Summers Are For... - Just A Little Nutty

“The other thing is quality of life; if you have a place where you can go and have a picnic with your family, it doesn’t matter if it’s a recession or not, you can include that in your quality of life.”

- Jim Fowler

A Family game of Baseball in the park

Summer is here!

Some may look at those long hot days with dread but I can hardly wipe the smile from my face.

Summer means our children are home.

No we don’t ship them off in a crate to a good Swiss school.

But I look forward to summer as though we do.

I enjoy the lessons learned through the year but I can’t help checking off the days until our favorite playmates are out for break!

Time spent teaching a sibling how to play H.O.R.S.E.

Cooking, hiking, playing and learning.

I don’t feel the least bit sad that our children don’t attend formal “camps” each year!

They were added to this life because we truly enjoy them. I hate to share them with the public school system for the school year.

This year we’re doing a home school program for the summer. The kids are leery but we have big plans for experiments, trips, and hands on fun.

Every summer I purchase workbooks and make statements that we all know will not happen more than maybe once. Workbooks get handed down, with the next kiddo starting on page 2. Paved with excellent intentions is our path to a studious summer BUT come August our great books of knowledge are gathering NOT eager minds but dust bunnies.

Determined to no longer be remiss, my Handsome Prince and I have developed a curriculum based off of who we are, where our kids each excel and struggle, the resources we have available to us and the biggest part of it all is every thing is physical, active, some quieter indoor lessons but all are hands on or super creative. Even our math lesson will be done in colored chalk on the sidewalk, long enough to remember and retain but not too long.

They will go to work with us and learn negotiation, public speaking, business accounting, buying, selling, people skills, laws and quirks of the small family business. It can often be a physically challenging job, they have learned that teamwork really does make the dream work and often the only way we can get it all done.

Min & Luc unloading a table from a unit together

We are masters of the move. Packing our box truck has become second nature to all of us.

The very first day they were FREE for summer, poor things had to report to work and pack up the WHOLE warehouse with us to move to a new location. Besides sore muscles, aching feet, legs,backs and a few frazzled nerves… oops,that was me. They hardly complained a bit. Now on day 5 of the move we’re hearing more complaints but we’re in the home stretch now. As promised, we’ll be spending 4 straight sun soaked days playing at the beach and by the pool with the kids, just as soon as everything is packed and moved.

Oh how I long for our summer to really begin!

Summers are for staying up late and looking at the stars with hot cocoa and best friends.

They are for making memories, playing in the dirt with bugs, for making solar projects, pitching tents, making s’mores, building forts, reading books cover to cover with toes in the sand and blissful hours passed doing exactly what your heart desires.

Summers are for…

mismatched socks??!?!?!? Um, Kenzie? Exactly what were you going for with this one babe?

Her answer: You said we’d play soccer so I wore both of my favorite color soccer socks.

Me: At once? Feeling a little Punky Brewster?

Kenz: Punky what? Whatever mom. I like it so Na. *Insert tongue stuck out here*

Me: I’m old.

Kenz: Yeah you are. TAG! ( She almost pushes me over)

Me: Hateful!

Everyone laughing at me as they run away… Kenzie’s going down!

Soon my truck will smell like a rolling bottle of Hawaiian Tropic.

It makes me sad when the smell finally fades in October, like I just packed up my best friend and shipped them off to parts unknown for another several months. Yes we live in Southern California so I really can’t complain about weather but SUMMERTIME is my perfect storm of HAPPY!

We sat by the pond and watched a Mama Duck with several ducklings.

It was beautiful and fascinating! Then we headed back up the hill… oddly the kids reminded me of those little ducklings, just bigger, hairy and starting to tease one another.

I wonder if that Mama Duck ever wanted to push her cute little ducking the the pond for calling her old too.

This year we are ready!

The Handsome Prince and I are double teaming them and sticking to our Family Camp Game Plan! We will not fail this summer! Those workbooks will sit there collecting dust again this year while we’re busy teaching them another way. Plus they get to swim for at least 3 hours a day… rough life!

We may have to work to keep it all going but there will be plenty of time to learn as we play! Working for SUMMER FUN!

Wishing you and your family a wonderful and safe Summertime of FUN!

Ready to knock this summer outta the park,

Meg xoxo

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4 comments

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Close To HOme

June 21, 2012 at 3:47 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment


Summer is so bitter sweet. looks like you are making the most of it,
new follower from thirsty thursday. come visit some time
Sarah

July 18, 2012 at 5:47 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment


Have a great summer! I wanted to let you know I nominated you for the Liebster Award! Here’s the link to my post:
http://www.dailymesses.com/2012/07/you-like-me-you-really-like-me.html
1. Meg
  
  July 18, 2012 at 10:26 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
  
  
  Oh my heavens!!! Thank you!!!
Irish

September 24, 2012 at 2:02 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment


This is probably one of my fave posts I’ve read of yours. I love my kids home with me too and have this little fantasy of how I would truly love to be home all the time and be a home school mom. I’m not there yet. = ) In the mean time, my daughter and I played on the trampoline today. = )

You all look so happy. I’m still smiling over your post. The countdown is on for next summer. I am with YOU on this one.

Irish