Anyone else

[eastcoaster]

So happy the school year is over!!?? (for those of you who have children in school)

When I hear people say they dread summer, I cant even understand it. I love having the kids around, they love being home, being able to have the younger ones up with us for late nights and camp fires... and everyone is so much more relaxed....

Yay summer!

[Bickery]

Nope, I'm one of those people you can't understand. :razzberry:

Ask me on a day when they aren't suffering re-entry trauma after spending a weekend with their dad. We might be more relaxed.

[eastcoaster]

Im a working mom, and I have older kids (youngest is 10)...I dont have to deal with daycare and such as I have other arrangements when needed but with vacations, dh and I are home alot in the summer..I just love that the mornings are later (ie: I dont have to get quite so early and when I get up I only have to get me out the door not teens and tweens!)...I love that their days are mostly unstructured and that the evenings are more relaxed...Im sorry that many dont have this yet...but Ive been through the young kids thing and enjoying the lazy days of summer with my older kids now!..;)

[jerzymama]

So happy the school year is over!!?? (for those of you who have children in school)

When I hear people say they dread summer, I cant even understand it. I love having the kids around, they love being home, being able to have the younger ones up with us for late nights and camp fires... and everyone is so much more relaxed....

Yay summer!

The day camp situation is terrible - locally there are only 9 am- 12 pm camps - which makes having even a part time job impossible. Even when we do the half day camps - there's still the rest of the day that I have to orchestrate to keep her occupied - otherwise she'd sit in front of the screen all day. I didn't fully appreciate when we moved here the dearth in day camp options for the summer was going to be so problematic. Add that to the fact that if I'm *out* all or most of the day - w/DD it's hard to get anything done in the house....which then creates some issues when DH gets home from work. :(

I have to say I've spent the summers here fairly bored and lonely. :(

[Sue]

So happy the school year is over!!?? (for those of you who have children in school)

When I hear people say they dread summer, I cant even understand it. I love having the kids around, they love being home, being able to have the younger ones up with us for late nights and camp fires... and everyone is so much more relaxed....

Yay summer!
I LOVE summer even though I will actually be getting up earlier, and I now have to work in the evenings (I used to work while the girls were in school) I love summer, everything ABOUT summer!! I love the warm weather, the late evenings, the no-pressure of schoolwork and homework. And even though I have to work some evenings now, spending time with the girlies. AND the facts the girlies get to spend more time *together*. :-)

I have to say, before kids when I worked full time and used up all my vacation time before summer hit, I still loved summer. :loveit::loveit: It's my FAVORITE time of the year. You get off work and still have several hours of daylight. It's FANTASTIC!! Oh and weekends are/were better in the summer too!

[Sue]

Nope, I'm one of those people you can't understand. :razzberry:

Ask me on a day when they aren't suffering re-entry trauma after spending a weekend with their dad. We might be more relaxed.

LOL! Liz and Gab had their last 1/2 day and the were arguing in the car and I was think "OH boy this is going to be along summer." But for them it gets better as summer moves a long. And even right now, they are HAPPILY playing together. :-)

[Rosemary]

Im a working mom, and I have older kids (youngest is 10)...I dont have to deal with daycare and such as I have other arrangements when needed but with vacations, dh and I are home alot in the summer..I just love that the mornings are later (ie: I dont have to get quite so early and when I get up I only have to get me out the door not teens and tweens!)...I love that their days are mostly unstructured and that the evenings are more relaxed...Im sorry that many dont have this yet...but Ive been through the young kids thing and enjoying the lazy days of summer with my older kids now!..;)
Honestly? I find my teen being home when I'm working more annoying and problematic than dragging little ones places. Sure he is capable of staying home, and that is where he wants to be, but it's not my ideal situation. Fortunately we have a few days a week he is coming to work with me to help out.

[indigo]

So happy the school year is over!!?? (for those of you who have children in school)

When I hear people say they dread summer, I cant even understand it. I love having the kids around, they love being home, being able to have the younger ones up with us for late nights and camp fires... and everyone is so much more relaxed....

Yay summer!

Me too! I do understand why other people don't look forward to summer due to their schedules. But I love it!

[~PQ]

My kids have been out since mid May! It's been an okay summer, it would have been a lot nicer without the 3 week trip for DDs surgery, lol. I love summer because we can sleep in.

