Sweet, chewy, humid summer, I love you. I know it’s popular to post links on FB about “Having a 70’s Summer”, wrapped in nostalgia and topped with a b-o-l-o-g-n-a commercial. I loved my childhood summers, but in all honesty, I don’t feel my kids need to repeat mine:
- Drink water out of a hose! I sure did, which led us to believe we could drink water from anywhere. In fact, my sister’s best friend did, and after a colorful game of “Pioneers”, she spent a week in the hospital after filling up on creek water.
- Don’t come home until the street lights come on. My family had this philosophy…and a farm…and lots of ATVs…and numerous trips to the ER…and why don’t you ask my cousin Eric where his spleen might be? Lack of supervision. Beautiful. How did we survive it? We almost didn’t.
- Get bored. Oh…wait. Yeah, we’ve definitely repeated that.
My kids are running with a saucy crowd, and would like to know why they aren’t in India or London or even Disney World this summer. Um? Because we’re not land rich? My patented response is, “I’d like you to look forward to those things in adulthood, and please send me a postcard. The education your Father and I are providing should get you there. If not, you’ll have something to share with your therapist.”
I’ve decided to create a summer somewhere between “this hose is our pool” and “let’s meet up in Paris for a smoothie”. Here goes:
We’re hitting all the parks. I grew up in a town with one park, so I’m fascinated by this city with endless parks and hiking trails. THANK GOD Sara never forgets the bug spray. I always pack Sara because I never remember bug spray.
Cook a whole bunch of stuff. You know what I mean by “a whole bunch” don’t you? Like…EAT YOUR WAY THROUGH SUMMER, guys.
But help your Mom with the dishes.
Definitely cook some things you’ve cooked before. You’re getting good at this cooking thing!
Watch a boatload of movies with popcorn on rainy days. If you get a cold, watch some more. Keep your cat nearby, because cats LOVE movies. Or just take a nap with the cats, because cats LOVE naps.
Stain so many pant butts, you designate a fruit-picking outfit. Make sure your hands are always covered in fruit, paint, dirt, or popsicle juice.
Eat things flavored “blue”.
Work out as a family until it hurts!
Until you’re strong!
Until you’re dressed like a ninja on a balancing ball while wearing a stopwatch and your cousin is photo-bombing you.
Hang out with a nutty amount of friends. Playdates, Stomp Dates, Swim Dates, Sleepovers, Ice Cream Dates; summers with friends are the best! Friends who can move rocks are even better!
Play every board game 100x or more. Or until Kelly cries and the kittens destroy the game.
Never give up on a puzzle. Or do, and let Momma get you out of a jam, and then BACK AT IT Puzzle People!
Swim until you are so tired and cold, you are out of your mind with grief. This has been achieved with all 3 Campers, and we’re not even to late June yet. SCORE.
This picture has nothing to do with summer or this essay. Rufus asked that I put in a small public service announcement about his balls: Neutering puts kittens in a BAD MOOD. You’ve been notified.
Read while balancing a water bottle on your foot? I don’t make all the rules.
Read under blankets?
Definitely collect proper Creek Stomping attire (not what you see above, as this is rather “Kelly-esque”). When I was a kid, this was called, “playing in the creek”, but city-slickers have formalized this game and call it “creek stomping”. One low creek can occupy kids for HOURS. I always pack a girlfriend, and we wile away the day in the breezy shade, watching the kids go nuts…for free. It’s.so.great.
Go to outdoor art shows and flea markets with your Momma. You’ll learn all kinds of zany trivia you’ll never use again. But she pays for your patience in Lemon Shake-Ups, so you’ve got that going for you.
Calico Critter Land now has a dentist AND doctor offices (handmade with fabric and Sara’s glue gun). Some afternoons I don’t see or hear children for hours. The village has found a permanent home in the corner of the attic, and after 5 years in play, I can say hands down, as long as they live, nothing will top these toys.
Mostly, we’re just goofing off. Do I allow “electronics”? OF COURSE. My children are growing up in their generation, not mine. Do I allow TV? YEP. A little vegging is good for the soul. Do I have a rough idea of a schedule on the dry erase board? You bet. Kids do better when they know what to expect. Are they doing academics? YOU KNOW IT! Learning is wicked cool! Are they doing school work every day? Nope. Against the laws of summer. Look it up.
Am I concerned about the lack of “enrichment camps”, and the fact that my crew will come out of summer without a black belt and a mastery of robotics? Not really. They will have a mastery of “putting away dishes” and “folding laundry“, so their life skill sets are definitely growing. I’m thrilled for any kid who learns to sail and swab the deck, but in a landlocked state, I think it’s equally important to learn how to SWAB YOUR BATHROOM FLOOR.
In this last photo, the girls and their buddy are making curly-q’s with dandelion stems. I wish for everyone this kind of richness: Friends. Sunsets spent outside. Beach Towels. Giggles. A summer just overflowing with God’s goodness and things that taste like berries. (Real berries, not fake Kool-Aid flavored berry drink from the 70’s. Nostalgia tastes like cancer-causing juice when you think about it…OK. I’ll go to bed now before I give you nightmares about the Tang Astronaut and the Kool-Aid Pitcher Character chasing you through the clown head that shot water through its brain so hard, it could take your eyeball out. Oh yeah…a 70’s kind of summer, what a treat.)