Tag Archives: Summer

Mom Problems: Logistics 

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Hey blog! It has been way too long, and while I wanted to do a #SilentSunday post (yesterday), but this blog has been #SilentMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday for so long that I felt compelled to write something.

Right now I am in summer logistics mode, trying to plan out what will keep my lovely two children occupied, entertained, and learning a bit while school’s out. An added bonus – these activities help keep me sane, giving me time to tackle my to-do list and hopefully work a few hours for my freelancing gig. These are all good things.

The downside of all these activities is the running around and kid shuttling. I think I need a taxi driver hat!

As I look at our proposed schedule, I know it’s my own doing. We want our kids active instead of hanging out at home and peppering me with,”Mom, I’m bored.” I try to keep it reasonable with open days and times for impromptu fun, so there’s a balance. Conflicts do come up, so we’ll have to pick and choose what we end up doing at certain times. Perfect attendance is over-rated, right?

Last night I successfully registered my five and seven year old for a round of activities – awesome offerings through summer school, sports held at the same time, and a class each at our local zoo on the same day.  Today I added in swimming lessons too. Next on the list: vacation bible school, and then I think we’re all set.  Now I just need the weather to cooperate, so we can enjoy t-ball and softball games in the upcoming weeks! Too bad moms can’t control Mother Nature herself!

I’m really looking forward to summer and time will tell how well I planned it all out for my family!

What is your favorite advice to get through summer logistics planning for your kids and family? Please share with a comment!

 

 

 

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Fly on the Wall – Getting Older!

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Welcome to a Fly on the Wall group post. Today 10 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house.

Buzz around, see what you think, then click on the links at the end of this post for a peek into some other homes.

As I re-read my quotes for this month’s Fly Post, I see a similar theme of everyone getting older, and not just my kids, me too! My 6 year old thinks I will age very quickly…read on for the gory details of what I have been hearing lately.

Observations of my 6 year old    

So we have this sign hanging up in our kitchen:

Sign in our kitchen - family rules

Big sister (looking at the sign): Did you know it doesn’t  have a period. And it would go on and on.

Me: So you’d read it really fast like that?

Big sister: yeah.

Me: Should it have a period  or exclamation  point?

Big sister: a period.

Me: You are too funny! You’ve really  learned a lot in kindergarten. You’ve had some great teachers!

On Growing Up

On Little Brother’s last day of daycare, the owner said, “I knew this day would come.” It also coincided with Big Sister’s last day of Kindergarten. There were tears for my four and six year old “babies” who are not really babies anymore! You can read more about my thoughts on that here.

Another sign of Little Brother growing up is that I don’t always get my daily snuggles at breakfast. Big sister commented one morning: Morning snuggle is fading.

Sigh…so it is! But I’ll gladly take it when I can get it.

Making Envelopes?

Both kids: Watch me make an envelope
Me: Licking paper does not make an envelope.  (Oh well, it kept them busy…and I guess there are worse things that they could be licking besides paper.)

Licking paper

Showing off his envelope

Aging Quickly

Me to Big sister: We are similar. We have similar personalities. We look alike.
Big sister: but my hair is longer.
Me: And I will always look older.
Big sister: Maybe When I’m 7, you’ll probably have white hair! (She turns 7 this November! Fortunately I don’t have gray hairs yet!)

The Summer Struggle is Real

Me to kids: Don’t let mom’s car be a garbage dump!

I wrote “You Might be Home with your Kids for Summer If…” with the garbage dump as one of the main signs.

Randomness

I made a great overnight crockpot breakfast casserole recently, and it received mixed reviews.

Little Brother on my egg casserole: I don’t want any yuck-a-role / gross-a-role
Big sister: No, it’s yum-a-role!

Little Brother: It’s not sea weed, it’s lake weed! (on swimming and catching a lot of sea weed while camping).

Here they are before fishing (so excited!).

getting ready to fish

My two little fishers – ready to go! Only Big Sister caught one.

