edges of the sneakers you bought…in August. Who told them to keep growing anyway? Those yoga pants are looking more like capris. But, aren’t yoga capris in these days? The next time your child tells you that his shirt is getting too short just tell him to stop raising his hand in class. This way it won’t be so short. Problem solved.
  4. Bedtime & Wakeup is Getting Downright Dreadful. You can’t even convince yourself that it’s bedtime when it’s still light outside at 8 p.m. so how are your kids going to buy into it? Let’s not even talk about waking up for school. The whining is unreal! Maybe if they just went to bed when you told them,  the mornings wouldn’t be so bad. There are days I’d rather watch a Caillou marathon by myself then go through the whole bedtime/wakeup process.
  5. You’re Running Out of School Snacks. Your fruit snack and Goldfish cracker supply is dangerously low. Instead of replenishing you decide to get creative. Kids can bring cans of cream corn and baked beans for snack, right?
  6. You’re Sick of Packing Lunches. If you have to make another ham and cheese sandwich you’re going to throw it against the wall. Forget about thinking of different things to pack your child for lunch. Check back in September. At this point packing lunch means making sure they have enough money to buy whatever is being served in the cafeteria. What if they don’t like the menu? Maybe it’s time to try new things.
  7. You Can’t Find the Handle to Your Fridge Because of All the Artwork. The kids are bringing home all of their art projects. Yeah! You’re finally getting your Valentine, Easter, and “Holiday” card…all at the same time…in June. What could be better? Now, if you could just get into your fridge.
  8. Your Child’s Book Bag has Holes. “Mom, my book bag has a hole in it.” So. There’s no way that it’s going to get fixed. It’s just not happening. Anyway, don’t think of them as holes. They’re easy access pockets for when junior just needs to find a pencil or eraser right away.
  9. You Can’t Remember a Saturday Morning That Didn’t Involve a Coach or Referee. Sure, sports are great for kids. They have fun. You have fun watching them, but there comes a point when you dread Saturday mornings. The morning fights with the shin guards and cleats are no longer bearable. Trying to clone yourself to make it to all of your kids’ games gets exhausting. You want to trade them all in in for an endless cup of coffee and a Lifetime movie…or three.
  10. Your Child is Going on a Field Trip Every Other Day. You remember signing the permission slips, but weren’t these all supposed to be spaced out? Your child is going more places in two weeks than you’ve gone in two months. It’s all in the name of “learning”, I know. Let’s admit it, the real learning stopped after April vacation.

Before you can say sunscreen and shorts, the kids will back in school and we get to run the hamster wheel all over again! Here’s to some time off from glue sticks, flash cards, and school assemblies!

 

Can We Stop Complaining About Our Kids Being Home All Summer?

Can We Stop Complaining About Our Kids Being Home All Summer?

The kids are home for the summer. The summer is long and hot.

We all know this.

Kids can be a handful at times with all their neediness.

We all know this.

Since all of this is not rocket science, can we stop complaining about our kids being home for the summer?

I’ve been reading so many Facebook posts, tweets, and blogs about parents whining about how they can’t wait for school to start again.

Parents complaining about their kids being home for the summer.

Parents complaining about kids being bored.

Parents complaining about having to entertain their kids.

Parents complaining about having to wake up their kids for camp.

Parents complaining how the kids being home cuts into their time.

Quite frankly, parents complaining about being parents. Sorry school is not open year-round to keep your kids busy. Sorry if I hurt your feelings, but I think it’s the truth Ruth.

I can count on one hand the number of things I’ve read about parents actually being happy to spend extra time with their kids or parents who are actually happy about taking family vacations.

Are there any parents happy about taking advantage of five-dollar Tuesdays to catch a movie because the kids don’t have to be in bed early?

Are there any parents who are happy about spending a late Sunday evening at the beach?

Anyone? If you’re out there, let your voices be heard!

Did you ever think that if you stop complaining you may actually find some joy in having your kids around for the summer? I am a true believer that kids feed off our energy. If all we’re doing is spewing out negativity with our complaining then it should come as no surprise that our kids are going to be whiney little minions too.

Don’t get me wrong, there have been days this summer when I’ve yelled at octaves higher than an opera singer. I’ve punished and threatened to take things away. There’s been tears. There’s been timeouts. It’s not all ice cream sundaes and smiles around here. But, we manage to enjoy the summer and each other.

There’s been days when trying to figure out how I am going to get all my stuff done becomes more exhausting than actually getting it done. But, it all gets done somehow, even when the kids are lurking 24/7.

Honestly, I enjoy having my kids home for the summer. It means not rushing to get ready for school. It means no drop offs, pick-ups, or half-day nonsense. It means no homework. It means no rushing to get dinner, bath, and bedtime done at a reasonable hour. It means no soccer practices or soccer Saturdays. It means no Friday night Girl Scouts where I’m trying not to draw blood as I help my daughter make crafts. It means no PTA meetings or volunteering.

It means relaxing and having fun!!

Here’s a wild and crazy thought…why not save your whiney pants for when the kids are in school? If you feel the need to complain, it seems like there’s more to work with during the school year. Just sayin’.  Better yet, why not throw away your whiney pants for good? Trust me, you’ll thank me later.