Summertime

Good old summertime. I honestly started counting down to summer as soon as spring break ended. First, I was counting the weeks until summer would begin.  Then it turned into every Monday telling myself how many more Mondays we had left. Then, as summer got closer and closer, it turned into me counting down exactly how many days we had left until the kids were home full-time and the rigid schedule would be over.

Then finally, it happened! Yes, we made it through teacher appreciation week where our elementary student was asked to bring in a different gift every day of the week. We made it through field trip season, where each of our kids asked for a different, increasingly larger amount of money every time I turned around. We even made it through the banquet and performance season, where it seemed there was some celebration or show every other night of the week. 

The kids survived the dwindling lunch and snack supplies. Yes, we went from, “Kids, let me know what you all want for lunch and snack, and I will make sure you have it” to “I think there might be a yogurt, a doughnut, and maybe some Cheetos. Wait, I just found a cheese stick in the back of the fridge.” 

After marking off the days on the calendar, here we are…it’s finally summer. We are one week in…and I am about to pull my hair out!

I waited and waited for slow summer mornings. I was so ready to sleep in a little, or more importantly, for the kids to sleep in a little. I had visions of waking up before the kids, maybe working out or going for a walk, then eating my breakfast and drinking my coffee, slowly, on the back porch. I thought I would welcome the children waking, maybe have some breakfast ready for them, and I would be prepared to start our day together.  

The reality, I am staying up too late at night because the kids swear it’s too early to go to bed because it is still daylight outside. Because I am up so late, I can barely drag myself out of bed in the morning. I am not getting up until the kids are up, so any chances of that slow solitary start on the back porch is out of the question. Yes, I am prepared for the kids and I to start our day together, because as soon as we are up, fed, and dressed, it’s time to get ready for their 11:30 swim lessons. Instead of kids crying, “I can’t find my socks,” it is now “I can’t find my goggles!” Instead of “These jeans are too tight,” it has turned into “This swimsuit doesn’t fit me!” Somehow, just like a school morning, we are barely making it out of the door on time. Yes, good old summertime. 

No sooner do we get home from swim lessons and everyone is hungry. No, starving! Wait, let me rephrase that…if the kids are awake, they are hungry. It doesn’t matter what they eat, when they eat, or how much they eat, they are hungry. I can cook, and they are hungry. I can give them leftovers, and they are hungry. I can give them snacks, and they are hungry. Let me say it again, it literally does not matter when or what or how much they eat, they are hungry. They somehow have gone from a yogurt, a doughnut, and some Cheetos getting them through their day to eating a stack of waffles, some blueberries, a cheese stick, a bowl of cereal, another bowl of cereal, a banana, Nutella on toast, and they are barely making it until lunch! Yes, good old summertime.

Nighttime is now free of evening commitments, which means as soon as we are finished with dinner, besides them being hungry again, they are bored. They want to know where are we going, what movie are we watching, can they go somewhere, can someone come over, can they make something, can they do something, can they take something out. If I ask them to pick up around the house first, they need to shower, they are about to eat, or they are tired and just want to relax. When it is tuck-in time for the little kids, they balk that it is still light outside so there is no way it is bedtime. Some nights, it really isn’t bedtime, I’m just so ready for a break. They call my bluff, and it’s a few more hours of feeding and entertaining. For the big kids, as soon as I’m ready to go to bed they are ready to party. There’s more cooking, more slamming of the cabinets, more movies playing on the TV in the living room. Yes, good old summertime.

Not to mention the cackling, the stories, the “Here, look at this meme.” There is the scatter of toys, the wet beach towels, the leftover blankets from making a fort, the dishes that litter the coffee table and countertops. It seems there is evidence of food everywhere. There are cups on nearly every surface. There are flip flops in the hallway, sleeping bags in the living room, and face mask wrappers in the bathroom. There are fights and arguments, “Leave me alone” and “Stop talking to me,” and “Why did you hit me?” Yes, good old summertime.

Now, I know, I will miss this when it is gone. I know there will come a day that hubby and I eat out at the early bird special alone because it is cheaper than making meals for two. I know there will come a time that the summer days slip by again as slowly as when we were kids. I know there will come a time that our house is so quiet it is deafening to hear.

But that time is not now. The truth is, summer is chaotic and loud, it is messy and unstructured, it is late and unpredictable. I love the time with the kids, I really do, but I would be lying if I told you it is all fun and games. The truth is, I count down until bedtime, and when I do wake before them, I make as little noise as possible as to not wake them up, too.  When they ask to go swimming, I say yes, not because I am trying to be awesome, but because I want to wear them out so we might have a quiet afternoon or an early tuck-in. When they ask for a snack again, and I am really not sure if they ate all of their lunch or not, I say yes, not because I am trying to be lax, but because I am too worn out to check their lunch and remake their lunch if they really didn’t eat it. The truth is, I am trying to keep up, trying to keep my head above water, and trying to make sure I don’t start counting down to the first day of school. So, here’s to good old summertime! 

I need to go to the grocery store.