School's Out for the Summer

We are a very happy family at our house. The boys had their last day of school yesterday and today began our laid back, relaxed summer vacation. So far, so good. I have visions of lazy mornings reading books in our pjs and sunny summer afternoons spent with friends at the park. I want to eat ice cream cones at Baskin Robbins and fill up water balloons and let the kids get soaking wet on a hot summer day. Of course we need summer to actually show up here which I am sure it will on July 5th as it does most years.

I also have plans to teach the older boys a few essential skills this summer. Tying shoes is high on my list because while they will spend most of the summer in crocs, I want them to be able to tie their own swimsuits. Also, folding laundry is on the list. It moved up a few spots in priority after Middle Man chastised me yesterday for not doing what I was supposed to, meaning I had not folded HIS clothes in a timely manner. Not 5 minutes later, when I mentioned summer chores, Hockey Boy informed me he was not a cleaning person. So learning to clean the toilets and sinks as well as sweep and mop the kitchen floor was put on his list of skills to learn. I also am hoping to have the older boys learn to type this summer. It is painful to watch them use the keyboard.

I have great dreams and plans for the summer. I am optimistic, but I am a realist as well and I know there will be many opportunities to learn to "follow your mother's directions the first time". There will be a lot of refereeing as well as simply ignoring the fighting going on upstairs. There will be tantrums and cases of the "I'm bored" and not just from the kids. But for today, our first day of summer I am going to hold on to the dream, the dream of no alarm clocks (even though we have an 8 am camp starting next week), the dream of picnic dinners in the park (oh those pesky bees), and wonderful family vacations to the grandparent's lake house (which does require a plane trip and a three hour drive to a town without a Starbucks).

I am sure that the countdown to school will begin soon.