Summer.

School is now out and today is the kids' first day of summer vacation! Growing up (in Iowa) we always went to the very end of May and if there were snow days to make up it sometimes went into June. When we lived in Connecticut, the school I worked at went to the END of June! So I'm thrilled that here we get out in mid-May. We don't get many breaks during the year, but it's worth it if this is what comes of it!  

This summer....

I can turn off the alarms on my phone that dictate the rhythm of our day. Shoes on NOW, Go out to Bus, Bus is coming home, etc

I can part with my phone altogether. I usually feel like it's one of my limbs for fear that the school child will get sick or hurt and the school will need to reach me urgently.

I can sleep in if I want.

We can stay up til sundown.

I can take the kids on TONS of adventures.

We can READ.

We can utilize ALL of daddy's days off, not just the ones that happen to land on actual weekends. 

We can have picnics outside almost every meal and I won't have to clean the dining room as much.  ;)

We can see our friends any of the day of the week because we don't have a list of obligations!

I. Love. Summer.

We have a vacation planned at the end of June but we otherwise don't have much of anything on the summer schedule whatsoever. Just tons of local adventures. Last summer was amazing so we will follow much of that same pattern. We organized activities weekly to do together with our friends.  We will do some service oriented projects, we will have story times at the park so the kids can practice reading aloud to each other, we will hike and stay active, we will try to do a craft/project each Monday, and we will just kick back and have fun.  We now have two little ones that can ride on two wheels so I want to get a bike seat for Carter and go for family rides-- we have a great trail here we haven't yet explored.  There's too much fun to do to waste any opportunities!! 

Have a great summer!!