[eastcoaster]

wow...Mine arent out completely til the end of the week..and back on Sept 2...

[~PQ]

Yes they try to work the school schedule around the sun and salmon season (since so many of the high schoolers fish commercially during the summer), ours go back at the end of August.

[Brenda]

I think that's only really true if you are a SAHM. "Summer", doesn't change my daily schedule one bit. I still have to get up, get the kids to daycare (instead of school), get to work, get home, get dinner, get them to bed....rinse repeat. We still have early bedtimes....because I've still got to get to work in the am.

Me, I'm getting a little irritated with the constant "ISN'T IS GREAT NOW THAT SUMMER VACATION IS HERE?!".....asked....*TO ME*, not the kids. Um. I don't GET a summer vacation. I work 12 months a year, 6 days a week.

My kids love it, they spend a lot more time outside at daycare, and those that would have homework, don't have it. But....that's about it.

Yeah, summer actually complicates my life. It is light later, so the kids want to stay up to 9 or later, but if they don't get enough sleep, my life is hell. Since they won't sleep any later in the morning if they stay up later, I get to be the bad guy who forces them to miss out on fireflies and running around at dusk except for some special occasions.

I have to get the girls up an hour early for three weeks during summer school, which is not fun. We get to juggle overlapping softball and baseball schedules. I have to get the kids to swimming lessons every day for six weeks, and then arrange fun trips to the swimming pool too. I find the pool mind-bogglingly boring at best, and I long for the years when I can drop them off or just sit on the side reading and doing my own thing.

I love that their public schooled friends are home more and the kids can all run around the neighborhood from yard to yard together all day long (once our schoolwork is done), but other than that summer is not my favorite time of year for our family.

[hamamelis]

Not really, for many of the reasons mentioned above. Plus we live in the sticks with no kids in the neighborhood. Because of DH's work schedule playdates here don't happen. But truthfully, I'm ok with that because of our small house and how it's set up. I'm intensely possessive about my personal space and have a hard feeling positive about sharing it. :bag:

I just got to sign her up for another week of day camp at the end of July. All of the camps here seem to run in July only, so she's basically got 3 weeks of that and then BAM! August is here and nothing.

[Hobbes]

Yeah, summer actually complicates my life. It is light later, so the kids want to stay up to 9 or later, but if they don't get enough sleep, my life is hell. Since they won't sleep any later in the morning if they stay up later, I get to be the bad guy who forces them to miss out on fireflies and running around at dusk except for some special occasions.

I have to get the girls up an hour early for three weeks during summer school, which is not fun. We get to juggle overlapping softball and baseball schedules. I have to get the kids to swimming lessons every day for six weeks, and then arrange fun trips to the swimming pool too. I find the pool mind-bogglingly boring at best, and I long for the years when I can drop them off or just sit on the side reading and doing my own thing.

I love that their public schooled friends are home more and the kids can all run around the neighborhood from yard to yard together all day long (once our schoolwork is done), but other than that summer is not my favorite time of year for our family.
sigh, put me in this camp of stressful summers.

We leave the city for the entire summer (to save money, we rent our house out and it pays for travel and accommodations with 2k a month left over). Until last year it was great, we'd go to Hawaii (big island) and stay the entire summer. It was blissful.

But last year and this year (for various reasons) we've had to bounce around between empty rooms and couches in SF, Utah, Hawaii, back east all the while trying to find day care or camps in various places for Emma (we still have to work 8 hour days.. but we work from home). It was very stressful last year for all of us. This year is better, we get to actually take fun vacations (Mexico and Europe), having a blast with the Hogwarts school, etc, but still bouncing around from state to state homeless and seeking good childcare/camps.

I made DH promise (in writing no less LOL) that we'd spend the ENTIRE summer in Hawaii again (no bouncing between 3-4 states) with one vacation over a single span of time (not broken up) (and we'll be going to Korea/Japan since frequent flyer trips from Hawaii to there are pretty good!!).

So, I was stressed out last summer, I look forward to this summer but will be stressed and looking foward to the routine-laden calm of the school year, but next year should be really nice :D

[Bickery]

Yeah, summer actually complicates my life. It is light later, so the kids want to stay up to 9 or later, but if they don't get enough sleep, my life is hell. Since they won't sleep any later in the morning if they stay up later, I get to be the bad guy who forces them to miss out on fireflies and running around at dusk except for some special occasions.

