During my childhood summers I did not want ANY kind of schedule or routine in any way, shape, or form. I was plenty fine to just free play all day-OUTSIDE, eat when I got hungry, sit in the shade or go inside when I got hot and tired. I usually did have a few things my Mama would tell me I needed to do that day around the house. But I chose when I did them, and that was fine, so long as it was done by the time she got home from work. So I usually took care of it about 20 minutes before she was to arrive home. :)
My children, on the other hand, want a daily schedule. Knowing this, I made one on the last day of school and posted it on our family board so that it would be ready come summer vacation day 1. It looked liked this:
MORNING:
Workbook
1 hour Screen Time
Activity (pool, park, craft, etc)
AFTERNOON:
Reading & Quiet Time
Chores
1 hour Screen Time
Simple, no time constraints that I would have to enforce, just a daily guideline that they could follow. After day 1, I knew this would not work for them. ALL DAY LONG I fielded the questions "What time do we do X?! Isn't it time for X?!! Maaaammaaaa! When do we need to start X?!"
It was completely and totally EXHAUSTING!!
What is WRONG with these children!?! They are SO NOT MINE!! Must be their father...his genes. They surface from time to time and I have to either try to FIX that behavior PRONTO or I have to re-adjust my thinking. Let me just say though, contrary to what it may sound like (I whine & belly-ache some times) I am so very thankful that they take after him when it comes to being in a strict routine, their diligence in school work and reading, and their desire to always be on time. Those qualities are not mine. Although it does help things run so much smoother if I try to be more like that! So I try. Sometimes.
Now our schedule has times set to each task, right down to the "Eat Breakfast" time of day. It is working for them. They like it. (They're so strange!!) They are keeping to that schedule like no body's business! It's awesome, really. They are doing their Summer Bridge workbook pages, working on them for almost an hour! They are doing all of their chores and reading at least 20-30 minutes every day too. Even Addison!! (Yep! My kids ROCK!)
It does help that there is an incentive attached to them doing their required activities. They have a "daily check-off" chart where they place a mark each day that they finish their workbook, reading and chores. At the end of the week (Saturday), if every square is checked, they get a special treat. This past Saturday we took them all to the theater to see the movie Epic. They loved it! Score 1 for Mama, and 1 for the kids!
Now we've started week 2 and today has been GREAT!! Taylor even did extra chores (loaded dishwasher, hand washed all the extra dishes that didn't fit, swept kitchen floor) just to ensure that there would be NOTHING, short of this crazy Oklahoma weather, that would stop us from going to the pool this afternoon. She's great. And now I have added "POOL" to our afternoon agenda for today!
To be completely honest, I was dreading summer a little bit. Well, a lot actually. Not because I don't like having my children home every day, ALL DAY...EEEEK!!...but because I just REALLY enjoyed having a few hours a couple days a week with no children. Days that I could spend grocery shopping, shopping-shopping, "mental health" days, etc...ahhh they were NICE! But I have to say, although we're only a week into it, this summer is turning out to be pretty good. Now if we can just keep it going like this, I might just make it to mid-August will all my hair, no new grays (psshhh who cares-they can be covered!), and what little bit of sanity I've managed to hang on to, LEFT! :)
