Around here we’re (kind of) getting into the groove of summer. We have two weeks under our belts, which is a good thing. Things are definitely getting easier. The newness and bumpiness (and grumpiness that comes with change) is wearing off…and we’re starting to see signs of getting into a summer groove.
So far this summer has consisted of:
- Two baby showers
- One wedding shower
- One day at a flea market
- Countless garage sales
- One trip to the circus
- Two basketball summer camps
- One golf clinic
- Four baseball games
- One trip to the pool
- One bike ride
- One cooking class
- (And…we’re only in our third week of summer.)
- One new summer checklist for the kids
- Five new round, white buckets from target, one put to use serving bagels at the wedding shower
- Zero trips to the farmer’s market
- Zero tomatoes from the garden
(Really looking forward to seeing some red juicy tomatoes on those vines. Soon I hope!)
So…is it just me, or is the transition to summer a bit rocky in your house, too? What do you do to ease the transition? I’d love to hear! Thanks for sharing…and here’s to getting into the summer groove!
You did all that in a fortnight? *And* had time to be grumpy?!
I can relate, Aby. We’ve had 1 high school graduation, 1 elem. school graduation, 1 college graduation (all my own kids), 1 90-year-old mom having surgery, several graduation parties, 1 sixteenth birthday, 1 25th birthday (again, both my kids), 1 husband’s birthday, and 1 new nephew born. That’s all in the last 2 weeks. Oh, and 1 washer died and had to be replaced, requiring lots of research! Are you as tired as I am?!!!
One thing I am doing during the transition from school to summer is to get my kids all up at a reasonable hour (I shoot for 9:30 a.m., since they are all teenagers). And also, I am trying a policy that a coworker mentioned to me. Each child has to do 1 hour of chores before they can relax, lounge about, or make plans outside the house. That last bit is taking a lot of reminders, but I think it’s starting to click in, and it’s been very helpful!
As a teacher, it’s always a hard transition for me, because I always save all of my projects (organizing or otherwise) for summer. Then I start to feel overwhelmed by all of the projects! I think any transition is hard, but it’s good to change the pace once in awhile.
I’ll be looking for transition advice. I’ve been home for the last 4 months due to a layoff and just found a job. I will be starting next week, which happens to be the kids last week of school and then summer day camp begins. EEEk!
Love the white bucket! I purchase one myself and am using it to hold the bags for my delicates in the laundry. Now to think of some other reasons for a white bucket….
I saw those buckets at target and immediately thought of you!
I was exhausted after reading your “already done” list! School ends Thursday here, and we will diving right into swim lessons! No time for transition or thought. It’s also still raining WAY more than you would think possible, so summer thoughts are still dreams around here…
Our transition into summer is always a little rocky–summer swim team practice (pm) overlaps with our last few weeks of school, which makes things a little hectic.
Jan, I only have one teen in the house but try to stick to a regular wakeup time with her as well. And I *love the idea of the chores before anything else–totally stealing that idea!
My only advice re smoothing the transition is to have at least a loose schedule. I find that my kids (14, 9 & 5) do best when we are on a regular–not rigid–routine, even in summer.
Oh, and Aby, I saw the market baskets you referenced in a post last summer today in Target and picked one up for summer picnics. 🙂
Hey ladies I don’t know if it’s the California weather, sun, or the pool in our backyard but for us the first weeks of summer so easy it is the last two weeks of school that are a nightmare.
I agree, Aby! It’s been really hard to get myself motivated! I feel like there are SO many things I want to do, projects I want to tackle, and although I want to do EVERY single one of them, it’s just overwhelming!
So last night (while having a nice relaxing time on the front porch), I came up with an idea! I got some strips of paper (blue, white, red, yellow to match my scrap room) and wrote down EVERYTHING I want to do: one thing on each slip of paper. I put them in a decorated jar.
And each day, I will choose one. If I finish that and get inspired, I’ll choose another one. Some, I will put back in the jar (like “make mini album” or “record a childhood memory”) for future use.
I can’t wait to start my Do Something Jar! LOL. I’ll email you when I’m done with it! 🙂
Here in Phoenix we don’t transition, we just run right to 100+ degrees! We’re all a bit grumpy now. Is it October yet?
So, I went looking for those baskets at Tarjay but didn’t seem to find them (did find a cute green, narrower basket). Where are they located in the store? How big are they (can you compare them to something else)? I’d like to pick some up, if they are at my local store. White is hard to find – I end up spray painting a lot. Or planning on spray painting and having a hard time getting around to it…
Wow – sounds like your summer has been awesome so far. Wish I had accomplished just a 1/4 of what you have!! I also thought I was the only one who was having trouble transitioning; and I work outside the home so it’s been even worse! LOL
Thanks for some inspiration … now I don’t feel so bad!!
🙂
Yes, it always takes a week or two to get over the sibling arguments at our house. We do “Alphabet Summer” to provide a little structure with plenty of relaxing time as well: http://lettersoupblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/alphabet-summer.html
We still have another week and a half left of school here, but it is definitely winding down. We have plans to go on a little adventure a few days after school ends and the kids are getting excited about going to Montreal and seeing some friends. We are all looking forward to sleeping in and having some relaxing days around the house. I also ask the kids if there is something that they really want to do over the summer and if there is a way to make it happen, then it gives them something to look forward to and it creates special memories for them.
Summer means yard sale to us. We are trying to get organized for a big yard sale this weekend. We did about four trips to our storage unit yesterday to get everything out for the sale and to put away the things we don’t want in the house, but aren’t ready to part with.
I agree! With today being the actual first day of summer…I’m ready! I find that a picnic can really kick things off, so I keep a picnic basket/small cooler always loaded with the necessary reusable goods (plates, napkins, utensils, water bottles, etc) so it’s ready to go at a moments notice. We pack some quick sandwhiches and stop at the neighborhood farm stand to grab some fruit and then head to the park for a picnic dinner. It says light out later and it’s the perfect way to calm down a busy day and re-energize.
Oh yeah, and when our tomatoes are ready there is nothing better than a caprese salad with fresh basil from the garden!
It is easy to be grumpy when things change, isn’t it? Thanks for being honest about that.
Here’s to us all getting into a Summer Groove.
no, it’s not just you — the transition to summer is tough and i only have one little pumpkin to wrangle! as happy go lucky as she is, it is still TOUGH. but it’s still going to be a GREAT summer, i keep telling myself this:)