Summertime

Hard to believe there's only a little over a month left before school starts for us.  It seems like it was just yesterday that I was preaching at the kids that we had to make a summer schedule.  I let them enjoy the first few weeks  -- sleeping in, crazy eating schedule, and pretty regular bedtimes.  But, they were out of whack, so to speak.  Their days were messed up.  So, we talked, and I encouraged them to set their alarms (a little later since it's summer), and have some kind of daily routine rather than being so random.  And that worked better for a handful of days until my son's very irregular work schedule kicked in.  And then -- all bets were off, and he started sleeping in again.

That's right about the time I decided that it wasn't worth the fuss.  It's SUMMER.  A brief respite of  11 weeks or so that is a break from our busy school-year routine.  If things are "different," "irregular," or "out of whack" -- well, so be it.

Originally, I was feeling a little guilt about (all of us) being at home after several busy summers of working at our church's day-camp.  But then I thought about all of those busy summer days when the kids so willingly adapted to the day-camp routine with me.  We got up early, and adapted to that school-like routine all summer long.  There were no complaints.  My son's day-camp experience even turned into a job for him as well.

Comparatively speaking, this summer feels pretty lazy.

But, I'll take it.  Next year, our son graduates, and who knows what that will mean, or what kind of summer we'll have.  So, I'm looking at this summer as a transitioning gift.  A gift between what was (our day-camp days) and what is to come - whatever that is!

Sleep in.  Eat late.  Have a nap.  Stay up late.

Mostly - appreciating the time with our kids!