Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
Last week I was thinking about some of the fun times I had as a child in the summer. I think my favorite memory of all is going out on the boat with my family.

My dad’s boat was really nice. I can’t tell you how big it was, as I am oblivious to that kind of information. But it had an interior cabin with a lot of seating, and one of the seats opened up to become a toilet! I always got a big kick out of that.

We’d get up in the morning and my mom would pack lunch and all sorts of drinks and goodies to take along. My dad was big on entertaining on the boat, so we always had another family with us. I can remember riding the boat out away from our town, into the choppy Atlantic, and feeling so adventurous. Once we dropped anchor, we put our life vests on and jumped into the ocean. It was such a fun and free time.

I don’t get to go out on boats so often as a grown-up. But when I do, I always recall those happy, warm weather memories

Have a great week!

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
I don’t know about you, but I am shocked to find that August is fully upon us! I feel like school just got out. And that it was just the fourth of July. And that camp just started. And here we are, about a month away from school starting!

The kids have been enjoying their summer. They are doing great with their summer reading. They’ve had fun play dates and trip. They are getting a ton of time in the pool and with water toys. They love when we fire up the grill many evenings.

I hate to admit it, but I am stressed out thinking about how fast the summer has gone so far, and that September is right around the corner. I know that’s the wrong attitude! I should model positivity and appreciation to my children; that every day is a blessing and we should enjoy it for what it is. Yet, I am still bracing myself for when I feel that first Fall chill in the air.

Enjoy your summery week!

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Our busy summer is winding down. We enjoyed our time visiting family over the last two weeks. Now we are home, relaxing for the last few weeks of summer break before another busy school year starts. However, even when we try to relax, we still seem to be busy. I guess we all want to fit in as much fun as possible in the next couple weeks.

The summer heat has finally set in. It is 80 degrees before mid- morning and in the upper 90’s by mid-afternoon, almost every day. The heat is really putting a damper on any outdoor activities. Even early mornings at tennis camp are hard on the boys this week. Their instructor does his best to keep them excited with games, drills, and lots of water breaks.

Afternoons at the pool are a staple in our neighborhood. Unfortunately, even the pool has fallen victim to the heat. The water temperatures are warm now. Unless we get a cool night or a heavy rain the pool isn’t as refreshing as it was a month ago. Even with the warm water temps, the pool is still fun, especially for the kids and their neighborhood friends. If it’s too hot for tennis and riding bikes, the pool is still the place to be. I’m going to enjoy the last few weeks of vacation, even if its 99 degrees out.

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
As we do every summer, we recently set up an inflatable pool in the yard. The kids love to swim in it, even though Haley still complains that it’s not a “digged up pool.” This year, Hudson is really getting in on the action. He’s a lot more comfortable in the water than he was a year ago. With the hot temperatures we’ve been experiencing, the opportunity to cool down in the pool has been invaluable to the kids’ happiness and my sanity!

I have to admit that I should take a cue from my kids and get into the fun myself. While I always supervise them carefully (or make sure another grown-up is doing so), I haven’t gone in with them much. Either there’s something I need to take care of, or I don’t want to have to re-do my hair, etc. I always have an excuse. But I should probably let loose a time or too and splash around with the little ones. Those are the memories they will always cherish.

I’m resolved to do better this week. Hopefully I enjoy some water fun, and you do too!

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
The boys and I are in Pennsylvania for the week visiting family. Summertime is really the only time we can travel without too many scheduling conflicts. So we flew home using our non-revenue passes with my husband’s airline employer. 

My grandmother and great aunt both passed away this year, so my family has been going through their old photo albums. We did a slideshow of some very old photos of my family from the last 50 years. Jack and Tate couldn’t believe their eyes. They were amazed when they saw pictures of their grandparents and great grandparents when they were only kids. It was fun looking at pictures of myself as a kid, too. I had never seen most of the pictures, and I was surprised how similar Jack and Tate looked as children.

We also spent a fun day with my husband’s family, including my sister-in-law and her husband and two children. We are rarely together in the same place, so it was great to get the cousins together. Despite the age differences, the kids played well all afternoon. There was plenty of laughter and fun. 

We’re all looking forward to more fun over the next several days. Unfortunately, my husband is working hard at home and could not join us. He wants our boys to have great family memories. I’m glad we’ve made plenty already this summer. There are only a few more weeks to make more. I hope you and your family find time to do the same.

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
For some reason, Haley’s school did not have a “Moving Up” ceremony for Kindergarten, nor did her class have any sort of celebration. It was more like, “Good job, kid! Have fun in first grade.” I’m not a huge fan of unnecessary pomp and circumstance, but Haley’s end-of-year was anticlimactic, even for me.