I have to get the girls up an hour early for three weeks during summer school, which is not fun. We get to juggle overlapping softball and baseball schedules. I have to get the kids to swimming lessons every day for six weeks, and then arrange fun trips to the swimming pool too. I find the pool mind-bogglingly boring at best, and I long for the years when I can drop them off or just sit on the side reading and doing my own thing.

I love that their public schooled friends are home more and the kids can all run around the neighborhood from yard to yard together all day long (once our schoolwork is done), but other than that summer is not my favorite time of year for our family.

Have you considered a mandatory rest/nap time in the afternoon?

The activity relays would make me nuts!

[collier]

Me too! I do understand why other people don't look forward to summer due to their schedules. But I love it!

Put me here! I am so happy! :-)

Best!

[aleutsi]

So happy the school year is over!!?? (for those of you who have children in school)

When I hear people say they dread summer, I cant even understand it. I love having the kids around, they love being home, being able to have the younger ones up with us for late nights and camp fires... and everyone is so much more relaxed....

Yay summer!

We homeschool, but do co-op for the highschoolers. That ended in April and they go back in August. Football starts up at the end of July.. so I'm in the middle of "summer" now and I am LOVING IT!!!!!!

NO volunteer work... No responsibilities... just driving kids around to amusement park or water park. My youngest is getting more independent, so those places are getting to be less stressful (I'm with EDIT, I'm a huge worry-er with young kids and deep water).

I suffer from SAD, so summer is MY TIME. I love the long days, the HOT (90+ degree) weather. The trips down to the lake cabin. And the years when we get to go on family visits to California (don't think that's happening this year, though).

I'm excited that DH, even though he's working 6 10 hour days a week, an hour from the house (so 12 hour days if you include drive time).. has Fridays off. I don't know why that is so exciting.. but getting to spend a business day together is SO MUCH more fun and productive than if it were a Saturday or Sunday. Things are less busy, things are OPEN, LOL! It's just really nice.

I even love the summer Gospel Meetings at my church.

And this year I'm going to love all the summer movies - I'm hoping to see every single one (except the scary movies and the Hulk) The Gospel meeting is this week, after that, I'm planning to spend my days either at the water park or the movie theater. :loveit:

Oh, yeah... and I do love my kids... but it seems they aren't as much in my face during the summer... I think that's a homeschooling thing. They are out with their friends more and I'm not having to deal with their assignments, or grading for a co-op class. I finally get some rest! I'm a little sad that it ends so soon for me, though, with football starting up in July and co-op and choir starting back mid August.

BTW, did I miss your intro? Who are you? LOL

[hamamelis]

Put me here! I am so happy! :-)

Best!

I'm happy about it because I'm not working though...

[jump4joy]

I LOVE summer. The school year is surprisingly an issue for us since all of the kids' activities coincide with the school year, and all of the end of year recitals (karate, violin, dance) all just happened in the last three weeks. I'm always happy when all of that is done and over with (although I also look forward to it and love to see them having such fun).

Now, it's just mostly unscheduled days (though Asa chose to go to VBS this week with a friend, which makes it more of a PITA, but I do get to spend one-on-one time with Mackenzie which we both love). We've got berry-picking, pool days, beach days, camping all coming up and I love it all. I don't think I'd want an endless summer (like DH could live someplace tropical) but I love the summer when it gets here!!!

[Kari]

So happy the school year is over!!?? (for those of you who have children in school)


:wave::hi:

Me! I love summer. I totally agree with Trish, though, in that I think life can be so much easier for sahm's in the summer, and that it doesn't necessarily transfer to working moms (speaking from my one experience of trying to combine work + kids during the summer three years ago).

Typical school day for me: Up between 6 a.m. - 6:30 a.m., get Kirsten up, dressed, cook a hot breakfast, pack a lunch, send out to bus. Between 7 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. get Greta up, dressed, cook a hot breakfast, pack a lunch, send out to bus. Between 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. Erik gets up, needs breakfast, etc. etc., and he doesn't get on the bus until noon. I get two hours to myself and then Kirsten is home, activities start, Greta and Erik get home by 3:20, wash rinse repeat. :spinning:

Typical summer day for me: Sleep until 8 or 8:30 a.m. Nobody wants a hot breakfast; if they do, they put a toaster waffle in for themselves. No packing lunches. The kids play together all day - sometimes with a few kids from the area neighborhoods, sometimes just my three by themselves. If we have an activity, it's LOW STRESS (I learned my lesson a couple of years ago - back-to-back summer day camps can be more of a PITA than they are worth :-P). We can drop everything and go to the nearby beach if we want, or out to the stables to feed the horses. We spend a couple weeks and a couple of long weekends at the family lake cabin.

