Summer Bucket List

Another blogger put out her summer bucket list, and this past weekend marked our first warm-enough-for-the-pool-in-Texas days so it's kind of on everyones minds.

Not to mention school is winding down and we're all so over that hot-mess of learning.  G got his 4th 9 weeks progress report and it looked great so I felt like writing a note ... so we're good here, right?  We can stop with the on-time thing? The homework thing?  Yes?  Please?

We're super ready for the lazy days of summer.

Every summer since ... well probably 2013 when G was in prek, but most assuredly by summer 2015 ... we have to get pretty intentional with the time we have.

And this is D's last summer before Kinder!  (Which reminds me I need to order their school supplies).

So we have some big things cooking ...

This ought to be a pretty easy list to knock out since everything on this list is for sure happening.  Disneyland is Memorial Day weekend with two of our good family friends.  Between us it'll be six adults and 9 kids ages 8-1yo.  :)  It's going to be amazing.  The things I would *like* to add, but may not be able to include a trip to Louisville, lots of library time, watching Star Wars 4-7 with the boys during Julia's naps.  And another important list ... 

This is one of the very best parts of parenting.  I love love love how much Grady loves reading.  How much David loves reading.  How much they all love books.  We were at the lakehouse one time and I off-handedly said I'm going to go read 3/4 books and put them to bed.  And the friend was aghast ... you read them that many every night?

I know that it's a stalling tactic.  I do.  I know that every time Julia asks for more books and more books and more books she's stalling.  I do.

But it seems like a good one.  So yeah, I read every kid one book of their choice.  I listen to Grady read one book or one chapter.  I read everyone one chapter of the chapter book we're on.  Right now it's Boxcar Children.

And you know what?  Now when I leave the boys in their room, G reads to David some of Dog Man.

And it's the best.

And the reading is why the bedtime routine on a school night starts at 6:30.  Bath and lots of reading and the boys can still be asleep by 8 and Julia can be down by 7/730.

You'll notice Harry Potter on this list.  We have only read book one.  I'd like to read it again and start the series in earnest this time.  When we read it in 2015 G loved it but D was too young.  I've waited till he was a bit older and maybe the tension wouldn't bother him.

My kids are pretty average with tensions/scary parts.  David is pretty sensitive.  Any tension at all and he has to leave the room.  Grady is getting more mature and understanding of scarier topics.  But Ninjago had an episode about ghosts and his friend got a book of scary stories from the library and I was up with him every night for a week.

I also try to keep everyone about the same level.  This is getting harder.  8 is way older than 3.  He will watch her musical, sing-song, nursery rhyme shows.  And he doesn't get to watch shows that his peers do.  We've never seen Harry Potter.  We've never seen Star Wars.  Any Marvel/D.C.

But ya'll he won't watch Big Hero Six because the brother dies.  I mean it's kind of gruesome actually he gets blown up.  Who can blame him?  But Luke's Aunt and Uncle get charbroiled in the first fifteen minutes of Star Wars.  We needed to wait.

All of his friends have seen every marvel movie every made.  We don't even watch the cartoons.

Why?

Well let your kids watch Ninjago for a while and then watch all the ninja fighting that happens.  My light saber quotient will go up crazy style once they start watching Star Wars.

I prefer the educational programming.  Of which there is a ton (Disney Nature! BBC documentaries! PBS!).  I prefer the music shows.  And Pixar.

But there's some pop culture references happening at school.  And he's 8.  And I feel that parents know when their kids are ready for whatever.  And it's individual.  G is ready.  D is borderline.  We shall see what happens!  (Parent experiments! Aint they grand! Send me the bill for therapy kids!)

So this summer I have some big plans for D.C.  and we have some camps lined up and I hope we have a lot of downtime at the pool and trips to the lake to visit his parents and use the boat (more on that later).  I hope we can watch movies outside and eat popcorn and I'd like to do a Christmas in July theme and watch polar express outside with 'smores.  

I'd like to try the Mayor's Reading program again.  I'd like G to read Magic Treehouse to me this summer instead of the other way.  He is a great reader, but he likes to be read to, a lot.

I'd like to have him write a book report on what he's read.  I'd like to go over some of 3rd grade's spelling words.  I'd like to get David a few more sight words under his belt.  He's already reading many of them and knows everything he's supposed to know.

And I always have lofty intentions on the summer slide bit and we fall short.  And it's okay.  I'd like to get through the big trips with only one or two tantrums from Miss J.  That'd be a win for me.  If we can do that, that'd be amazing.  I mean last years trips were no worse because of her tantrums, it's just if I had one thing to change ... well it'd be pretty cool if she didn't flip out.  She's becoming known for her epic flip outs on our trips.

**cough cough** Boston Commons **cough cough** Old Faithful **cough cough** Aspen **cough cough**

Must have something stuck in my throat.

Now - I would also just like to add a disclaimer and some defense for my best girl - I ask her to do way, way, way more at a young age then I ever asked of the boys.  The boys didn't go camping for a week at 2yrs old.  The boys didn't go to a baseball game as a toddler.  They didn't walk the Freedom Trail with no nap and try to stop for lunch.  They didn't drive the outer loop of Yellowstone all day and walk the stinky sulfur pits and waterfalls and then have to wait an hour for old faithful while also waiting on food.

When I think about it all from her perspective she's a rock star.  And I have confidence that as she ages she'll manage better and have more control of her feelings.

I have faith that'll happen for me too.  Some day.

Every year about this time I'm so ready for summer and no routine and rest and relaxing and lazy lazy lazy.  I'm ready.

And then by the end of July the chaos of the summer schedule will have me pining for the soccer schedule so I can put it in my calendar.

Hi Summer!  We see you there!  Four weeks out!  Can't wait till you're here!