Summer vacation officially starts for our family tomorrow. Carter has a noon dismissal and then we are free to just do whatever our little hearts desire. I love the laziness of summer days and last summer I felt like I found a nice routine that worked for the kids and me. Although I love just being home, I also like to keep busy. The days can get very long if I don't have activities to keep us occupied. We have a few things scheduled here and there like swimming lessons next week, a quick adult trip to Milwaukee for Cary's work, and a family vacation to Ely. Other than that, we'll be home. And we're down to less than 2 months until the baby arrives, so I need a schedule that allows for me to rest during the afternoons while still having fun with the kids. Our days will loosely look like this:
7:00 Wake-up
7:30 Breakfast
8:00 Outside for a walk, bike ride, or play time on the swings
9:00 Showers or quiet play
9:30 Morning Activity (see list below)
11:30 Home for lunch
12:00 Bike ride around the neighborhood or independent play
1:00 Rest for all - Carter can play quietly in his room, read, or play on the iPad
3:00 Snack
3:30 Pool
5:00 Home to play with dad and have dinner
This year I also put together a To-Do list. I plan to ask the kids for suggestions too, but below is the list that I've come up with so far. I've learned that summer can quickly get expensive when trying to entertain kids around town. So most of the things on my list are free or very inexpensive. We have favorite parks that we like to visit and we usually try to meet friends there. That adds in a little grown-up time for me too! In addition to this list, Holly, Kelly and I each made busy-bags for our kids with different activities in each one. There are over 15 bags sitting on a shelf in my basement with fun activities like marshmallow sling shots, make a garden stepping stone, and science experiments. I'll pull these out whenever we're getting a little antsy.
Summer To-Do List
-Colby Park -Visit fire department
-Raccoon River Park (playground) -Work in the garden
-Raccoon River Park (beach) -Make cookies
-Splash Park -Sidewalk chalk
-Ashby Park -Take cookies to neighbors
-Library Park -Popcorn & movie at home
-Our old park -Chick-fil-A
-St. Augustin playground -Mini Golf
-Invite a friend over -Bowling
-Invite Joey, Maddox and Saylor to play -Valley Community Center
-Invite Katelyn & Claire to play -Mall play place
-Make a water slide in the backyard -Get ice cream
-Play in the sprinklers -Get sno-cones
-Ride bikes around the library -Kids make dinner
-Visit library story time
-Pick out books/movies at the library
-Ride bikes around Gray’s Lake
-Ride bikes around Raccoon River Park
-Go on a picnic
-Take Dad lunch
-Visit Grandma Marcia
-Visit Grandma Bobbi
-Make cards for grandparents
-Have a lemonade stand
-Visit the Rose’s farm
-Go to the Zoo
-Go to the Science Center
-Jordan Creek Movies (10:00 on Tuesdays or Wednesdays)
-Lake Panorama
-Valley View Pool
-Clive Aquatic Center
-Holiday Pool
-Prairie Life Pool (inside or outside)
And lastly, I've decided that I am going to have a jar with a list of chores inside. If the kids fight, I'm going to make them pick a chore out of the list and (hopefully) complete that chore together. My kids typically play well together, but I do need a back-up plan. Here's my list of chores so far:
-wipe down base boards
-fold laundry
-wash dishes
-empty dishwasher
-water flowers
-clean the windows
-clean your bathroom
-vaccuum
What are you going to do this summer??? :)
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