Friday, July 15, 2011
This is the time...
It's officially the middle of July now, so I'd say this is the time to enjoy summer break. Sometimes as parents, we have a hard time settling in to relaxation-mode. The kids are out of school, which means no homework, easier low-prep meals, and less official baths (because the pool accounts for some of them, right?). And yet, we still struggle to embrace the light-hearted moments of summer. Well, that is if you're anything like I am.
It's easy to focus on the plethora of tasks flooding our to-do lists instead of chilling out with some water balloons or a spray-gun instead. I see the messes around the house and feel like I should attend to all of them at once. And then I think of the upcoming year and feel stressed about the need to work on school stuff with the kids so they'll be ahead of the year's challenges. And I think of my own writing goals and begin to fret over the pieces I need to be working on.
But here's the deal: before we know it, summer will be gone! The kids will be back in school. Life will be busier than ever with sports, Scouts, and church activities. So now is the time to "carpe diem." Catch summer with that butterfly net and enjoy it for awhile before we're dashing into fall.
Recently, I allowed myself to soak in some summertime laziness. My middle daughter and I both awoke to an empty kitchen table while the other two kids were still asleep. So she asked me for some mommy/daughter time, which is always valuable.
I suggested we play a board-game. So she of course picked Monopoly which I usually say "No" to since it takes forever to finish. But on this particular morning, I said "Yes." The time was special for both of us and took me back to my own childhood memories and rekindled my own love for the game.
It also reminded me of how math can be fun, as my daughter counted out her money each time she wanted to buy up a property or when she had to pay the rent on one. The game emphasized reading in a casual way as well. She loved landing on "Chance" so she could read the mysterious message, especially when she got to "Advance to GO and COLLECT $200."
And with all this strange weather recently, I got to enjoy another terrific morning with my youngest daughter as well. She and I headed outside to blow some bubbles (like hundreds of bubbles). And we colored in her Barbie coloring books. And we each sucked on fruit lollipops while playing with her dollies. And we laid on our backs hunting for cloud-creatures. Who'd have known there were so many lions, lambs, kitties, giraffes, and cute bunnies up above us all the while? The time was priceless.
In both of these instances, I could have passed up these precious moments to update my boring checkbook, to throw in a few loads of stinky laundry, or to skim down the mountain-size pile of icky dishes flooding my kitchen sink. But I didn't. Instead, I caught up with my kids and had a blast frolicking inside of their relaxed worlds of summer vacation.
The kids stop everything. They're not thinking about school or chores or new backpacks yet. They just want to scoot and bike-ride and float as they devour one more tasty hot dog or another dripping Popsicle. So let's try to model our kids' chilled out, summertime attitudes.
Go for another piece of watermelon or buttery corn, even if you've already had like six servings. Kill your diet and eat a big juicy cheeseburger. They're so good once in awhile! Take your kids for ice cream even though it's right before dinnertime. Let your chores go as well! Don't make your bed. If you do, you won't be able to climb back in for an afternoon nap! And chill out on the laundry while you're at it; they can wear those jean shorts a few more times.
Share your most relaxed summertime moments. We'd love to hear from you. Keeping it real!
It's easy to focus on the plethora of tasks flooding our to-do lists instead of chilling out with some water balloons or a spray-gun instead. I see the messes around the house and feel like I should attend to all of them at once. And then I think of the upcoming year and feel stressed about the need to work on school stuff with the kids so they'll be ahead of the year's challenges. And I think of my own writing goals and begin to fret over the pieces I need to be working on.
But here's the deal: before we know it, summer will be gone! The kids will be back in school. Life will be busier than ever with sports, Scouts, and church activities. So now is the time to "carpe diem." Catch summer with that butterfly net and enjoy it for awhile before we're dashing into fall.
Recently, I allowed myself to soak in some summertime laziness. My middle daughter and I both awoke to an empty kitchen table while the other two kids were still asleep. So she asked me for some mommy/daughter time, which is always valuable.
I suggested we play a board-game. So she of course picked Monopoly which I usually say "No" to since it takes forever to finish. But on this particular morning, I said "Yes." The time was special for both of us and took me back to my own childhood memories and rekindled my own love for the game.
It also reminded me of how math can be fun, as my daughter counted out her money each time she wanted to buy up a property or when she had to pay the rent on one. The game emphasized reading in a casual way as well. She loved landing on "Chance" so she could read the mysterious message, especially when she got to "Advance to GO and COLLECT $200."
And with all this strange weather recently, I got to enjoy another terrific morning with my youngest daughter as well. She and I headed outside to blow some bubbles (like hundreds of bubbles). And we colored in her Barbie coloring books. And we each sucked on fruit lollipops while playing with her dollies. And we laid on our backs hunting for cloud-creatures. Who'd have known there were so many lions, lambs, kitties, giraffes, and cute bunnies up above us all the while? The time was priceless.
In both of these instances, I could have passed up these precious moments to update my boring checkbook, to throw in a few loads of stinky laundry, or to skim down the mountain-size pile of icky dishes flooding my kitchen sink. But I didn't. Instead, I caught up with my kids and had a blast frolicking inside of their relaxed worlds of summer vacation.
The kids stop everything. They're not thinking about school or chores or new backpacks yet. They just want to scoot and bike-ride and float as they devour one more tasty hot dog or another dripping Popsicle. So let's try to model our kids' chilled out, summertime attitudes.
Go for another piece of watermelon or buttery corn, even if you've already had like six servings. Kill your diet and eat a big juicy cheeseburger. They're so good once in awhile! Take your kids for ice cream even though it's right before dinnertime. Let your chores go as well! Don't make your bed. If you do, you won't be able to climb back in for an afternoon nap! And chill out on the laundry while you're at it; they can wear those jean shorts a few more times.
Share your most relaxed summertime moments. We'd love to hear from you. Keeping it real!
Labels: parents, summertime fun
