This weekend marks the unofficial kick off to summer, right? And a happy Memorial Day Weekend to you all!
It's no secret around here that routines and set schedules are my love language. During the school year, during the summer, it doesn't matter. Towards the end of last summer though as I knew the days were fleeting and I would sit back and watch my children just be children... Running around with dirty feet, smelling like camp fire smoke and chlorine, and I started to wonder if maybe I was denying them some things with my rigid schedule. Obviously I do all the things in all the land with my kids during the day but then come night time I bring the hammer. The late nights my kids had last summer were very few...and most of the ones they had were when we were on vacation...
So. A goal of mine this summer is to not bring the hammer. From the end of August to the middle of June we are stuck with the school's schedule. The bed time has to be on time because no matter what, school comes the next day. Even on weekends the late nights would take a lot out of the kids and make the weekends extra difficult. Now knowing what's coming in the fall for the older two kids I want them to have a summer to remember. I don't want to be watching the clock for 7 p.m. so they can all go to bed and I can hop on the elliptical and just sit and relax and watch tv with Matt. I know that will happen some nights and it will need to happen some nights... But I just want to be more "go with the flow." I want this to be the Summer of Yes.
We have a pool now, for one thing, obviously. I want to do night swims. I want the kids to stay up and see the sunset. I want to look at the stars with them. I want to use a telescope and spot the International Space Station. I want to have fires and do s'mores and catch fireflies. I want to go out for impromptu ice cream dates with my family. I want to stay late at Hersheypark and unload sleeping kids from the van straight into their beds. I want them to go to bed where their only bath that day was the pool (except on Wednesdays because well, that's new bed night, let's not get too crazy here.). I want them to sit out on the deck and watch fireworks. I want to take them all to a drive in movie. I just want to hang out with them, with no schedule, no bedtimes, no routines, and let them be little and young and free. I want to tell them "yes" more.
Most nights. I'm sure there will be days where tempers will be shorter than they usually are and we will just be really looking forward to their bed time. But in general. I want life this summer. A sun kissed hair and dirty feet kind of summer. A Summer of Yes.
Let's see if I even make it a week! Any bets? Ha!
Anyways I hope you all have a great weekend! And hug a veteran!