So, yes, for *me* summer is much less stressful and much *more* enjoyable. My body craves the sunshine, the fresh breezes, the late afternoon thunderstorms. I am more relaxed and able to let go and have more fun with the kids. (OMG - if anybody was wondering what that glaring bright light from my part of town was last Thursday, don't worry - it was just the sun reflecting off my white body as I was slip & sliding in the backyard with Erik. :bounce:)

And, like I said, my kids *usually* play together very well and can keep themselves occupied for hours at a time. :-D

[azul99]

Not really, for many of the reasons mentioned above. I'm intensely possessive about my personal space and have a hard feeling positive about sharing it.

I have mixed feelings about summer. I'm a PT WOH, but since DH is a teacher, life is slow around here during the summer.

OTOH I like that slowness. Far more relaxing than the school year. I love that the boys enjoy each other and us, and I like the mostly-free time.

OTOH I don't like having DH and the boys around so much. I work from home a lot and it's a PITA having them here. And, I miss out on "my" days (the two days/week when everyone is usually at school and I am GLORIOUSLY ALONE). As August rolls by, I find myself looking forward to going back to that.

HOME ALONE. The sweetest two words in the English language, LOL, and a rare commodity around here from June through August.

[Bonny]

the beauty of teens being home when I'm working is the chore list that I leave them to work on when I'm gone.

[Bonny]

uh, every day for six weeks? That's alotta swim lessons, lady. (nt)

[Bonny]

I love summer, but it's not exactly relaxing (well, parts of it are). My schedule is pretty much the same. My kids see alot of their friends less, because park days and play days seem to always be scheduled in the mornings, and I work mornings. It would be nice to have something for those of us who work, but I don't have the energy to plan it.

My oldest, now in her first summer vaca after being back in school, really has the notion that the next 2.5 months are going to be one endless "hang out with my friends" fest. Which is wearing more than a little thin on dh and I right now.

[azul99]

uh, every day for six weeks? That's alotta swim lessons, lady. (nt)

Ours do swim team practices every day for six weeks. I must say, I like it, because it's in the mornings and gives the days some structure. Up and out into the sunshine and fresh air - that's a very good thing around here!

[Brenda]

uh, every day for six weeks? That's alotta swim lessons, lady. (nt)

Tell me a about it. :ohno: They do get weekends off, but still. For me, it is really hard to commit to doing something that regularly.

The upside is the kids learn a ton by doing it that much in such a short period of time, and it is through summer school so the entire cost for all three big kids this year was $12. This year I signed the kids up for 11 am lessons so that if I need to do something or if I just don't want to stay, the school district can bus them home for me. The bus stop is right across the street from our house, so that is perfect.

Homeschoolers who do summer school, that's us! LOL

[Brenda]

Have you considered a mandatory rest/nap time in the afternoon?

The activity relays would make me nuts!

No, rest times don't really work for us. I've tried it on days that we plan to go to the drive in movie theater (double features! up until two am!), and the bigger kids just don't sleep during the day.

Plus the quiet time after the kids are all in bed is My Time. I'm a serious introvert and need that alone time.

[JaamE]

I think that's only really true if you are a SAHM. "Summer", doesn't change my daily schedule one bit. I still have to get up, get the kids to daycare (instead of school), get to work, get home, get dinner, get them to bed....rinse repeat. We still have early bedtimes....because I've still got to get to work in the am.

Me, I'm getting a little irritated with the constant "ISN'T IS GREAT NOW THAT SUMMER VACATION IS HERE?!".....asked....*TO ME*, not the kids. Um. I don't GET a summer vacation. I work 12 months a year, 6 days a week.

My kids love it, they spend a lot more time outside at daycare, and those that would have homework, don't have it. But....that's about it.

