Last Day

I have a second-almost-third grader and a kindergarten-almost-first-grader.  And a 3 year old - let's not leave him out.  Wow. 

People have been asking me if I am ready for the last day of school.  Up until today, I've said no.  Another friend asked me if I like having the kids home from school, or if I count down the days until school starts up again. 

My answer: I love having them home with me all day.  But it takes A LOT of preparation on my part. 

For the past month, I've been working on our "Summer Fun" list.  We did this for the first time last year, and it worked so well, we'll probably do it every summer.  Basically it's just a list of fun things we want to accomplish over the summer months.  Each weekend, we'll figure out what we want to do that week and make it a goal to accomplish them. 

For my own sanity, I've also made up a sort-of schedule for quiet time for the days where we are home.  The girls will do 15 minutes of quiet reading, 30 minutes of their workbooks, and 45 minutes of an activity.  I wrote down a whole bunch of activities on strips of paper and put them in a box and we'll choose one for that day.  Examples include: "Build a fort for two of your stuffed animals out of all the blocks."  "Listen to music and color in your coloring books."  Some will be together, and some will be alone.  And the 3 year old will be locked away in his own room, doing his own thing, for obvious reasons.  :) Actually, he still naps most days, so that is what he will be doing.  For moms of young kids - quiet time is the key to staying fresh and patient - at least it is for me. 

And then we also had to revamp our chore charts, since the chore of "packing backpack" no longer applies.  I added some "important" jobs to Eva's (age 5-almost-6) such as walking the dog and setting the table, and she is actually super excited about this! 

So...am I ready for school to be out?  I think so!  I am so looking forward to trying new things, going new places, and having so much time with my kids.  Yes, they'll fight.  Yes, I'll wish I could send them off to school for a day of semi-quiet (let's not forget I have a very active, loud 3-year old).  Yes, I'm sure they'll complain and say they are bored.  But instead of wishing them away (both the kids and the days), I will treasure this time, and make fun memories and soak up every single precious second.