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Sunday, July 3, 2011

Summer Time.......Well Spent

At the end of the school year, if not earlier, we begin looking forward to summer. In our somewhat distorted and "wishful thinking" memories, we see summer as endless days of great weather, just waiting to be filled with camps, vacations, pool days, cookouts, play dates, reading just for the fun of it, and anything else we can think of. But, if we are realistic, we know that summer usually seems to slip by all too quickly and we are left with that feeling of "where did it go?"....just like when you eat an entire bowl of rocky road ice cream, then look down in disbelief, trying to solve the mystery. You are pretty sure you enjoyed that big bowl of sweet deliciousness, but you just didn't pay attention to every bite. Sometimes, you just went through the motions without being fully aware of just how tasty it was. I want to be aware of this summer. Actually I want to be aware always, but we'll just start with this summer. So it's not just about the plans, some of which I'll list below, it's about the focus....the attention. Am I in the moment? Big or small, am I really there? Am I focused on who is there with me? Am I taking in the people, the conversations, the sights, the sounds, the smells and even the tastes? Here's some "places" I plan to be this summer.
  • celebrate Alexa's 9th, Evan's 4th and John's 4o~something.... birthdays
  • visit with my dad and his wife and my siblings and their families at my dad's house in the country
  • participate in our church's first VBS in 10 years
  • grow veggies in a container garden with the kids
  • take the children bowling at least a few times on those hot hot days
  • get the children signed up for our summer reading program at the library...then READ, READ, READ
  • have a blast at the U2 concert in Pittsburgh with the best sister EVER
  • spend the day at Kennywood with my kids, my mom and my brother and his family....(one time on the Thunderbolt and some Potato Patch Fries and my day will be made)
  • go to the county fair
  • help the children enter some of their art and handcrafts in the fair
  • go to the theater to see some dollar movies with friends
  • see the fireworks from a cozy spot on our blanket on the museum lawn. Have a little picnic there, too, and don't forget the glowsticks! Bring lots to share!
  • create some rosary bracelets
  • share some chapter books with Alexa (her reading to me) a chapter a night.
  • catch fireflies
  • make and eat s'mores
  • grill out as often as possible
  • Farmers Market!!!!!
  • children start on Christmas gifts
  • daily outside time, no matter how hot it is, even just for a little while.....vitamin D intake!
  • make one trip to our local waterpark
  • Sky and Alexa need to have a lemonade stand. Actually I need them to, as a necessary part of their childhood.
  • Alexa gets to dance her little hip hop heart out at a local dance camp. She can't wait.

I kinda cheated on this list. Some of these can already be checked off. Alexa's birthday was so fun! Had a blast seeing everyone at my dad's! Yummy s'mores....enjoying the farmer's market and grilling out on the deck. etc. I took lots of photos and I hope I can post at least some of them. It's been a fantastic summer so far! It's been really hot and muggy at times and Alexa and Sky have both had bouts with illnesses. But summer isn't perfect, but it is awesome. And we are making as many living-in-the-moment memories as possible.

Hope you enjoy your holiday weekend! Make it special!

TTFN

~Tina

2 comments:

Tina said...

Just an edit to above post...it's Evan's 5th birthday that's coming up. I caught it right away...sort of. And Blogger is being a butt and won't let me change it. But yes, I DO know my son will be turning 5, not 4. Note to Blogger.....you are so lucky you are a free service, or I would be so done with you.

Grandma Jo said...

Just love your blogs, Tina! What a inspiration you are! And what a fun summer you have planned - and have already taken part in! I'm so glad I will be a part of it soon, but not too soon for me. You are filling your summer with a lot of fun things. I too try to live in the moment which we all should try to do. It's not easy to do all the time, but we keep trying. It's good to have this reminder. Hope your summer continues to go well! Have a safe and happy summer building many memories!! LYAB!!