SUMMER TIME MADDNESS
Summer essentials to have a stress free break
In my household, the kids have been on summer vacation for 5 weeks, 32 days, 700 odd hours .... Hey, but who's counting? If you're a parent, you understand my mild vexation at keeping close tabs till when they are back at school, for with a household full of kids to entertain and keep occupied, I feel like I am channeling the 24hour band on a cruise ship. Never stopping, and always ready to tango! To be completely honest, I must admit the “summers” are getting easier. Since the children are a bit older, now, there are delightful adventures to be had where I too, can have fun rather than stress about the amount of packing and planning I would have to do. The teenagers always find ways of entertaining themselves and the younger ones have each other to get up to mischief with.
But as mothers, we can never relax, and with children at home, our attention will always be diverted in their direction. Also if you have younger children, your little situation would have got even more harried with the presence of the older children constantly being at home. But don't worry, all is not lost!!! Summers are glorious times, there are the few moments we have in our busy lives to stop, take a breather, to enjoy those special moments, to realise that your children are growing more every year, to cement those wonderful memories. So don't let the summer madness spoil what could be the best summer ever. Here are a few tips on keeping it cool!
Don’t forget your schedule!. This might be the very antithesis of what a fun summer should be like. But the reality is that when you have small children who will get cranky and miserable if left to just run wild throughout the day without any intention, things are going to get very ugly, very fast. So do not forget the usual schedule that you have, wake up times, sticking to proper bedtimes, making sure some intentional work is done etc. You can obviously be a little flexible but still have a general framework of how the day goes. Too much free-time can also be a bad thing!
Educate ourselves: Remember all those history lessons done about people, places and things on our island. Well now is the time to go explore, book the hotels, pack up the car... the family annual road trip is about to ensue!!! Learning can be fun, and this is the best way to give your children a practical learning. Try and minimise the electronics on the road trip for the best part of a car journey is seeing the world around you, which is usually lost when buried in an IPAD. But Parents be warned, choose destinations that you know your family will be able to tolerate the journey. For example, don’t choose a 10 hour car ride to Jaffna if you have cranky toddlers in the back. You are definitely playing Russian roulette with your good humour.
Chore chart: Call me a genius, but I swear it works!.. well maybe with a certain age group, but the teenagers can be challenged, so all is still good. Get the kids to do chores! Now that the children are home why not put them to work? Literally!. Actually this is a great way to keep them occupied, set up a chart, keep the tasks simple, deviate them everyday, give rewards and before you know it, you might have your cupboards cleaned, walls painted and house in tip top shape! It’s also a great way of teaching new skills and giving them some independence. Give it a try!
Summer fun goals: Kids are extremely busy bodies during the school year. Sometimes they miss out on doing certain things, for example, learning how to ride a bike, swim or even go surfing. Whatever the sport or pastime is, choose a new challenge together and make it a summer goal. It might be you want to run a 5k by the end of the summer, do Yoga or learn to cook. Take few minutes, plan a programme and get it started. Constructive fun summer activities are always a good thing.
The lazy summer day: Keeping kids engaged and entertained, can actually be a lot of hard work both mentally and physically. There are days, when I have heard my name being called about 500 thousand times, and I haven’t even left my room yet. Children can be demanding, complaining, and down right irritating. What will get the most severest bashing will be your good humour. So try and incorporate a lazy day once in a while. Tell all that everyone is on holiday including Mummy and Daddy and to give each other time to relax and unwind without demands. You need the rejuvenation once in a while, and do not feel guilty to ask for it!
Everybody loves a good summer. But it's up to us to make it happen! Don't panic and and stress thinking the kids are home, for you are then succumbing to the the Summertime madness. Instead plan, organise or just go with the flow on some days, and those beautiful family memories will be had. We only have a good 18 to 20 summers with our children before they fly off on their adventures, make each one a summer to remember! Happy Holidays!
Try and incorporate a lazy day once in a while