Off Beat

We can't find our summer groove. The weather is too cold. We still need long-sleeve shirts or jackets until about 11 am. The girls are fighting. And I am resisting, trying to avoid the necessary discipline and coordination that comes with the three of us being home all day.

Summer works best at my house if it is planned, coordinated and not left as a free-for-all. I've done it before, but this summer is the first time both girls just finished some level of school. And the differences between the girls are pronounced this year. Hadley can read chapter books and will spend 45 minutes after a trip to the library absorbing a new tale. Many of her favorite activities include writing a plan or making lists. The world of reading and writing doesn't make much sense to Kassy after listing the fifteen words she can read.

I know how to handle all this. It involves stopping what I am doing, putting the laundry down, the groceries on the floor, the cooking away and supervising. Hads can read to Kassy who will happily listen. Hads can write down stories that Kassy dictates or illustrates. I know teaching siblings to care for each other and to get along doesn't happen by accident.

Here's my goal schedule. I make one each year. Usually by the end of the summer we follow it with less frequency, but recording it holds me accountable. (for the record I've gotten up three times since starting this post to intervene in the sister feuds). So, the schedule:
Wake up, at a natural time (aka no alarm clock)
eat, get dressed, make beds, put PJs away
Do a chore: put away laundry, sweep, pick up sticks, etc. Summer is my time to teach new tasks as each year we expect the girls to do a bit more work around the house.
Either watch 30 minutes of TV, pack for swim lessons, or play. I've designated Tuesday and Thursday as no screen days--meaning no TV or computer all day.
Lesson time for at least 45 minutes: the next few weeks we will focus on writing and Spanish. We'll do math when we return from Honduras. I really believe summer break is a disadvantage academically unless you make it otherwise--you know, fill in the gaps, teach the things they don't learn at school, reinforce concepts.
Lunch
playtime
At 3 pm. We all go to separate rooms for quiet time for an hour. No sleeping required. But we all need a break.
From 4 on, there is no plan.

And then there are the messes. Being home all the time creates messes. It seems everywhere we go requires a bag: for snacks, water bottles, sunscreen, snacks, maybe even a picnic lunch, towels for swimming, bug spray. The necessary gear for summer gets thrown in a bag, bits get left in nooks in the car and thrown on a table or the ground upon entry to the house. I can either clean up the messes myself (bad choice) or make the girls do it. Both take discipline and a good attitude.

Soccer season and end-of- the-school-year activities wore me down. I feel exhausted and tired of being on the go. Hopefully after this weekend, the house will be restored to some order and the groove of summer will arrive (with some warm weather please!). Summer is fun, but as a mom, it takes discipline since the natural routine of the school year is lost. But I know it's good. At this house, summer won't be an end to learning, the subjects will just change.

And now, I need to go find the sleeping bags and pads and make certain the portable DVD is charged. I promised the girls we could have our first sleepover in the treehouse tonight. We made jello jigglers (sugar-free) and popcorn. We rented a movie. I'm not sure how much sleep I will actually get, but it will be a memory and hopefully the first of many treehouse sleepouts!