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Last Day of School

Alternatively titled: What’s Mom Gonna Do NOW?

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Nevermind me, I’m just having a little bit of fun with Picnik.

So anyway.  I am now officially the mother of a 5th grader and a 2nd grader.

Fortunately my youngest is an October birthday so I get another year before I have a kindergartner again, and that’s just fine with me.  I’m milking the last one for all she’s worth.

I shot these photos while the kids were waiting for the bus this morning.

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Of course, Little Sis was tagging along.

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This afternoon I was waiting to meet them when they got home, but they both hopped off the bus before I had a chance to turn my camera on.  I’m bummed; I was in the perfect position to get a shot of them with the bus in the background.  This is the best I got.

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If I’d snapped just a few seconds later, I would have caught him flying down the street, the streamers from that ridiculous hat he was wearing waving in the breeze.  I guess some of life’s moments are better off enjoyed without a camera in your line of vision.

So now what?

Well, for one thing, I hired a babysitter for tomorrow so I can go out and get some things done.  Next week my son has golf camp, and in two weeks we go to Maine, so I think we will be alright till then.  Afterward, there will be 7 weeks before school resumes, so I’ll need to come up with some sort of plan.  I refuse to say schedule; I don’t do schedules.  And I think summertime should be relaxed and fun.  But the kids are going to need SOME sort of structure or they’re all going to go stir crazy and I’ll be a loony tune.

The first thing I’m going to do is re-write our checklists (yes, I have one too!!)  Then I’m going to try to come up with some activities for us to do that don’t involve the swimming pool (although I’m sure we will be spending a lot of time there anyway.)  And I think we’re going to require some daily reading and math just to keep their skills up to snuff.  I’ll be the most popular mom on the block, you know it.

Those of you who are at home, what do you do in the summertime to keep the kids from tearing the house apart and taking you down with it?

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21 Responses

  1. I CANNOT wait to read the comments on this post!! I have my niece (8), my Maggie (4) and then Ellie (1) and we are trying to fun, easy, cheap things for summer entertainment. It turns out going to get groceries once a week isn’t going to be exciting enough!! First on our list is a trip to the zoo…and it’s supposed to be in the 90’s and no doubt humid all next week. Bring on the summer fun!!

  2. HERE IN SC, WE HAVE FREE MOVIES OFFERED ON TUE AND WED (AND THEY DISCOUNT THE POPCORN AND DRINKS) CHECK YOUR LOCAL THEATER TO SEE IF THEY DO THAT.
    ALSO, WE HAVE SEVERAL BOWLING ALLEYS THAT OFFER $1 BOWLING AND $1 SHOE RENTAL – yes! IT’S INSIDE AND COOOOLLLLL:) BE AWARE THAT OLDER PEOPLE BOWL IN LEAGUES SO SOME DAYS THE LANES MAY BE LIMITED.
    SKATING RINKS OFFER DAY TIME HOURS – CHEAP
    WE HAVE SEVERAL LOCAL PARKS THAT HAVE SMALL WATERPARKS IN THEM THAT ARE GREAT FOR A DAY TRIP – WE PACK A LUNCH AND LEAVE THE WATERPARK – EAT IN THE PICNIC AREA OF THE PARK AND REST IN THE SHADE FOR A FEW MINUTES AND THEN GO BACK IN FOR THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON.
    WE ALSO HAVE SEVERAL NEIGHBORS WHO WE “SHARE” KIDS WITH – THEY WILL KEEP SEVERAL OF THE KIDS FOR A FEW HOURS SO THE REST CAN GO TO THE STORE OR JUST SHOP ALONE FOR SOME PEACE AND QUIET:)
    HAVE A WATER BALLOON OR WATER GUN FIGHT WITH ANOTHER FAMILY.
    THE LIST IS ENDLESS:)

    1. Sheesh, you didn’t have to yell. 😉

      We have the free movies too. I like the idea of doing a waterpark or bowling alley when it’s really hot.

  3. I don’t do schedules either, but my kids still have to go to daycare during the summer so Momma can work. I think they have lots of schedules.

  4. I haven’t really planned anything for the summer so far because the kids will be done the 18th, and we leave the 25th for vacation. They are going to stay at my Mom’s a few days because they don’t see them much during the school year(even though they live 10 min away, whole other story there 😉 ), and there are appts after we get back from vacation. Once we are back, then I usually do some planning. Can’t wait to hear everyone’s thoughts.