Same here. i got to sleep in ONE day... now i have to have him to camp a good hour before i have to be at work... i still have to get up at 7:30 and yell at kids for an hour, drive across town, drive back... bleh!

[Bickery]

No, rest times don't really work for us. I've tried it on days that we plan to go to the drive in movie theater (double features! up until two am!), and the bigger kids just don't sleep during the day.

Plus the quiet time after the kids are all in bed is My Time. I'm a serious introvert and need that alone time.

I totally understand that need!

We do a lot of "go to your room and be quiet for awhile" times during the day. I highly recommend them! My kids will both spend a lot of time with a book or ds will play quietly with lego or castle guys for long stretches, but no one naps or anything.

{having PMS sound aversion difficulties this evening myself. I understand all too well!}

[mirage1]

I love it when Cassie's not in school! We don't get to sleep any later (well, we can if we really want but then I am embarrassed going in to work, LOL) but the lack of homework, projects, and expectations of paperwork being returned is just so wonderful.

And I feel a lot better about dropping her off for a nine- or ten-hour day away from me when I know she's having fun and being active, than I do when I know she's got hours of school ahead, followed by a couple of hours of so-so afterschool care, followed by me picking her up and bugging her to do her homework!

[Rosemary]

I have mixed feelings about summer. I'm a PT WOH, but since DH is a teacher, life is slow around here during the summer.

OTOH I like that slowness. Far more relaxing than the school year. I love that the boys enjoy each other and us, and I like the mostly-free time.

OTOH I don't like having DH and the boys around so much. I work from home a lot and it's a PITA having them here. And, I miss out on "my" days (the two days/week when everyone is usually at school and I am GLORIOUSLY ALONE). As August rolls by, I find myself looking forward to going back to that.

HOME ALONE. The sweetest two words in the English language, LOL, and a rare commodity around here from June through August.
Home alone, yes! that is my song too LOL

[Jill]

If you could see my calendar, you'd understand why LOL.
OMG.
JOrdan has to make three days of gymnastics every week that can either be from 9-4 or 2-8:30. But some of those days might be shorter if there are no "clinics"...I have a choice of days but it gets hairy cause then on top of that she has two weeks of theater camp that is 9-2, and a week of jump rope camp from 9-12, and a week of volleyball camp that's from 12-3. Add to that her "social schedule" = she has a standing playdate/sleepover on Mondays with Sammy, plays with Alexa and Nicole on Wednesdays, Karate on Saturdays, oh and in July she starts youth cheerleading too - three evenings a week...
THEN,
there's Emily who has summer camp M-F 10-4, and I can't be late picking her up so I have to plan to get to the gym early for Jordan OR pay extra for Jordan to stay for a half hour (they are STRICT about drop off and pick up at Jordan's gym, let me tell you - I think they have parents who use them like daycare!)..and ice skating on weekends, and play time with friends.

Drew is still the easiest but he's really wanting to get to do more now - so far he's going to his school's summer program three days a week from 9-1 and ice skating on weekends.
We just joined a swim and tennis club to go in our spare time LMAO.
We have 4 camping weekends planned, and a few parties, a few weddings to attend, a date night here and there, speech therapy for em and drew, and I am determined to find time to read some books, too - same thing with the kids.

My sister has shared custody of her 4 kids so I also juggle them into my schedule whenever she has them - I usually have one or two of her kids for up to 5 days during her on weeks, because they may as well be with me and my kids while my sis is working yk? And they are old enough now to really help out. Except tonight. Tonight they were ALL fighting and I had to send them all to bed. LOL.
My husband travels at least 50 percent of the time, too so this is all my doing - and I am not complaining, just sharing.
I love summer anyway.
My kids are so happy doing what they love to do, and I get to spend lots of time with them and my sister's kids, and the days last long, and the mornings are sunny, and I just love love love summer!

So happy the school year is over!!?? (for those of you who have children in school)

When I hear people say they dread summer, I cant even understand it. I love having the kids around, they love being home, being able to have the younger ones up with us for late nights and camp fires... and everyone is so much more relaxed....

Yay summer!

[Rosemary]

Mixed here. I love summer, in that I love going to the beach, I love the warm weather (for the most part, hate the humidity). I love being outside. I love hanging out at the pool.

During the school year we have crazy committments, something just about every day, and usually multiple things on the same day, and the added stress of homework etc.

