We are on the final stretch of the 2012-13 school year. It feels a little impossible to get through full days Monday and Tuesday, and a half day Wednesday. I'm not even the one going to school. The last few days are for field day and cleaning out lockers and desks, the learning portion of the year is done. Theoretically, it shouldn't be that hard. Nonetheless, we've reached the the point when I wish I could just snap my fingers and be done with it.
I'll still be driving all the time, considering the stuff we've scheduled so far for the summer. The girls still have dance for two more weeks, Bethany will be going to basketball camp the week after school gets out, Lucy will be going to Vacation Bible School the week after that, Connor still has Cub Scout meetings, and Bethany and Connor will be going to a day camp Monday-Friday for three weeks. Plus all the other stuff we'll be doing, so I'll actually be driving more most days. But being on Summer break is freeing and wonderful, no matter how much we have planned, and I relish this time of year more than any other.
Besides our definitive plans that I listed above, we are heading to Port Austin for a week in July, and hosting two Chinese foreign exchange students for three weeks. They will stay in dorms for one week, and with us for the other two weeks. During the three weeks they are here, Bethany and Connor will be going to that day camp I mentioned with them everyday. They will be doing all kinds of fun activities and going on awesome field trips. I will have to be on my best game to make sure Mattie and Lucy have as much fun with me during that time.
I mentioned on Facebook that the kids and I started brainstorming summer fun ideas. In case you missed that post, here is what they came up with so far:
- Go camping
- Make giant bubbles
- Have a bon fire
- Water balloon fight
- Silly string fight
- Play with the new sprinkler Mattie got for her birthday
- Go to the zoo (Bethany & Connor will be doing this as a day camp field trip)
- Trace each other with chalk
- Go to George George Park
To their ideas, I added:
- Lakeport State Park
- Belle Isle
- Detroit Historical Museum
- Detroit Riverwalk
I'm hoping that Mother Nature steps it up because this cool weather we've been having is just not all that conducive to my kind of summer fun.
There are so many other things I'd like to do this summer too, and I hope we get to do lots of it! I know that life tends to get in the way, and I'm always up for spontaneous fun, so whatever we do, it will be all good.
So far the day camp itinerary with the exchange students does not include anytime in Detroit, so I'm hoping to knock a few things off our list on one of the weekends they are with us.
I also signed the kids up for the library's summer reading club, and I'm kicking around the idea of making a weekly schedule with various activities. We got a book of gross science experiments, and maybe I can come up with some other fun learning activities. I'm also considering purchasing a pass for our city pool, and getting Bethany and Connor to start running with me. I just want the kids to have great time, and I really don't want to listen to anyone fighting about Netflix, iPads, Mindcraft, or anything like that.
I do want to keep in mind that I need to remember to be flexible and to not try to plan or do TOO much, because I don't want to set anyone up for disappointment (me), I don't want to put undue pressure on anyone (me), and I want to make sure we have time to lay around and be lazy too, and let the kids pick what they want to do sometimes too.
As I get our summer mapped out a little more thoroughly, I'll try to post about it some more.
I'd love to know what you guys have planned for summer! Vacations? Camps? Three months of lazy pj days? Tell me!
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