Intentionally lazy

My dry erase board still says June and I’m okay with that. Our summer has been mostly uneventful so far. Intentionally so.

I thought about sending the two bigs to camp this summer. I did a bunch of research and in the end  – didn’t send them. Part was a financial decision. The other part was that I just wanted to keep them home. Even though I’m not great at the SAHM thing, I know this time is fleeting and I should enjoy it (because every woman over 60 at the grocery store tells me so as I’m pulling a child off a shelf) and even though it’s hard for me I want to live in it.

SprinklerFor the first six weeks of summer we had swim lessons. Buddy learned to SWIM! Bunny learned to swim on a noodle. Bubby learned how to pour sand on me as we watched the other two. I learned how to discreetly remove said sand from the crotch of my suit…in public. It’s a skill every gal should have in her repertoire.

We would watch TV and/or play until swim lessons. Then I would let them have free time in the water. After we would go sit on the hill over the lake and eat a snack (Bubby’s lunch.) Then we would meander home for little to take his nap. The other two would eat lunch. Then we would play outside and inside. Sometimes with friends, sometimes not. Run errands, go the park or the library. Lay in the hammock. Whatever we wanted.

Even though I set out to be intentionally lazy this summer, there is order in our chaos, but it’s not readily apparent to them. We eat at the same time everyday. Play some of the same games. Our lessons are about patience, play, politeness, cooperation, following directions – things like that. Things kids don’t want to learn about in a lesson, but in our day to day. Buddy learned how to tie his shoes AND go under water without holding his nose in one day. We made it a game because we had the time. Nothing else to do that day :-) I see them helping each other more, playing with each other. Something I had hoped for when I set out to have three kids so close together.

For the next four weeks we’ll be travelling to and from home by car. Car trips with three kids under six! GAH! AND we don’t roll with a DVD player. Yeah, you heard me. No we’re not completely insane.  I know other people that do it too. Our car doesn’t have one built in and we’ve never gotten one. Only the 6 year old has some sort of inkling that other kids get to watch TV in the car. We might be in for an earful soon enough, but for now it’s ok. We’re off to the Cape, VT, NY, NH and who knows where else!

And as a special treat they got to spend a weekend at each set of grandparent’s houses – without us. I loved hearing all about their adventures with the Nanas and the Papas. We are all so lucky to be able to have that.

It’s not for everyone this throw back way of summertime parenting, but it’s working for us. We’ll have plenty of time for schedules in September.

School and daycare (two mornings for Bubby -eeek) will be here before we all know it. I’m happy with my choice to keep them close this summer. It’s all goes by so fast you know – that’s what they keep telling me anyway.Sprinkler

 

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2 Comments

  1. My dry erase board still says June too :)

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