But, I work around my kids schedules, and that works out really well during the school year, because, well, they are in school for part of the day. While my boss is flexible, it's not like I can just not work all summer. I do work at home when I can, but that is a drag for me.

Our schedules are more relaxed in many ways, but we still have stuff to do. Summer basketball starts up in a few weeks, baseball just ended, both boys do summer soccer tourneys. A is still doing gymnastics, it's just the schedule changed.

So, while I like some things, life is easier and more predictable when they are in school.

[Sue]

uh, every day for six weeks? That's alotta swim lessons, lady. (nt)

The girls will be going to 1 hour everyday for 6 weeks, for beginner lesson. I am so looking forward to sitting on the beach, chatting with friends or reading while someone ELSE watches my kids in the water! I wonder if it may be too much now. I didn't think past which books I would like to read. :embarass:

[Sue]

sigh, put me in this camp of stressful summers.

We leave the city for the entire summer (to save money, we rent our house out and it pays for travel and accommodations with 2k a month left over). Until last year it was great, we'd go to Hawaii (big island) and stay the entire summer. It was blissful.

But last year and this year (for various reasons) we've had to bounce around between empty rooms and couches in SF, Utah, Hawaii, back east all the while trying to find day care or camps in various places for Emma (we still have to work 8 hour days.. but we work from home). It was very stressful last year for all of us. This year is better, we get to actually take fun vacations (Mexico and Europe), having a blast with the Hogwarts school, etc, but still bouncing around from state to state homeless and seeking good childcare/camps.

I made DH promise (in writing no less LOL) that we'd spend the ENTIRE summer in Hawaii again (no bouncing between 3-4 states) with one vacation over a single span of time (not broken up) (and we'll be going to Korea/Japan since frequent flyer trips from Hawaii to there are pretty good!!).

So, I was stressed out last summer, I look forward to this summer but will be stressed and looking foward to the routine-laden calm of the school year, but next year should be really nice :D

That's gotta be tough with a family!! I imagine when you are single or a couple it is easier, maybe even FUN. But with Kid(s) all that travel time is HARD!!

[Peggyann]

well,,,,

nothing changes around here much in the summer. I still don't get to sleep and the kids still have to go to bed early sunday - thursday.

My DH is legally blind, and cannot drive, so I have to take him to work every day. DH and I wake up at 5:15am, we let the kids sleep until 6:30. We leave the house at 6:45am. He gets to work at about 7:15am, then I come home, the kids and I eat breakfast. Then, off to the Y for 2 hours and then home. Chores, lunch, nap for Karys, quiet time for Aidan and I, she wakes up, we have a snack, and then if I don't have softball practice, we go to the pool at the Y for open swim. M-Thr I pick Mike up from college at 8:15pm, come home, the kids go right to bed, b/c they have to get up so early in the a.m. On Friday I get to pick Mike up at 3:30pm at work.

~PA~

[elizabeth]

well,,,,

nothing changes around here much in the summer. I still don't get to sleep and the kids still have to go to bed early sunday - thursday.

My DH is legally blind, and cannot drive, so I have to take him to work every day. DH and I wake up at 5:15am, we let the kids sleep until 6:30. We leave the house at 6:45am. He gets to work at about 7:15am, then I come home, the kids and I eat breakfast. Then, off to the Y for 2 hours and then home. Chores, lunch, nap for Karys, quiet time for Aidan and I, she wakes up, we have a snack, and then if I don't have softball practice, we go to the pool at the Y for open swim. M-Thr I pick Mike up from college at 8:15pm, come home, the kids go right to bed, b/c they have to get up so early in the a.m. On Friday I get to pick Mike up at 3:30pm at work.

~PA~

Either while they sleep in in the morning or to get them ready for bed while you drive to the college to pick Mike up? Or how about hiring a teen to do the morning drive, that would at least give you a summer break!

Is Mike having any luck finding a ride home?

[Peggyann]

I'm looking. It's stark reality when you call the kids you used to babysit to see if they can babysit and you find out they don't live at home anymore :yikes:

No luck with a ride home yet, but he did find a ride from work to school, so that helps a little. In the fall, they are going to have a park and ride from Chas. to our town. Hopefully, one of the runs will coincide with his schedule.

~PA~


Either while they sleep in in the morning or to get them ready for bed while you drive to the college to pick Mike up? Or how about hiring a teen to do the morning drive, that would at least give you a summer break!