Luckily, some of the moms from school decided that we needed to celebrate and so we did. After one of Haley’s last days of school, we went to the park with her playmates and their siblings and ordered pizza. The kids were so excited that school was over (in the middle of the day!), they got to have a big play date in the park, and to have the treat of not only eating lunch together, outside, but to have pizza for lunch! This is a big deal for the elementary school set.

Haley is headed to a community camp this summer, but I’m happy that she has a few weeks off beforehand. I look forward to doing pretty much nothing. In this over-scheduled world, sometimes a kid just needs to be a kid.

Happy Summer!

This week, we met my parents, my sisters, and their families at the beach. It is rare that all fourteen of us are together, spending time together. Our schools, sports, jobs, and distance make it almost impossible for us to be with each other as a large family. Needless to say, I’ve been looking forward to this trip for a long time.

The word of the week is relaxation; even with fourteen people under one roof. We are all escaping our personal hectic schedules. It is nice to relax with loved ones and ignore the stressors of day-to-day life. 

Our hilarious nephews/cousins are great together, despite their generational differences. Even if they are loud and crazy, their love is worth the volume. Ranging from a rising high school senior to a second grader, there are only a few times they will all be young together, and this week is one of them. 

Jack and Tate are newfound beach bums. They both have boogie boards and surf skills. Even with a few wipeouts, nothing is stopping them. Tate is on the lookout for sharks, and Jack promised he would scare them away. We’re taking advantage of the beautiful scenery on the bike trails. We even saw a few alligators on our ride. 

I’m glad to be with my fam in such a warm and fun environment. Beach week is a vacation for every generation, and I am happy we get the opportunity to spend it together.

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
This spring I teamed up with two other moms who are friends of mine to coordinate our neighborhood swim team. Two of us had kids on the team last year, and I knew it would be very involved. My other friend came into this job completely blind. We all volunteered for this position to make sure the kids even had a team this year. We worked hard to get everything ready for the start of swim season. We didn’t get any formal training, but we managed to pull off our first away swim meet without any major dilemmas.

This week, we’re hosting our first home swim meet. We’re happy to host at our own pool, but it also makes things even more complicated. We need more volunteers, parking assistance, concession, and logistical support. Asking for help is no easy task. I appreciate all the other parents who bend over backwards to donate their time and energy into something fun for the neighborhood kids. I hope the stars align so that we are ready for the meet Thursday.

Despite my personal stress from coordinating the swim team, Jack and Tate are having a blast. That’s what keeps me working hard to make this season fun. They performed well at their first meet, and they are hoping to better their times this week. I’m not sure if they like the ribbons more or the doughnuts more at Friday morning practice. Either way, they are both very motivated. As long as everyone is having fun, I’m committed to the whole process. I hope our meet goes smoothly this week and everybody has fun.

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Another school year is in the books. Jack and Tate finish 4th and 1st grade on Friday. Yet again, I can’t believe how quickly the time passed. I remember being a nervous wreck anticipating the transition to a new school. Thankfully, the boys settled in nicely and ended up having their best year yet.

As the artwork, projects, papers, notebooks and the remains of random desk trash come home, there is always a sense of heartache as I throw away or file away Jack and Tate’s work. It’s sad to know they will never be this little again. Having older nephews keeps me aware just how quickly college will come. But, I will focus on a fun summer we have planned ahead.

We are looking forward to lots of excitement this summer. Swim season starts next week and a trip to the beach shortly after. I’m looking forward to these carefree days and the memories we make this summer. Cheers to a successful school year!

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
It’s been pretty hot and humid lately around many parts of the country. So I’m probably not the only one who’s a bit sick of it! We’re trying to get through it—swimming, ice cream, air conditioning-fueled TV comas—but it’s not easy. I find myself pining for winter, when I can finally say, “enough with the freezing weather, I miss summer!”

Hudson takes the warm weather in stride. He’s pretty easy going in general, and anyway—what’s he going to do about it? He’s not yet two and he’s not the opinionated fashion maven his sister is, so he wears what I put on him and goes where I tell him to go.

Haley, on the other hand, is five with a vengeance. If she’s feeling the weather, she’ll tell you. Loudly. Repeatedly. In a whining voice. It’s not so charming, but I like to think of it as a reminder that I need to teach my children that not every moment and situation in this life is designed for our maximum comfort. The lesson hasn’t quite sunk in. It may take a while. I’m hoping to make headway by middle school.

Hope everyone has a nice, cool week.