  5. I’m already going a little loony this week. My Kindergartener finished last week, but the 7th grader finishes this week. However, the changes in the schedule have me feeling a bit nutty, along with the additional child who needs structure in his day.

    Next week, I’ll be home alone with five kiddoes, and we’ll get into our routine. For my own sanity, I do have certain times scheduled during the day to get stuff done like working on my blog, gardening, cleaning, making food, and doing financial stuff. I am also going have skills practice every day using a workbook I picked up from Beckers, and worksheets from Enchanted Learning. My second son is learning to read so I want to keep him going with lots of library books.

    Other than that, we’ll do some nature walks, play in our blow-up pool, and do some day trips around the area. My kids keep asking about the Strasburg railroad museum, and I’d like to take them into Philly to see the historical places.

  6. First of all, I am sure that you have heard this already, but this is very late in the year to be getting out of school. We have been out almost a month already. We do go back mid-August though. I am sure your children are off longer than that.

    We are blessed in St. Louis to have many FREE activities all the time. Free movies in the summer, free museums and free zoo to name a few. Our favorite summer activity (besides VBS this week) is spending time at the pool.

    Hope your summer goes well!

    PS My youngest is Sept and will need to wait another year for Kindergarten. I wish they would allow early entry here like some states do, because she is ready.

    1. Wow, free museums and zoos? We have free movies, but that didn’t go so well the last time I tried it. My littlest doesn’t have the patience for it.

  7. YAY for coming to Maine!! I hope you have fun visiting ‘my backyard’ 😉
    My oldest is going to be 3 in July & my youngest is 11 days old so I don’t have any knowledge of this whole getting a break while they are in school thing I keep hearing about 😉 haha

  8. You look so lovely in that GREEN!!

    Well, we have a rather long summer (we were done in mid-May). We got one of those above-ground blue bubble pools a few years ago. That gives them fun, especially the 10 yo. My teens tend to sleep in. They have summer reading to do, and 2 of them are still working on math left-overs. The nice thing about older kids is that you don’t have to entertain them — but honestly I started that policy early, when they were in elementary. If they said, “I’m BORED!!” I replied with, “There’s no such thing as bored — just boring.” I wanted to train kids that would entertain themselves.

    We do camp, and we do a music conference for the family. We travel a little to visit family. Otherwise their days are their own. I remember the wonderful freedom of TIME in summer, as a child. I dislike the structure some parents give of multiple sports camps, VBS’s, day care, etc.

    1. I’m with ya on the whole boredom thing. I refuse to listen to that. There are toilets to clean if you’re bored… 😉

  9. My soon to be 4th & 2nd graders are sooo ready for school to end! But not until Monday! Bwwaahhhhhh!!
    I usually dread the ‘homecoming’ and go through transition time but this year we are planning to fully enjoy that new swimming pool we put in last year. (Last years weather was awful!) Once a week we will hang at the farm and other than that – no schedule!
    But the other side of the coin – the hubby is working from home these days – and has never in 10 years been home during the summer. This is great – but it throws a wrench in the ‘Mom Summer Vaca lack of housecleaning tempo’ I don’t expect it to go well…

  10. Today is my kids last day. I am so thankful I don’t have to work and can be home with them this summer. We have 9 weeks total before I go back to work but we will be traveling a bit. A week in July to VA and NC. 2 weeks for the girls and I in Colorado for August and 4 weeks for my son. That only leave 5-7 weeks to entertain them. Honestly we are so busy during the school year I think we are all looking forward to lots of relaxation and pajama days. Mix in some pool fun, some baseball games, trips to the zoo, trips to the park, trips to the library, neighborhood friends, and playdates and I think they should be plenty busy.

    I have so many projects I want to complete this summer. There is probably no way I will get all the stuff done I want but I am sure going to try.

  11. We joined a swimteam several years ago. The practices are early in the morning before it gets too hot and this a competitive swimteam so they make them swim hard. So by the time they get home they are so worn out they beg to have quiet time reading or something!

  12. Some days I actually let them tear the house down! I just pretend I don’t see the mess and eventually I make them clean it up. The novelty of making a mess sometimes keeps them happy for hours.

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