Sweet Success

I feel like summer has finally arrived.  Even though my kids have been out of school for 2 weeks, their activities weren't over.  We still had a soccer tournament, baseball games and playoffs, dance classes and a recital.  They all came to an end earlier in the week and I feel like we can finally breathe and settle into summer.

All I had been craving was a lazy summer day and it finally arrived yesterday.  To make it even better?  My kids were actually getting along.  That is what I call Sweet Summer Success.

The (un)Joys of Summer

We aren't even a week into our summer vacation and I'm ready to pull my hair out of my head.  The bickering between the kids is at an all time high.  I put in my request for my Ref shirt, whistle and wine, but now I'm just looking for a pair of ear plugs so I can block it all out. 

I stocked up on crafts, have the friends phone numbers on speed dial, made a list of things we'd like to do this summer, stocked up on books, enrolled them in some camps....what more is a mom to do to make a great summer? 

What are your tricks of the trade to keep everyone happy and keep the fighting at bay? 

The Thrill is Gone

This past weekend my son's soccer team played in a tournament on the beach.  Let me tell you, if I've got to be stuck at a soccer tournament, this is the way to do it!  We got to enjoy the beach while watching the boys play. Even though we lost, it was still a fun weekend.

Included with our tournament fee was a wristband for unlimited rides on the boardwalk and admission into the water park.  I purchased additional wrist bands for my other 2 kids and myself so we could enjyoy the boardwalk as a family.  My daughter is still not tall enough (or sometimes brave enough) to go on all of the rides on her own and needs an adult to accompany her.  Being that I used to be the almost fearless one when it came to rides, I'm the parent the gets the joy of riding with her. 

While on the Pharoah (some of you may know it as the Buckaneer....the really big boat that goes back and forth until you are way too high in the sky and feeling like you are going to fall out)  I had a realization.  These thrill rides have ceased to be thrilling for me.  My once favorite ride now scared the crap out of me and I was screaming to get me off.  I no longer like the feeling of my stomach dropping out and the fear of feeling like I'm going to fall out and splatter across the boardwalk.  When we were getting off I mentioned to the attendant how this used to be my favorite ride when I was younger, now not so much and she just laughed.  I've also noticed, especially on the spinny rides, motion sickness seems to take hold a whole lot easier now.  I think this is yet another sign of getting older and I want to register a protest. 

Have you lost the thrill of something you once loved?

Summer Break

Well folks, it is officially here.  Summer break in all of its glory.  Two of my kids ran out of school cheering and excited, one came out crying and pouting sad that school was over.  If only all kids could like school so much!

When we got home I took a look at all of their report cards and I'm proud to say that they all did phenomenal.  Each of them had a great year with great teachers and  I can only hope that next year is as successful!  We had a ceremonial tossing of the lunch boxes and cleaned out the book bags.  THAT is the first sign of summer.

Our tradition each year is that on the last day of school we go out for ice cream to toast a good school year and celebrate the start of summer.  We bring along a pen and paper and create our list of things we'd like to do over the summer.  The kids are allowed to put anything they like on the list and at the end of the summer we go out for ice cream again and review our list to see what we've accomplished.  This year they put well over 50 things on their list!

Here is a sampling:
Go to the library
Having play dates
Camping out in the backyard
Hiking
Go to the park
Catching Fireflies
Go to their grandparents
Doing Crafts
Baking
Cooking
Go to the beach
Go to boardwalk
Go to the lighthouse
Go to movies
Six Flags
Vacation

Having a list helps us choose activities on our free days and keeps the boredom at bay.  However, by 8:15 am this morning I was already hearing "So what are we going to do today?"  Heaven help me. 

The Last Day

Today is the last day of school for my children and this is a time of year that brings mixed emotions.  My boys are ecstatic to be done with school for the year, summer looming with all its fun and glory.  My daughter is sad school is over, she truly enjoys school and all the challenges and fun it brings.

Then there is me.  While I am greatly looking forward to a more relaxed schedule, I also find summer daunting.  Did I plan enough?  Did I plan too much?  Just how will I keep 3 kids happy and fed all summer long without going broke or losing my sanity? 

I've stocked up on crafts, they've stocked up on summer reading, and I'll constantly be stocking up on snacks.  We have some solid plans to look forward to and lots of lazy days to enjoy.  I'm soaking in my last few hours of quiet and at 1:55pm this afternoon, we will be jumping into summer with both feet. 

Here, Home, Hope

I started reading this book by Kaira Rouda and within the first two chapters I identified with the main character, Kelly.  I stopped and said, "did they peak into my life to get a new character?"  While Kelly is a few years older than me and her children are a little older than mine, I find myself facing much of the same personal discontent in life and so her story drew me in.

While I hope to avoid some of the dramatic issues that present themselves in the book with her friends, I was inspired how Kelly took control of her life by creating a T2C (things to change) list.  As she identified something within herself or her life that she wanted to work on she wrote it down on a post it note and placed it somewhere in the house or her car where she would see it on a regular basis.  Through the help of a few counceling sessions and taking her list seriously, she began to find her passion and create a wonderful place in the world for herself.

Through this process we also see how troubled her two best friends are and how she reaches out to them and commits to making more time for friends.  We see each of these friends face some of their own demons and a bond that is created among these women that is strong, positive and powerful. 

In a society where I feel we are always compared to the neighbor next door and we as women tend to tear each other down more than we build each other up, it was wonderful to see these characters evolve and build themselves and each other up.  And trust me, based on some of the soap opera drama that  presented itself, it took a strong character to rise above it. 

Even though this book was a work of fiction it spoke from a place that we can find hidden in any suburb any day of the week.

Do yourself a favor, pick up a copy of this book and treat yourself to a good read.  You might be inspired to take a closer look at some of things you'd like to change.


Disclosure:  I was provided a free digital copy of Here, Home, Hope for the purpose of review through One 2 One Network.  No futher compensation was received and I was not required to state a specific opinion.

One thing at a time

I've learned in the past few weeks that my brain can only focus on one thing at a time.  Since I've been so occupied elsewhere in life, my poor blog has been ignored. 

Fear not people, I have not given up and abandoned the BAT Cave.  I've just got to clear my calendar and get my blogging mojo back!