Summer Vacation Is Coming. Get Excited...Or Not

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It’s quite hard to believe that the summer months have come upon us once again yet here we are, getting ready to brave the heat in an attempt to enjoy a carefree summer filled with fun, sun, friends and family. But what it really means is that its time for the kids to get out of school for summer vacation and in theory, it should be a time that the whole family looks forward to but let me tell you, it’s my least favorite time of the year. No, it’s not because I don’t love my kids and don’t want to spend time with them. Of course I love them. They’re the bomb! And I mean who wouldn’t want to have their little boo boo’s home all day every day for three months! Should be straight up bliss right? Yea, it kind of is. But then again, its kind of not. Let me tell you why:

1. Because I don’t own a grocery store.

I think if my kids could make a list of the things they love to do, chewing would be at the top of the list. I’ve got a preteen, some elementary schoolers and a toddler. And let me tell you, these children are the biggest grazers known to man. No seriously. I asked my 2 year old what he was doing the other day and he said, “Mommy, I’m chewing!” These kids of mine will eat healthy snacks, stuff they put together and call snacks, sandwiches, cereal, snacks in between snacks plus the three meals I give them every day. So if you can imagine the amount of chewing that happens during the school year, go ahead and triple that to come up with the ratio of summertime chewing that’s happening at my house.

2. Because I’m not a cruise ship director.

I mean, I’m fun and everything but not the let-me-plan-24-hours-of-endless-super-fun-activities-for-you kind of fun. Granted I do have some pretty nifty tools at my disposal to help with this (hey Pinterest, hey!) but without the kids being occupied in school all day, I’ll have to figure out something for them to do because eight pairs of eyeballs are going to be staring at me waiting to find out what the day holds. Whether it be a summer camp, a few hours at the park, going to the $1 movies, story time at the library or a trip to Walmart, folks are going to be looking to me to tell them what they’ll be doing. And I’m sure these children are going to want the summer of fun like never before and it’s that kind of pressure that I should have geared myself up for over the past few months but since I didn’t, everybody pray. Because I’m not ready!

3. Because I’ll likely wind up petitioning for the word “bored” to be removed from the English language.

It doesn’t matter how many activities you plan, how many places you take them and how many toys you have all over your house — they’re going to say that they’re bored at least 3 or 4 times everyday. Not every week, but daily. Because that’s what kids do. And since I know that, you’d think that would stop me from rocking back and forth in the corner every 9th time I hear it, but it wont. Just call me Huck and excuse me while I get my “752” on. So yea, that “word” will have to go.

And as the school year comes to a close, the kiddos will continue to grow excited with every day that goes by, thinking about what the summer will have in store for them. While they do that, I’ll be talking to my friend The Google trying to find out how to franchise a grocery store and how to get words removed from the dictionary. It’s going to be a “fun” couple of months filled with tons of memories that we’ll have to share with each other as the years pass. Right? Yep. That’s the goal. Now, let us pray it goes well.

Do you look forward to summer vacation or is it secretly your least favorite time of the year? Do you have a ton of things planned for your kids to do?

Summer Vacation Is Coming. Get Excited…Or Not

1. Because I don’t own a grocery store.

2. Because I’m not a cruise ship director.

3. Because I’ll likely wind up petitioning for the word “bored” to be removed from the English language.

Do you look forward to summer vacation or is it secretly your least favorite time of the year? Do you have a ton of things planned for your kids to do?