First Summer Days

The kids haven't even been out of school a week and already it feels like full blown summer.  Our summers look a bit different every year.  Each year I try to tweak it to get it just right.  Each summer I think maybe THIS is the summer where I strike the perfect balance between weeks of camps and glorious free time.

This year Louise wanted nothing to do with camps outside of church so she's in drama camp (this week) and VBS (last week of July).  Ainsley is doing her first 4 day overnight camp in August and another week of day camp+an overnight in July, in addition to the two church camps.  Felix is doing VBS and two weeks of preschool camp.  Thrown in there as well are two 10 day trips to the cabin and one 5 day trip for Ian and I to the Cape and Boston, SANS children.
I think this summer I may have hit the jackpot.

This summer my baby is 5.  He can swim and bike and takes really good care of himself.  I can sew inside while they play outside and only check on them every 20 minutes or so.  Alternatively they are all young enough that they vie for position on my lap on a picnic blanket when we start a new book together.  I've been sad lately about leaving the preschool years behind, but maybe this new stage is the best yet in it's own way?

I was more nervous about this summer than any other summer.  I knew I'd be juggling friends over and kids over at friends and squabbles and drama.  My three all have BIG personalities and while they can play well together it always ends in loudness and disagreements.  BUT! The beauty of seasoned parenthood is having tricks up my sleeves that I don't bat an eye about.  Slip n slide, bike rides, nature walks, getting OUT.  It always reboots us.  I'm thankful to be on turf that I know so well, with standbys from my childhood still there.

This summer my goal is to settle.  Not in the sense of being ok with the mundane, but in looking around us and just leaning in to what we have here.  One thing I've noticed since moving here is I've gotten in the habit of shopping during my free time.  If I had an extra half our before preschool pickup I'd peruse the thrift shop or Target.  I've gone through the Caribou drive through more times than I'd like to admit out of convenience.  I often think of how different life was in Oak Park.  How I used to make myself walk my errands with a double stroller and tiny biker or baby wearer in tow.  I used to go days between going to a store.  I got such a thrill out of just thriving on what we already had.  Now here I am with a chest freezer, full pantry and exploding garden and I still can't thin k of a thing to make for dinner some nights.  The devil of convenience in the  suburbs is real.

I had just gotten used to Oak Park and settled into our way of life and then we had to reboot again.  I had a girl who really struggled with our move and truth be told I struggled too. Change is my achilles heel.

But the whole summer is ahead of us.  I hope it's one to remember.