Admittedly, the first day of fall isn’t until September 21st, but school starts for us next week. It’s been the hottest summer I can remember, so in a way, I’m quite ready to see it go. There’s still that part of me, though, that dreads the up-and-out-the-door of the school year, no matter how nice the weather is.
Before school was out, clear back in May, I took a piece of paper and the kids and I brainstormed every single thing they wanted to do (or would do) this summer. (Interestingly enough, this was weeks before I read a post about filling your summer with summer things, which just confirmed my plans.) Their page included a wide range of ideas, from “grocery shopping with mom” and “eye doctor” to “go to Six Flags” and “NOT set an alarm” (offered up by my constantly sleep-deprived daughter). We covered the paper with every single idea they could come up with, from the basic to the ridiculous; once finished, the grand total was sixty-eight items.
There were a few “sorry, guys, there’s no way” ideas, especially as they listed every possible amusement park/water park etc. within a reasonable drive, and threw in a major league baseball game to boot. (Seriously, if we’d done all they wanted to do, we’d be beyond broke by now.) It also pains me that one of the things that didn’t get done was “work in the garden with mom;” no one wanted to be in the garden this year, it was so hot. But in spite of all the things that didn’t get done, we actually did fifty-three out of the sixty-eight things they came up with. Fifty-three!
That, my friends, is a summer…in spite of 105 degree temps.
Pursuing "enough" 
Love! Wow, that seems early to be starting back to school, though. But what an amazing number of things you did!
It DOES seem early. I can remember not starting school until after Labor Day. 😦
It is nice to have an “at least we got to do…” list before school starts…a little bit of comfort!
Sigh… We don’t go back to school for another month! But we only got out at the end of June. That and I don’t have kids 🙂 Blessings!
Haha! I remember not having kids….of course, I was a teacher, so I had to go back to school anyway. 😉
We get out May 23rd, so it all evens out…I guess…
I’m a teacher who is getting ready for the start of the school year. Kids start back after Labor Day. I really admire how you did with the summer list. I want memory making summers with my kids, especially when I have one graduating next year and since I have the luxury of having that time in the summer. We accomplished some of that, but I’m always afraid at the end of the summer that we haven’t done enough, taken advantage of enough opportunities. Here’s to taking our opportunities where we can get them!
I have to say that a lot of the list was really simple things: color, or play with Legos, or do the summer reading program at the library. So it’s not like I had to go above and beyond to get it done. But it’s what they wanted to do, so it definitely counts!
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