Week 1 - survived

Now that summer is here and school is out for all of our kids, I am back to being a full-time mom of four. I was still a full-time mom before, but this is just different. There is nowhere to be, nothing preplanned, and the kids still are thinking I'm here to entertain them 24/7. But, today is Saturday...I've survived this far.

I actually had some plans for the summer and week one is always my big kick-off -- I still [am supposed to] have the energy and enthusiasm to teach the kids, do art projects, stay patient and calm, all while keeping the television off all day. Unfortunately, the week did not go as I planned. First of all, four of us were sick -- including me. So much for all the energy and patience.

Considering the circumstances, though, it went pretty well. We had to skip the playdate for the doctor's appointments. We turned the TV on some evenings while I cooked dinner and the kids were wearing out, but we read books more that we watched TV. My plans of working out at the YMCA daily fell apart, but that's probably where we all got sick anyway. Since someone always had a fever, we didn't work out at all. (On a positive note, I was sick enough I didn't eat much and my weight still dropped a little.)

So what did we do this week while we with fevers stayed out of the Texas heat? We got out all Daddy's legos and played, and played, and played. One day, I got out all my childhood Barbies and the original Strawberry Shortcake dolls. I got plenty of chuckles that day as I had to explain things of the 80s to the kids (Barbie's hot pink Walkman, record player, one piece adult jumpsuits, and shiny white Don Johnson-style suits on Ken.) Maddie has enjoyed her new Polly Pocket doll and dressing her in endless outfits. Jon has loved the Legos. Ben still likes playing outside. Will enjoys writing, reading, doing summer bridge worksheets, and playing Legos. We've spent a lot of time reading and I am surprised that all four kids have stayed seating through an entire Magic Treehouse chapter book. All the kids love playing with Wikisticks, too. I can usually count on them being creative with those waxy sticks for more than an hour each day.

Will has spent nap times either resting or reading, and at night he reads until he is ready for bed. The other day I kept track of how much time he spent reading, and throughout that day he read aloud to the others or aloud to himself for an hour and a half (that's not including the "silent" reading.) He likes to read and I expect he will read a lot this summer. The library has a program and the kids check off how much time they read; when they've read 15 hours, they get a free book. Will also enjoys worksheets. As an effort to keep him from forgetting everything he [never] learned in kindergarten, he is working through a book that bridges first to second grade. Most of the things in there he knows, but this will help with time and money math skills, speed reading, and a few other subjects. He's way ahead on reading, but he wasn't ready for the fourth grade book in anything else.

Here it is Saturday and I'm ready for a mommy-break. I had planned to scrapbook with friends today, but we haven't all shaken this virus yet and I'm just not up to it. I think I'll lock myself in the office for a little creative time though. Tomorrow we plan to go to the opening of a new exhibit at the art museum. I'm using my summer weekends as my time to recharge. Hopefully next week, we'll be back to the original plan: exercise, outside time, art projects, and playtime with friends.