Summer is fast approaching, the kids are almost out. What are you gonna do with yours for the long break from school? If you’re a stay at home mom, I’m sure you’re already dreading it. Oh sure you’ll revel in the lazy mornings, the relaxed breakfasts and the morning backyard activities. But by mid afternoon they’ll be bored, fighting and you’ll be ready for September. And that just the first week!
So what are you going to do with your little ones?
There are many options in the form of day camps and even sleep away camps available but those suckers are e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e. Some sleep away camps are so ridiculously over priced – you pay less for a small car! Awesome concept but back in the real world we’ve gotta get a little more creative.
If you live in a city then you have many day trip options. There are museums, art galleries, parks and playgrounds. If you’re lucky there’s water nearby, which gives the children a place to cool off from the summer heat.
If you’re in the country you have so much open space and I’m not going home this year so can we pitch a tent in your driveway? Kidding… kind of.
There’s planning involved for sure being Summer Camp Mommy, but you can make it a fun thing, planning a week at a time and soon enough it’ll be Labor day, time for school supplies shopping and putting away those white pants. I know about these fashion things…
Why not pretend you’re a homeschooling mom, just for the fun. It’s totally doable and a novelty all round, especially knowing they’ll be back at school soon enough…didn’t you play teachers when you were a kid? Besides, I’ve heard the movement is growing rapidly, so there must be something to it!
You can set the kids some lessons in the mornings, so their little brains don’t forget what they spent all year learning. I’m sure the school supplied you with summer packets an inch thick, so finding material won’t be difficult!
Then arrange to spend the afternoon out. There are plenty of free places to go if you have a tight budget, which most of us do, otherwise you would have been shipped them off to sleep away camp already, right? Most cities have community websites chocked full of free summer activities.
Be sure to pack picnic lunches and home snacks so that you don’t spend money on junk food out. You can use the home activities to stock up!
It’s advisable to have a couple of home days a week, just so you can get your laundry done. Hehehe, yeah I went there. And don’t forget to include all those things you can do on rainy days like cooking, painting, making forts and board games on your schedule. Set them up and let them go for it. You don’t have to supervise every waking minute and there’s plenty of flexibility but if you have a loose plan, the next 13 weeks won’t feel so daunting.
With a little structure and planning, Summer Camp Mommy will keep everyone happy, well mostly…and when it’s all too hard, remember there’s always vodka!
That’s my plan…
Comments 3
I agree with not over scheduling. There is something to be said for children learning to occupy themselves and having the time and opportunity to experience boredom and find their own way out of it.
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yeah the only problem is now there’ll be no boredom thanks to the ipad ;P
Thanks for sharing this at the Friday Follow Along! I have a long list of summer fun items we are planning this summer. Definitely a must to keep busy! You can check out my list at the link above