Monday, June 11, 2012

It's a Gift

This summer, my husband is not working.  At least he is not employed outside the home.  He hasn't been working for a year, as of yesterday.  I think we sort of coasted through the school year - with both kids gone for eight hours a day and many evening activities.  Summer hung out there like a big "oh my hannah, what are we going to do with that?"

I know that it has only been a week, but it is a gift.  What a great experience for Sean and for the girls - to have the ability for the first time to send the kids to community ed classes or summer school, and to look forward to afternoons with various activities!  I tried to help out with some organization - for instance, on the weekend we plan out lunches for the week and make sure we have the needed items on hand, so it is easy (and so that fast food doesn't seem any "easier").  We also have a chore list and the girls were really good about getting things done, and even learning to do new things like their laundry or loading the dishwasher.  We even made a list of "exercise" activities they should try to do every week, and we have a list of possible afternoon activities like the library or the beach or the park or local county museums for those days when they need to get out of the house.  Everyone has really had a great reaction to using all these ideas to live through the "no screens before 4 p.m." rule.  They even maintain the no screens rule on the weekends and we're all learning what other things one can do when not staring at the television or a computer screen! 

Today, Sean posted on Facebook that he covered the kids with bug spray (the mosquitoes are just thick and vicious right now) and gave them a hose - they are making mud in the front yard.  Good for them all!   Yesterday, they were on the trampoline with a sprinkler on under it - they came in covered with water, dead mosquitoes, sweat and schmuck from the trees and leaves and grass - and they ball out there for well over an hour.  Summer vacation should include plenty of time to get muddy, shouldn't it? 

This may be the only summer in their lives when these girls have the chance to just screw around at home, between various activities - Sean will be back to work by the end of the year I'm sure - and hope that he and the kids both look back fondly on this as a grand adventure! 

3 comments:

  1. I like the idea of "no screen”. I’m not sure I could follow it, though. I even read using one (my Kindle). I am sad that my granddaughter has lost interest in reading. She is 8. She was so enthusiastic about it last year. But now she would rather be in front of the “screen”.

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  2. Sounds like the best summer for those girls and Sean. I wish you could be more a part of it too. Funny, my son posted an article from Good Magazine on FB yesterday. It summarized Nature Deficient Disorder -- http://www.good.is/post/how-nature-deficit-disorder-is-making-us-fat-sick-and-depressed -- and I was reminded of the long summer days he and his sister had. They build forts and a treehouse of sorts AND they had a mud hole (complete with "mud clothes"). They were happy in the back yard and I was happy watching them and reading!

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  3. I love that you look at this experience as an opportunity, a gift. And I read your post a while back explaining his your husband came to be off this year, but couldn't find it again to comment. Might I saw that you are a very courageous woman, and that I hope your spouse appreciates what a strong, determined, and selfless woman he has by his side. You inspire me.

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