One Summer to Give

Summer of 2017.

It’s officially here.

I sit here typing this on the first morning that I have all three kids home with me for the entire day.

I’m racking my brain thinking of what we are going to do all day, every day.

How I’m going to manage nap times, lunch, bottles, diaper changes and keeping such a wide age span entertained (10, 2 and 7 months).

I’m wondering how many crafts I’m going to have to do and how many times I’m going to have to say “do your chores” or “read a book”.

I’m wondering how much attitude I’m going to get this summer from both of my girls.

I’m wondering if she will be with us for only the summer, or if she will be here until Thanksgiving or Christmas.

I’m wondering how I’m going to manage adding a little bit of homeschool into our day because girlfriend brought home her report card and that’s not going to fly in our house.

I’m wondering if I will get a chance to read any of the books I have stacked on my shelf, if I will sleep in even once this summer.

I’m wondering how I will manage to feed all of us with creative ideas that satisfy everyone.

To be honest…I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. I’m torn between the longing to make this the MOST EPIC SUMMER EVER and the need to say NO to all my own self made expectations and desires. I’m struggling with the balance between being the official entertainment center for the family and forcing my kids to find their own things to do.

Maybe you are feeling the same, too. Maybe you remember summers from long ago as long, warm and relaxing- with a nice tan to boot. Now they just feel harried and hurried and sweaty and exhausting.

So here’s my summer mantra, and maybe you need one too: 

I will be the fun Mom this summer. I will get messy with my children. I will get wet and muddy and sweaty. I will listen to the jokes and riddles, even if I’ve already heard them 46 times.

I will enforce reading times and schooling times but I will do my best to make it fun, even if that takes more effort from me.

I will not say no to me-time, instead I will train my children to respect my boundaries and find their own things to do so that Mommy can read her OWN book for a few minutes.

If I start to get stressed, I will take a step back and reevaluate what can be eliminated from our schedule. We don’t have to go to the park/pool/friends house everyday.

I will let my children be bored. I will not give them ideas of what to do, but will strengthen their brains by letting them find their own things to do.

I will take pictures and not worry about editing them.

I will limit my kids TV and social media time, and then apply the same rules to myself. I will be less active on social media so that I can be more present with my kids.

I will do my best to plan ahead for meals so that I’m not tempted to grab fast food every other day.

I will remind myself that I have one summer with three children, and I want to look back on it as the summer that I gave my all. Perhaps there will be other summers that I will be able to devour books and get a nice tan, but I will remind myself that this is simply not that summer. And I will be ok with that.

 

What is your summer mantra?

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