Friday, May 27, 2011

It's Summer Now, Are You Ready?

It's the last day of school for my kids and so I've got to type fast. I don't have much time. I'm sure many of you know what I mean. I know my recent posts sound bossy, like I'm telling you what to do, but it wasn't intended to be that way. I hope you'll give me the benefit of the doubt. For example, in a frenzied hush, Kacy asked me, "Did you really MEAN you keep one binder per kid PER YEAR of schoolwork?" (It is, afterall, the time of year when we're faced with our kids bringing home a desk full of work they "have to keep" so it's time to make some difficult decisions--and by decisions I mean send them out to play while you throw stuff away in the garage so they won't see) and I explained that it was the amount of work that I keep--about a binder's full, but I don't keep it all in a binder in protective sheets or anything because I think that's a waste of binders (money--I'm super thrifty). But I don't scrapbook or anything like that. It's just a small stack of papers I keep per year. Does everyone feel good about that? I hope that sounds manageable. I do imagine Phoebe, in the future, at about 14 or 15 going through her (one) box and wanting to organize it and scrapbook it all pretty. It seems like something she might want to do.

In the interest of full disclosure, my buddy Cimony told me she was distraught because I had mentioned on my blog months ago that women uh. . hem my age. . . shouldn't wear capri's anymore because they're not flattering. And then she felt weird wearing hers, so she doesn't anymore, and then she saw me wearing my jeans cuffed. I can't remember what I said exactly, but it sounds like some rash judgement I would make in a fit of rage. Well, I'm officially taking that back--or qualifying it. First of all, let's agree not to use the word "capri," "clam digger" or "floods." If we say they're "cuffed pants" or "straight pants" ala Audrey Hepburn, can we live with that? I, for one, am more comfortable with that. And let us never speak of skorts. Ever.

Now that I've said my peace, I feel I can get on with Summer. Oh dear.

Now I'm not being bossy, but I have done some things to get ready for Summer. These are ideas I've stolen and used from other people's experience, so I feel it's my duty to share (as bound by the unspoken mother-bond I feel we should all have to make each others' lives easier):

1. I stocked the fridge, freezer, and pantry so my kids could make their own breakfast and lunch. I posted a list of ideas for what to make for breakfast, lunch, and a snack and taped them on the inside of my pantry door.

2. I put together simple binders of activities (writing prompts, blank paper, new pens/markers, workbooks from the Dollar Store, articles my kids might like, etc) from Kacy. They can pull these out when I tell them to get off the computer/video game and do "something else creative."

3. We made a list of things to do in the Summer and posted them on the inside of the pantry door (my kids spend a lot of time in the pantry). I let the kids lead this, then I added some. So when they ask "what can I do. . . ?" I'm ready. Examples: Make a comic book, go to the Bean Museum (Margaret), make a movie with the neighborhood kids, have a lemon-aid stand (Owen), learn to bake something new, make an obstacle course for some friends, play night games, go swimming, make up a play with your friends (Phoebe), go bowling (Hugh), make a book, read a new book series, make a song on garage band, make a new video game or app (Miles), make homemade popcicles, you get the idea. . .

Good luck. We can make it to August. It's just August, you guys.

17 comments:

  1. I need to make the food-idea list for my husband. I swear he asks me what there is to eat a thousand times a day. (I make dinner, but I feel like grownups shouldn't need to be made lunch or breakfast.)

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  2. I'm preparing for summer by getting ready to make a recipe I found on the internet yesterday for "Key Lime Cake". It made me think of you and your pound cake - after I eat it on Monday I'll let you know who gets my vote. (spoiler alert: you will.)

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  3. Phew I'm glad cuffed jeans are back in for summer! Thanks Cim! I can't get away with skirts like you girls can...:) Sounds like great ideas...We still have 6 more weeks of school and then 5 weeks of summer but 5 weeks is more than enough!!! Ugh!

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  4. I too am grateful for the capri/cuffed jeans clarification. You are someone I look up to as fashionable so I was bummed about wearing dorky capris (don't worry, it didn't stop me), but skirts don't always work and jeans are sometimes too much fabric, even cuffed, and shorts look even more dorky than capris if they are "coverage length".

    I feel the need to state that my "capris" are short jeans which are always cuffed. Shwoo! I'm glad that's out there!

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  5. Can we make it until August? Can we? I,think I can.

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  6. These are good ideas. No bossy under-or-overtones to be found. I, being pregnant and lazy in general, have decided to just try to do one activity each day. Like Mondays are library days, Tuesday is the summer movie trip, Wednesday is lunch at the park, etc. But this binder thing is gold, baby.

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  7. If I were pregnant, my "one activity each day" examples would be: Monday: eat ice cream, Tuesday: eat mexican food, Wednesday: nap day, and so on. You are really on the ball, Carly! I like the one activity a day thing. It seems so doable!

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  8. I don't even have kids and I'm inclined to make a list of things to do over the summer and creative binders for me and Ames. Does watching 109 episodes of Grey's Anatomy over the last two months count as "creative"???

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  9. So, I'm still not following the whole cuffed pant/capri business. I guess I'll continue to wear what I wear and be glad that we don't run in the same circles. I don't understand - do cool people not wear capris? My capris certainly do not have cuffed bottoms so that rules out that term. Seeing as this is your blog and all, you are certainly welcome to state your own opinion on whatever matter and I celebrate that! I'm just sitting in the audience feeling like the uncool kid in school.

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  10. Will you post the list of things your kids make for breakfast, lunch, and snacks?

    I'm serious.

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  11. Stacy and Clint (What Not To Wear) told me, through the tv, not to wear capri's because it makes me look short. I made a comment about it on my blog and, like most things, I forgot about it later UNTIL my friend Cimony brought up about how ridiculous it is NOT to wear capri's (because we don't want a lot of mom's running around in shorts! Ah!) and I agreed with her and she said I should TAKE IT BACK on my blog. So, like any reasonable person who usually forgets what she takes a firm stand on, it seemed like the right thing to do. I wear capri's. I wear long, nerdy shorts, and sometimes I wear skirts, but mostly I wear jeans because they hide my stretch marks.

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  12. My list of breakfast, lunch, and snacks?

    Breakfast:
    cereal
    yoghurt
    toast with cream cheese/peanut butter
    smoothies
    scrambled eggs
    omlettes (ham and cheese, veggie, whatever)
    oatmeal
    pancakes
    carnation instant breakfast

    Lunch:
    quesadillas
    pb&j
    ham and cheese sandwich
    ramen
    mac and cheese (Kraft style)
    soup (no one ever chooses this one)
    cheese and crackers
    nachos
    burrito
    pizza bagels

    snacks:
    apple with peanut butter
    granola bar
    fruit (pear, orange, banana, apple, mandarin oranges, etc)
    yoghurt
    cheese and crackers
    popcorn
    pretzels
    cinnamon toast
    chocolate milk

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  13. I have "lurked" through all of your cleaning stuff and summer ideas. Awesome. I'm just going to drive down to your house and say hi...one of these days.

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  14. خدمات شركتنا ركن كلين رتقدم افضل الاسعار والمكينات لتنظيف ومكافحة الحشرات بكل الانواع وخدمة تنظيف .
    1-شركة مكافحة الفئران بالرياض
    2-شركة مكافحة النمل الابيض بالرياض
    3-شركة تنظيف موكيت بالرياض
    4-شركة تنظيف منازل بالرياض

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