Summer Plans

Tomorrow is the last day of school. Last year, the final week of school was so chaotic that I decided to make myself a list this year to help prepare for each day. It went something like this:

Monday: Deanna - last PE, school uniform, bring PE clothes, change of clothes, watergun, beach towel, regular lunch. Dane - pool party, wear bathing suit and t-shirt with sensible shoes to walk to the pool, beach towel, change of clothes, 2-ltr. root beer, water bottle, picnic lunch. Daelyn: uniform, regular lunch.

Tuesday: Deanna - school uniform, regular lunch. Dane - school uniform, regular lunch. Daelyn - last PE, wear PE clothes and water shoes, take change of clothes, watergun, beach towel, and regular lunch.

Wednesday: Deanna - school uniform, regular lunch. Dane - last PE, school uniform, bring PE clothes, change of clothes, watergun, beach towel, regular lunch. Daelyn - end-of-year party, wear bathing suit and t-shirt with water shoes, beach towel, change of clothes, water bottle.

And so forth.

Between last PE's (with slip-and-slides and watergun fights), end-of-year parties, field trips (Dane's on one today), and the outdoor cook-out the 8th grade is sponsoring today for lunch, it's all a little overwhelming. Last year, I only had two children in school, but the list helped this year tremendously. Tomorrow, they get out at 11:50 (11:45 for the Kindergarteners so their parents can pick them up before mass pandemonium) and Don and I will take the kids out to lunch to celebrate the beginning of summer.

I decided I couldn't handle another summer like last year. We had way too many trips planned almost back-to-back, and the summer was more exhausting than the school year. This summer, we're going to take it slower, go out to the Lake some, spend a lot of time with friends, and try and spend one day each week doing school work. Deanna has a summer reading list and Daelyn has 1st. grade preparation work, so we'll throw some in for Dane and have a weekly school session. Perhaps we can also devote one day a week to crafts.

In any case, I can't wait until the children are home all day. Last night at dinner, Deanna prayed that they would all get along well this summer and not fight. Amen to that. She'll go to her grandparents for a week, as will Dane, giving them some time to themselves without their siblings around. And we'll spend a week at the beach and a week in Vacation Bible School.

I have some goals this summer, most of them geared towards projects on the house and building relationships between my children and their classmates. Early preparations for Christmas and trying to sell some of Deanna's jewelry and my soaps are also on the burners.

But, mostly, I want to be a family and build our relationships with each other. I want to spend time with each child doing the things they love to do - maybe taking Dane to a professional baseball game and going horseback riding with Deanna. I hope we can manage to not lose our focus. It wouldn't hurt to become more disciplined and for the children to start to take on more cleaning and cooking chores. The summer is a good time for teaching.

But, most of all, I hope we can spend this summer honoring the Lord in all we do. And focus on the most important task of all - loving each other.

Come on, summer. We have high expectations for you.