It’s July. We are about mid-way through what will be remembered for me as the longest summer of all time. School in Southern CA normally gets out mid to late June. Because California has no money, school got out earlier this year. And because we told the preschool teacher we wanted her to pro-rate the very short month of June, she decided to end preschool at the end of May. Seemed like a great idea at the time. What I think I didn’t realize is that it meant FOURTEEN weeks of summer. A full three plus months with me, three kids, and 24 hours in a day.
Sure we made a summer plan. Sure we are doing some worksheets for school and some chores every day. We’re even doing fun things like going to the beach or the pool. But I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle. My house has never been messier, my meals have never been so ill planned or non-existent, my kids have never fought so much, and my patience level has never been so low.
I’ve been feeling like a bad mom and wife because of all of this but I decided that this, too, shall pass. School will start again. I’ll have four hours a day without one child and even a few hours a week without two of them. I’ll be back to working more, I’ll get my house back under control. In the mean time, I just have to survive.
As I was thinking of how I was going to survive, I was reminded of one of my favorite blog series, Kacy Faulconer’s “Obvious Tips for Not –Very-Good-Homemakers.”
I felt like this summer I am falling far into the not-very-good-homemaker category and I thought I could add a few tips that are helping me survive.
Summertime Obvious Tips for Not-Very-Good-Homemakers
--dinner doesn’t have to be hot. As long as it’s different than what we had for lunch it’s fair game. This includes cheese and crackers. Throw on some salami and it’s practically gourmet.
--taking naps is perfectly acceptable. I don’t know why moms have mom-guilt about taking naps. Our job is tiring. I feel perfectly fine about turning on a movie for the big boys while the baby is napping to catch a few extra minutes of sleep. The laundry can wait.
--TV rules don’t have to apply in the summer. Honestly, I hate that my kids watch too much TV in the summer. But I also hate that they wake up at 6 am. So I let them watch TV. It’s more than they watch during the school year but I don’t care.
--if they’re in their rooms, who cares if they are actually asleep? This is a new one for me. We don’t have anywhere to be in the mornings. They can take 3 hour naps if they need to. So, once they are in bed and out of my hair, I don’t really care if they are silly for another hour. It’s light outside for heaven’s sake!
--a hose in the backyard can entertain bored kids for at least an hour. Just shut your windows because they are likely to spray inside the house at some point.
--don’t wash the beach towels after every trip to the pool. Pull out any really dirty ones (like ones that got dragged through the dirt) and the rest just throw in the dryer. Good as new for the pool the next day.
--you don’t have to bring toys to the beach if you are meeting friends. Everyone else will bring toys. I have each of my boys carry a shovel (the one thing they’ll fight over). Let the other moms drag the huge bag of toys.
--It’s ok to be frustrated. I know some moms love summer. They soak up every minute. For me, it’s hard to have my kids home 24/7. My kids are a lot of work. They need a break from me sometimes and sometimes I need a break from them. Get a babysitter every now and then and everyone will be happier.