Is Mike having any luck finding a ride home?

[elizabeth]

We have fewer evening commitments (i.e., practices and classes) in the summer, but I still have to work. And I have a lot of intense deadlines in the summer, so I'm very stressed about work all the time. My commute is 10x worse in the summer, especially going home! My kids stay up later than I do, so there's the whole lack of **ME** time. There's more laundry with pool towels. Every Saturday is taken up with swim meets.

On the other hand, things seem easier to plan. No lunches to pack or plan for. Dinner is usually salad and some type of something done on the grill, so planning is easy, prep is easy and clean up is easy. We go out for more walks and we go to get ice cream or italian ice a lot.

[Sarah]

We have fewer evening commitments (i.e., practices and classes) in the summer, but I still have to work. And I have a lot of intense deadlines in the summer, so I'm very stressed about work all the time. My commute is 10x worse in the summer, especially going home! My kids stay up later than I do, so there's the whole lack of **ME** time. There's more laundry with pool towels. Every Saturday is taken up with swim meets.

On the other hand, things seem easier to plan. No lunches to pack or plan for. Dinner is usually salad and some type of something done on the grill, so planning is easy, prep is easy and clean up is easy. We go out for more walks and we go to get ice cream or italian ice a lot.

This is very much like me -- I love the summer, I love being outside when i can, and I love not packing lunches, nor worrying about bedtime (my kids do actually sleep an extra half hour if they need it).

But I work from home and I have deadlines. A lot of them, actually, and I'm working full days. I'm actually putting my kids in daycare/summer camp for a week and a half this month so I can work flat out. EIDT TO ADD -- I chose daycare because of where I live; it's too urban to just open the door and send them to their friends and too small town for there to be really great programs at an affordable price. I didn't want them watching TV all day, and I simply CAN'T take them to the park or the pool for hours, when I really, really need to be attached to be computer for seven hours a day.

[lisabelle]

Count me in as someone who loves summer! I completely understand though that it's because I'm a SAHM/student (who's taking online classes this summer) and I only have one kid and I haven't made a whole bunch of plans for him. I love waking up slowly and leisurely with nowhere we have to be.

And I'm even enjoying the fact that I'm the go-to person for my friends who work. It's been a week since school's been out and there's only been one night that we haven't had one of Matt's friends sleeping over (and that was Saturday). We haven't had a day where it's just me and Matt. There's been at least one extra kid here, often two or three and the boys spend the day running from the computer room to the xBox in the family room, but they're also spending a good portion of the day outside playing Tribal Warrior (?) or baseball or frisbee. I just keep the food coming and do my reading for school when the house is quiet. I've been dragging them to the beach in the late afternoons and to walk the dog, so even when they want to stay inside with their faces in front of a screen, they're still getting some good outdoor time.

I've got one friend who has Thursdays and Fridays off, and she knows how I hate driving, so she's planning some day trips and some overnighters for herself, her son, me and Matt--waterslides, the zoo, the Pacific coast, things like that. And then I've got another friend who works for a nearby school district. She'll be done for the summer tomorrow, and even if we don't get out anywhere, I'm looking forward to some lazy afternoons sitting in the sun and having a beer or two while our kids run around.

[Bickery]

Okay, we are more relaxed today (although DS still won't stop talking for more than 25 seconds at a stretch!!!!!)

I think the one big reason that I don't hate summer yet this year is that it's a normal summer --- usually in the 70s-80s -- and not unbearably, scorchingly hot like it has been for the past few years.

[Kerry]

Nope, I'm one of those people you can't understand. :razzberry:


Me too. During the summer, my kids go to summer day camp at Boys and Girls club, even though I'm home most days. IMO, running around with other kids and swimming is much preferable to sitting in front of the TV or computer or playing video games, plus we get along MUCH better when we don't spend all day together and I don't have to listen to them ARGUE with each other all day long.

I DO love not having to hound them to do homework every day, and our evenings are much more relaxed, with later bedtimes and not having to cram a bunch of things in in the afternoons and evenings.

[Kerry]

OH yes. I change the password to the computer daily. And....they don't get the password until the chore list is complete (which is about one hour of work a day, I'm hardly a slave driver).

You are brilliant.

