surviving summer

Back in the spring, I had some serious panic attacks wondering just how I was going to make it work with the three kids home this summer. How would I work around the baby's naps? How would I let the kids be outside (their preferred place to be!) while the baby was still too young to wear sunscreen? How could I handle taking bringing three kids out and about?

Today I realized with great surprise that we have somehow survived a full month! Busy we have been! Somehow- even with all of those valid worries I had, we've made it work. 

Of course, some days are better than others. Some days I feel like a rock star. And others... well, others are the kind of days you take the kids to swimming lessons along with every other family in town and yours are the only kids that are not paying attention, throwing rocks, disrupting the group, etc, etc. (We paid for 14 days of lessons but that whole experience was so mortifying that we only went to 3 of them)

Another mom I know had this wonderful suggestion of planning out the summer by days: Mondays are "Craft Day", Tuesdays are "Water Day", etc... And while I love that idea, it didn't exactly work for us this year because of the kids' opposing schedules with camp & summer school (though it may work in August...) What I finally ended up doing was making a master list of activities organized by category...

CRAFTS/COOKING

✓build & paint a birdhouse

✓air-dry clay

make cards for loved ones

✓art/painting

✓baking

make popsicles or ice cream

✓*book club*

NATURE/DISCOVERY

✓gardening

✓nature/bug hunt

tiny trotters at the farm

robb's farm

dinosaur state park

✓nature's art

ecotarium 

MUSEUMS/ZOOS

✓science center

✓ aquarium

✓roger williams zoo

southwick zoo

PARKS/WATER

✓sprinkler

wash the car

splash pad

salmon river

✓the lake 

✓beach in ri

✓papa & gaga's pool

HOME

lemonade stand

fly a kite

obstacle course in yard

camping

✓picnic

waterballoons on trampoline

paint the chicken coop

friends over for MYO pizza

friends over for ice cream social

...and kind of just playing it all by ear. 

I think the key has been doing something- even something small- every day. (This site has some great simple ideas for activities, like "go to a store and pick out diapers and canned goods. bring them to your local food pantry" and "go on a bug hunt. how many bugs can you find in your yard?") Because of Dylan, we have to be a bit flexible, so if it's forecasted to be a 90-degree day our plans for something outdoors might have to be switched with an indoor activity, but so far Ollie and Peyton haven't seemed to mind!

Something that the kids are really enjoying is our Book Club. A few times a week we read a book and do a coordinating project afterward. (I have a board on Pinterest dedicated to home school projects if you're interested.)

So that's how we're surviving summer! 

How are you all making it work? Any fun suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

In any case, I hope you are all having lots of summer fun!