
One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.
– Henry David Thoreau
I find it kind of funny that the blog I wrote around this time last year was about not wanting summer vacation with the kids to end. Not so this year! Which is ironic because summer is usually my favorite season (yes, 100 degree Texas heat and all!). But this year has been different, and I’m so ready to be back on a set schedule again. I think it will do us all good (including the dog that has taken to going out at 2:00am this summer, possibly the coolest part of the day? Smart dog, but I could really use a full night of sleep again!).
Any other parents out there ready for school to start?
It’s not that I haven’t enjoyed spending time with my kids, because I most definitely have had a great time with them. But, it’s a lot more than that. First, we started their summer vacation with a trip to Europe right after school ended. We needed to go at that specific time for a family baptism taking place in Germany. Don’t get me wrong; it was definitely great to see family and friends there. Plus, when we traveled around on our own, it was less crowded May into June with school still being in session in most places. It was also so much cooler than Texas as well.
But, the big family adventure was at the beginning of the summer this year, so it was all kind of downhill from there.
When we got back from our trip, we were all understandably super jetlagged, but once that fog was lifted, I realized it was going to be a LONG summer for the kids without a plan (or a vacation incentive, as that had already occurred).
This summer did bring with it 7:00am cross country running practices for our oldest, six days a week including Saturday mornings (oh joy!). Plus, there was also an afternoon basketball skills class (as she was still feeling torn between her two favorite sports).
Our youngest kept busy with guitar lessons, basketball skills classes and an all day sports class (when we could coordinate drop off and pick up times around the other kid).
All that, with two full-time working parents, has made for a very stressful summer! Add in play dates, movies, bowling, swimming, etc. and no wonder we’re all exhausted (although I highly doubt the kids are looking forward to school as much as their parents are this year!).
But, unfortunately in this day and age, and I hear from so many parents of school-aged kids, if you don’t keep them busy and out of the house, quality time simply disappears onto tablets and phones, leaving kids in a grumpy, electronic daze.
A sense of balance between activities and downtime has somehow eluded us this summer. But, that being said, as I write this, the start of school is still a couple of weeks away. I’m hopeful that we will be able to really capture some quality downtime together. Time spent simply relaxing and enjoying each other’s company before the stress of school is upon us once again!