[Peggyann]

oh no no. I think brilliant was right. I'm actually filing that one away for when mine are older!!!

I bet my Mom wishes she would have thought of that when I was a teen!!

:-P

~PA~

LMAO! Sorry. I just had to giggle, because I could think of a lot of other adjectives that others could have come up with given my post....and I was anxious about posting it. Trust me, NONE of the possibilities I came up with were "brilliant", unless of course you're being sarcastic, and then it falls right in line. :-P

[Kerry]

No, not being sarcastic! I can see that little tidbit coming in VERY handy in a few years when I imagine I'll be working day hours and Nick will be at home by himself during the summer months.

[aleutsi]

OH yes. I change the password to the computer daily. And....they don't get the password until the chore list is complete (which is about one hour of work a day, I'm hardly a slave driver).

Ha! We do this (and I'm at home with them!), but I've gotten lazy about it. :nono: I wish the cable box had a setting for two parent controls, so I could set it to block all channels until the chores are done.. and then just the inappropriate ones.

[Ahnyx]

I work part-time, and it HAS been tricky to find care for the times I work during the day without actually LOSING money. It's very hard to find cost-effective stuff when you work varying part-time hours.

We are still LOVING summer, though. They just got finished playing ball with their dad outside and catching fireflies. :-)
Their school is way early, so we all enjoy sleeping later. I don't stress about them not getting enough sleep if we happen to have a late night (they have no problem sleeping in). The TV isn't a usual option, so there's no sitting in front of a screen all day. Extended family is always in and out of town during the summer.

Oh, and it's been SO much easier and better on the days when I work in the evening since they got out of school!

[Rosemary]

OH yes. I change the password to the computer daily. And....they don't get the password until the chore list is complete (which is about one hour of work a day, I'm hardly a slave driver).
LOL I do the same thing! Mike finally caught on. He'd call me and say, "mommy, I tried to log on, and I couldn't...."

And I'd say....Did you take out the trash, did you unload the dishwasher, did you bring the baskets up, did you weed????

And he'd say....no I was going to do that later....

Um, nope sorry!

[ecilA]

I do, I do! yOu know what the worst part of it is with teens? They want to be gone ALL the time and I want time with them. At least that's how it is with my daughter who's only interest is the boy. I do love summer vacation and don't look forward to school starting back up. And that's with a mix, I've had some in school and some at home for school for a while now.

(and this is not to say that it's always a bed of roses, far from it, but I do really enjoy their summer vacation)

[Debra]

Yes, I am so glad to have them home! I get a little sad in the summer though, it's the time of year I most miss being a SAHM. :sob: It's so hard. :-( And I get a tad (ok, a lot) envious that DH gets so much time with the kids during the day and has 4 days in a row off every week with them. :violin: However, I was a SAH for more than 10 years so he's getting HIS due now. :-)

I am enjoying not making lunches every evening. I am enjoying not dealing with homework. I am enjoying not washing/setting out clothes every night. I am enjoying getting up 30 minutes later now that I don't have to take Alex to school. Mostly I am enjoying being with them more since the above mentioned things take precious time away from my spending time with them. :heart: :-) :heart: :-) :heart: WHOOO HOOO SUMMER! :loveit:

[Kathy]

Yeah, summer actually complicates my life. It is light later, so the kids want to stay up to 9 or later, but if they don't get enough sleep, my life is hell. Since they won't sleep any later in the morning if they stay up later, I get to be the bad guy who forces them to miss out on fireflies and running around at dusk except for some special occasions.


No kidding! It's light so late here that the boys want to stay up waaaay past when they need to get some rest. Otherwise, they're up at the same time and tired and cranky the rest of the day. It doesn't help that the neighborhood kids evidently have no bedtime of any kind in the Summer and are usually still outside playing at 10:00 at night. Sigh.

Oh, and I'm with you on sitting at the pool during lessons. Yawn. Though I have taken to bringing knitting, so at least I get something done (and can watch the boys while I knit).

[Nicke]

"Summer", doesn't change my daily schedule one bit. I still have to get up, get the kids to daycare (instead of school), get to work, get home, get dinner, get them to bed....rinse repeat. We still have early bedtimes....because I've still got to get to work in the am.

((HUGS)) I'm dealing with this as a result of starting a new job in April. This is the first summer in my kids' lives that I am a full time WOHM. I feel for you!