A New Start

The summer seems to have gotten away from me.  I had all sorts of plans for the perfect summer system .  I had in mind lots of fun, lots of chores, lots of reading, and lots of bonding.  June was such a busy month with baseball and camps and golf lessons, gymnastics, piano, etc, etc, that I felt like I was just chasing my kids around and wishing for bedtime.  I know it wasn't all that bad, really, but I still felt the need for a "do-over."
Yesterday was July 1st, and so I sat down and gave some thought to the month.  I printed out calendars for each of the kids and labeled the days that they were in day-care and the days they had activities or were going to be gone.  Then I filled out a couple of chores for each of them to do.  By doing it ahead of time, I was able to really look at what our days were going to be like and pick chores that would be well suited for that day and time in the week.  Today, chores went great.  It is almost like the kids didn't begrudge me for chores, because it was their calendar giving them chores to do, not me.  They get paid for every chore, and the money is being saved for our trip to the Mega Mall coming up in August. (Lego Land and American Girl here we come!).


Another part of my "do-over" is that I do want to have more bonding moments with my kids.  I am really going to try to say "yes" to them and "no" to my chores more often.  This afternoon, while Holland napped, Claire got out a sewing kit she had received for he birthday and asked if we could do it.  Big projects overwhelm me and it would have been typical for me to put her off again and again because I never felt it was the right time to begin.  My instinct was to do this today, but instead I said "sure."  We had fun!  The kit she had received was the American Girl Sew and Stuff kit.  I am really impressed with it.  It is a great first sewing project.


Another good thing that happened today was that we all went on the bike trail together!  We have to cross a busy intersection to access it, and so I had been dragging my feet.  Claire and Holland rode in the trailer (great workout for me) and Fisher rode on his own.  Fisher was amazed with the "new world" that is the bike path.  We played at a couple of parks off the path and made it home shortly after 9.  It was extremely hot and humid here today, so an early morning outside activity was a must.

I'm not sure every day will be as enjoyable and productive as today was, but I do think that planning ahead really helped everyone to get the most out of the day we had together.

Comments

  1. JulieJuly 23, 2012 at 12:08 PM

    Fun times for all. I am pleased that you showed Claire how to sew. How did the kids do at the intersection? Can't wait to ride it with everyone. Fisher said his bottom was sore from his new seat.

    ReplyDelete

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