I hope you and your loved ones are enjoying summer as much as we are! Thanks for stopping by. Now be sure to check out these links below:

Baking in a Tornado              http://www.bakinginatornado.com/

Juicebox Confession                    http://www.juiceboxconfession.com

Menopausal Mother                    http://www.menopausalmom.com/

Spatulas on Parade                     http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com/

Searching for Sanity

singlemumplusone.blogspot.com/

Never Ever Give Up Hope             http://batteredhope.blogspot.com

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy         http://dinoheromommy.com/

Southern Belle Charm                   http://www.southernbellecharm.com

Molly Ritterbeck          

http://mollyritterbeck.com.com 

You Might be Home with Kids for Summer if…

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    1. Your vehicle is gaining its own garbage dump.
    2. A moldy piece of fruit is found in aforementioned dump.
    3. You feel like you could be an Uber driver with all the taxi-ing you do.
    4. You hear “I’m bored.” at least once a day.
    5. You feel like a cruise director, trying to entertain your kids with some activity each day.
    6. You’ve heard your kids say, “You’re the worst ___ (insert family member title here eg. brother / sister / mom / dad) EVER!”
    7. Your grocery shopping can’t keep up with all the eating that goes on, and you constantly say, “Really, that’s gone already?!”
    8. Camp chairs, seat cushions, and a picnic blanket become permanent fixtures in your trunk.
    9. You’ve let your kids buy junky toys that fall apart in a matter of days hours. See this post for that story!
    10. You have a countdown to the first day of school.

Cheers to a great summer! In between the drama and time-outs, may you find wonderful moments with your kids!

 

 

 

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RIP Crappy Kid’s Toy

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The first full week of summer vacation, and I gave in to buy my kids some junky toys, one of which is now being dumped in the garbage after a brief, 2-day stay in my daughter’s care. Here is the toy that will be laid to rest in the trash:

image

Is that a mocking smile on that yoyo?

Yes, smiley yo-yo, you are adorable, irresistible even! You stole my daughter’s eye among a toy chest full of treasures.

And I was a yo-yo for giving in and letting each kid choose a toy from the free entertainment at our local library. I viewed the money as a donation, or admission fee for an hour long show from a very funny ventriloquist (after all I can rationalize ANY purchase it seems). And I was in “fun mom” mode, feeling generous and happy for the time with well behaved kids.

Dear yo-yo, you made it home with us, and then just inside the door, you were dropped on your face / body. Oops! Your halves came apart so easily, and when that happened, it drove my daughter to tears.

She wailed, “Mom, it broke!”

I took you in my hands and brought you to the workbench, where I hot glued your plastic insides together and applied a clamp to finish the operation.

After a few hours of drying and resting, I thought you’d make it. I gave you back to your owner, who brought you to our main living room. Two days later, I found you laying on the floor. I picked you up, trying to make you go up and down. Just in one fluid motion, I could see the operation was not successful, as both sides once again came apart.

Now off to the trash you’ll go to rest in peace, sweet yo-yo, but your short life was not in vain. It reminds me to be wary of such treasures and to make kids earn their own money to buy toys like you from now on!

Really?! One Surprising Summer Childcare Option

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This week is our first full week of summer vacation. School officially ended mid-last week, and we started off this week by being part of our church’s vacation bible school.  I have volunteered in years past and am volunteering again this year. The best part – both of my children are now attending as “campers.”  It IS a really wonderful week for kids, volunteers, and adults alike.

The theme is Cave Quest, which is woven through each activity, from games, music, and art / science, to Bible stories, video and snack. So much happens during this week from 9am – 12 noon.  It is jam-packed with fun, and these take-home secret maps.

Cave Quest Vacation Bible School

Top Secret Maps contain the Bible Story of the day and remind kids of what they learned.

This year there is record attendance – especially with the lower aged kids (starting at age 3). It really is a blessing!  Yesterday, as part of the kitchen, I helped prepare 200 waffles for snack.  Yikes – so glad we had a lot of hands to help and an industrial sized kitchen. I’m happy to contribute to some of the work of each day and love hearing my kids stories as we drive home each day. Today the Golden Rule was one of the lessons learned – and I was so pleased when I saw my son sharing at lunchtime without being asked.

I had asked some coordinators about the high attendance, knowing that we pulled from area churches. One parent shared that she knows of families who use Vacation Bible School as a form of inexpensive childcare, signing their kids up for three or five different sessions in the area! Really?! I found this surprising! I guess that’s one way of getting mornings free for several weeks, and there ARE worse things that you could have your kids attend. I’d like to think of vacation bible school as MUCH more than childcare…Kids are learning about their faith, meeting other kids, and having fun!

Are there other unique ways that parents find childcare that you find surprising?!