Friday Playdate » Blog Archive » grace in small things: summer

My kids are out of school, at long last; this year was a killer. Not because it was a bad year, really, but just because it was hard. Third grade homework nearly did me in me, you all. Truly.

Also I am totally over making lunches. By last week, I was letting Charlie pack his own lunchbox, which meant that he was pretty much going to school with a juice box, some CheezeIts, and a Luna Bar every day. Whatever. At least it was a Luna Bar and not a PopTart (although at the end there, I would have let him do that if he had wanted).

(I promise we’re going to eat healthy this summer. Somehow it’s having to actually make the lunches at 6 am that squashes both my creativity and my will to live. Making lunch at a decent hour, like noon? Not a problem!)

This summer, I am going to have flowers on my desk all the time.

Yesterday was our first full day of summer. We met Rita and the kids for donuts and then played at the bookstore for a while; Rita wasn’t feeling well so Will came home with us (and rode in the third seat of my car which is apparently the Most Awesome Thing EVER) and entertained the boys while I worked. After lunch (made by my children, thankyouverymuch) we watched the first Harry Potter movie, which we haven’t seen in so long that both boys had forgotten the plot, so it was like a whole new movie. Then the boys jumped on the trampoline with Will while Rita and I lounged on the porch and laughed at the baby, and then the boys and I came home and had dinner and baths while Wade went riding. Then the boys read together in bed for a while and we all fell asleep at a decent hour.

Not a bad first day of summer.

This is the part of summer I like the most, these first two weeks; we’re excited to be out of school, the weather is still relatively good, the kids are happy to hang out at home or at the pool, and we’re not on each other’s nerves yet. YET. Of course, in two weeks, when we’ve had enough together time, camp will start and save us all.

Hooray!

Five things I love about summer:

1. Grilling out, every night.

2. Playing in the yard until it’s dark.

3. Spending the entire day at the pool.

4. Little boys who smell like sunscreen.

5. Helen Jane’s White Sangria.

What are your favorite things about summer?

14 Comments so far

1. Fresh sun-ripened peaches from The Peach Shed. What can I say? I do live in South GA after all.

2. Saturday brunch in the courtyard of our favorite little bistro with the hubs.

3. Leaving the top off the Jeep for days at a time.

4. Day trips to the beach almost every weekend.

5. Harvesting from my own garden.

1) Swimming and hosting pool parties
2) Margaritas by the pool
3) Giving the kids outside showers after a swim
4) That relaxed feeling
5) Planning birthday parties- I’m weirdly obsessed with my girls’ birthday parties and the summer is birthday party central for us.

I agree, these few weeks are the best…before the heat sets in! I love…
Eating dinner outside
grilled hot dogs (wish we had then more than just on 4th of July!)
sidewalk chalk and bubbles
the feeling of sun on your face (until I remember I forgot sunscreen)

1 Eating on the deck
2 reading on the screened porch in PJs
3 Horse shows
4 Air conditioning
5 Watermelon

1. the sun
2. the pool
3. the garden
4. the golf
5. the nice and easy pace!

We have family coming for Memorial Day weekend and I’m totally making that white sangria! I’ve got my last long run until the marathon so it will be quite refreshing after 20 miles.

I will be making that white sangria for this weekend’s parties. I may or may not choose to share …

If I let my kids play outside until dark they would be outside until 10:30 p.m. for a good share of summer. Not sure that would fly, well, except that my older 2 now stay out way past that…but before, back when I could control them… The youngest still has to be in bed before dark and it drives her crazy!

1. ice-cold dry rose
2. boys who smell like sunscreen (ditto)
3. puttering around the garden after work, b/c it’s still light out
4. not having to be anywhere on time
5. Strawberries!

1. Grilling!

2. Hours of light after Will gets home from work!

3. Air conditioning!

4. Peaches!

5. Swimming!

1. Tomatoes fresh from the garden, ditto for basil.

2. Swimming and kids tired out from swimming.

3. Tending my flower beds.

4. Hours of light left after I get out of work!

I’ll keep it to 5 things because you did:

1. Reading whatever I want whenever I want…and, of course, being excited about it.

2. PEACHES!

3. The crickets and lightning bugs at night.

4. Grilling out.

5. The act of slowly waking up to the sound of birds outside and then having that moment where you feel all of the possibilities the new day holds.

I love having the entire summer off with my almost three year old (I’m a teacher). I love grilling almost every day. I love my son’s sweaty, smelly hugs at the end of the day. I love lightning bugs — that’s what we call them in the midwest.

I will just steal your answers because they work for me. I would have to replace #5 with Miller Lite though. What can I say, I like it simple and easy.

I’m just happy that I can drink at all this summer because last summer I was busy being pregnant and that screwed up my plans to drink all summer long.

I love that summer school in the Putnam City School District starts on June 2, that it is free, and that my 7 year old LOVES to ride the bus. And that she sees summer school as a big adventure. It keeps he occupied for half a day, and its educational to boot. No camps to pay for until July!)

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