Random musings on our first three days of summer vacation

I was awakened at 6:30 this morning by a series of gentle pokings in my back. I groggily rolled over to face the edge of my bed, where a gentle, lisping voice quietly asked, "Mama, what do you think of these clothes?" Chatterbox must not know that I am blind without my glasses, not to mention my eyes were angrily rebelling the far-too-early request for opening. So I felt the shirt, figured out that it was, indeed, a "play" shirt and mumbled something about what a great choice she'd made. She then said, "Mom, I got dressed, cleaned my room, made my bed, and said my prayer." She was very proud, and I was shocked and subsequently thrilled with her efforts (though not with her timing) so I attempted to muster a little enthusiasm as I praised her (boy, was I glad I hadn't snapped at her in a grumpy, sleepy rage). Then I (yes, nicely) sent her off to watch a show or play Leapster so I could roll over and go back to my precious sleep.

Except, as I've lamented before, I can't.

So I was up early today and have managed to read 3o minutes to Chatterbox (we're reading Little House on the Prairie together and she is reading me Henry and Mudge on her own); put the third coat of white paint on the two bed frames we are refinishing (more on that in a soon-to-come post); and get us all dressed and fed with hair combed by 10:00. This represents a stellar effort for a gal like me.

I just had to put this photo in. Smidget always wants to wear her "gobbles" and on this occasion, Buster wanted some too. Of course Chatterbox had to join in the fun. This is how they entertain themselves indoors. In case you can't tell (I'm sure you can't), Chatterbox is Wendy and Smidget is Tinkerbell. No doubt Buster is Peter Pan. This is the latest pretend play craze.

Anyway, so far our first week of summer has gone like this--Monday was one of "those" days--we spent all morning looking at homes, after which I was beat (I'd only slept about 5 hours the night before). The girls ended up watching a few too many episodes of Little Einsteins, I didn't make dinner, and they didn't get baths. I felt like Loser Mom/Wife of the Century.

Thankfully, Tuesday was on the other end of the spectrum--I spent the morning sanding beds while the girls ran around outside, pretending and jumping on the trampoline. We had a picnic. We made chunky crayons. Chatterbox and I made tollhouse cookie bars. The kids ran through sprinklers and had popsicles. I made dinner, with side dishes and everything ;), and together D and I put another coat of paint on the beds while the kids rolled around in dirt, essentially. It was a great day, but I know myself well enough to realize that I can't keep up that kind of pace all summer long.

Here's a photo of my girls at the end of the day yesterday. Look closely to see the dirt ring around their mouths. They may be filthy, but they sure had a fun day. And yes, they DID get baths.


As an aside, for those of you moms looking for great summertime ideas (crafty and otherwise), I have recently found a few amazing sites. I happened upon The Crafty Crow via Today's Creative Blog. And while perusing there, I found lots of great spots, but I especially liked The Ramblings of a Crazy Woman. Today I'm stocking up on some necessary craft supplies so we can have lots of summertime project fun. Hope you enjoy these links. If you have some to share, I want them (I'm especially looking for sites that link a craft or learning activity with a picture book).

What summer plans do you have? We have library trips, zoo trips (season pass), friend play days, and lots of reading, cooking and crafting on our slate. How much and how often these activities actually occur will remain to be seen.