Let the Games Begin!

Although you wouldn't know it by the weather, summer has officially arrived - maybe not the real season but summer vacation at least. Jake had his last day of 1st grade on Friday, Tanner finished up preschool the week before. The end of the year carnival is over, gifts for the teachers/coaches/aides have all been purchased and given, and the neighborhood Icee Shack is open for business. Now begins the chaos of summer.

This whole system of "summer vacation" is contrary to what this country needs in so many ways.. Most kids are no longer needed to work the fields in June, July, and August. Most homes have two full-time working parents now. Kids need the consistency of school to avoid the whole "learning loss" that occurs during summer break. Now, don't get me wrong, I remember my summers with fondness- 3 months stretched out with nothing to do but hang out at the pool, read my Sweet Valley High books, and play games of hide-and-go-seek with all the neighborhood kids. There is definitely a part of me that wants that for my kids, too. But.....then reality sets in. Three months with nothing to do with Jake- who despite getting better at entertaining himself in the last several months is still prone to stand in the office doorway and watch Brian and I work while complaining that he is bored rather then find himself something to do. Ugh.

My eldest has always thrived on the routine of the school day so this break is really a challenge for us. This year we decided to sign him up for a bunch of camps- almost every week has something going on. And of course we will have lots of play dates. But the scheduling is going to be hectic. Next week is skateboarding camp, the week after that is baseball, then football, then rock band... the list goes on until the first week of August when we take our vacation to Tahoe for a week.

Luckily my job is flexible and so is Brian's so we can manage the odd drop-off/pick-up times and the occasional day of lost work made up by working evenings after the kids are in bed. It is really a blessing in a lot of ways and I am grateful for it. Plus, we have the YMCA this summer, too, which has WiFi so I can drop him at child watch while I get some work done in the cafe. Maybe not the intended use of the child watch, but a good one, anyway!

As soon as the weather cooperates we can't wait to get out in the boat. We found a pair of almost new trainer skis for the kids at the neighborhood garage sale yesterday and I can hardly wait to get Jake out there, with me holding his skis underwater for his first try at water skiing. The kids talked about the boat all winter and are so excited to get underway. Brian and I are just hoping it starts- and I am reliving many, many summers where we all had our fingers crossed that the old Evinrude engine would start the first time we put it in the water at the Delta each summer. Mmmmm. I can still smell the exhaust fumes and feel the hot sun on my back while standing on the dock.....

We have a bunch of camping trips planned, too. Our first is next weekend to Bruneau Sand Dunes- which is about 90 min. away and is the largest sand dune in the U.S. Then we go again July 3 to YMCA family camp, one more in July, and one in mid-August. We have some guests coming as well- Kim and Bill will be here in late July and Sheila and Wayne in mid-July. Still hoping for a visit from others of you that read this blog regularly: YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!

So, it is with both anticipating and trepidation that we say goodbye to schooldays and say hello to the summer!