What I Will Miss About Summer Break

0

Summer BreakRewind back to May 2016, and try to remember being on the brink of summer break. If you had struck up a conversation with me at that time, it likely would have centered around me being terrified of summer. Do I have enough activities planned for my kids so they aren’t bored? Do I have enough downtime for them to feel as though they are getting a legit break? Did I get enough playdates scheduled for the first few weeks so that the kids felt like they were still in touch with their school friends? Will we drive each other nuts? These are the questions that kept me awake at night. Complete first world problems, I know. I was worried that I wouldn’t do this whole “summer” thing right.

Now here we are rounding out the final weeks of summer, and we are all still alive. Some days were absolutely better than others. But we have some takeaways from these 9 weeks to share.

We will miss…

Sleeping In. My kids won’t eat meals to save their lives, but I did birth two relatively good sleepers. Sometimes they hit the 8am and 9am hour. I think that is pretty darn good. Because what mom doesn’t love a quiet start to the day? *Key word here is SOMETIMES. My kids have plenty of mornings where they are up at 5:59am.*

No Plans! Some of our best and most mellow days were the ones where my kids spent the day at home in their pj’s. We built forts. Played with legos. Made cookies. Watched a movie… And then they had baths and put on clean pajamas for bed. Saved on laundry too.

IMG_5317
My kiddos and their grandma hanging out in pjs and doing a little baking.

Pool Days. We have lived in AZ for three summers now, so we still relish in the newness of having a backyard pool. We have taken advantage of it 100%. Being able to go for a swim at a moments notice is one of our favorite activities.

IMG_5130
It’s rough being two.

Ice Cream for Dinner. Yes, we did this a few times. Yes, it was delicious.

Later Bedtimes. Because sometimes avoiding the bedtime argument, and just allowing your kid to play until they have no fight left, is the way to go.

Sunday Night Movies. While it didn’t happen every Sunday, there were many Sundays during this summer where we were able to stretch bedtime in the name of seeing a new movie. The kids love it, and mom and dad get a break from Frozen or The Lego Movie. (All together now… “Everything is awesome!!!!!”)

Weekday Playdates. These were just as much for mom as they were for the kids. Always fun to see our friends on a weekday morning that sometimes spilled into afternoon play.

IMG_5164
Popsicles in the pool are always a win!

Summer Camps/Sports. My kids got to try out some new activities they loved and make some new friends. They loved switching up their routine!

Camping. Our family recently picked up this hobby and we are LOVING it! We escape the valley heat any weekend we get a chance to. We drive a few hours north to the cooler temperatures. The kids get to be outside without roasting, play in the dirt, and eat their weight in almond butter and jelly sandwiches (peanut allergy here). Happy kids = Happy Parents.

IMG_5875
Enjoying some cooler temperatures up near the Mogollon Rim.

In the interest of keeping it real here, the one thing I WILL NOT miss is the bickering. LAWD have mercy, the sibling bickering. Oh, and wrestling small people to put on sunscreen. 🙂

What were some of your favorite parts of summer break?