Mom's Summer Vacation

My kids always ask me when my summer vacation will be. They figure if they get long stretches of time off in the summer, I should too. I love the way they think. I could definitely go for some time off when the weather gets warm. Maybe even enough time...to be bored? Okay, so that's just a dream in a house full of four kids and two dogs, but it is a nice dream to have.

I am happy to say that my summer vacation started at lunchtime yesterday, and for the first time since we've had kids, I am using my time off to stay home. I suppose this could be defined as a "staycation," but that term always makes me think of people who have compromised, people who would love to be in the mountains or at the lake or at the beach, but finances just won't let them. I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone talk about their staycation with a true smile on their face. This was instead a very deliberate choice to just stay put.

As we zoomed through May and June and all of the activities surrounding the end of the school year, I realized all I wanted was a break, and we don't do a fraction of the things "normal" families seem to do. I suppose I am fairly isolated, typically just talking to co-workers and my best friends, but I ended up socializing with a much larger network of families as we attended this myriad of activities. I quickly came to realize that Ree was apparently one of very few children her age who didn't attend at least three activities per week. While that may work for others, I just can't do it. I'm not sure my children can either.

So this week, I hope, will be quite the opposite. We are planning on doing things and heading places, but we will be spending a lot of time at home too. Last night I got to make a big dinner, and one of my highlights of vacation already was heading out on the porch last night with all four kids to shuck corn before dinner. It is one of their favorite cooking activities, and one we hadn't made time for yet this year. I'm glad we got the chance.

So maybe I don't get weeks off like my kids, or months off like kids in traditional schools, but at least when my kids have asked lately when my summer vacation will be, I can tell them the exact dates.