Summer Schedule 2009 (UPDATED!)

This morning the children and I met some friends for Library Story Time and lunch at

Chick-fil-A

I think such a scenario is the standard "go-to plan" of all stay-at-home mommies with young children. Before birthing these two little precious children of mine, I had no idea my life would quickly become quite so stereotypical. I just had to giggle a bit this afternoon as I unloaded two sweaty children, one purse bulging with a variety of sippy cups and half-eaten boxes of raisins, one book bag of library books, and one chick-fil-a cup....all while wearing my "mom-a-form" of Capri pants and t-shirt.

Fun times, my friend.

Although we had a pretty typical morning today (and a relatively peaceful one at that...no meltdowns until the last five minutes when a certain boy became unglued over the fact the air-conditioner was not running in a manner he felt was desirable), I have big plans for our summer. Such plans go beyond the traditional treks to the library and Chick-fil-A (so yummy...but so expensive these days!). Check out the link below to see a copy of our summer schedule and then keep reading for an explanation as to exactly what we are doing for the next three months.

Summer Schedule 2009

Fruits of the Spirit: This year we are once again learning the Fruits of the Spirit here at casa de phillips. We discussed these traits last year, but I think they are always worth discussing. Each Monday I plan to post my weekly curriculum for this study, so follow along if you want (just know...in reality, my kids are going to be a week ahead than the blog post. I do this in order to include pictures and to keep my sanity somewhat in tact.). My friend Robin is doing the same with her children and I will be sharing some of her ideas as well.

School Work: Evelyn and I will be focusing on letter recognition and letter sounds this summer while Isaac and I are going to work on his reading skills. He and I have been messing around with reading for quite awhile and he can read some things right now...but it is time to take a serious crack at learning to read. We are both quite excited about this little adventure.

Park Hopping Extravaganza: We are fortunate to live in an area that has a multitude of great parks. Honestly I do not feel like we take full advantage of such resources. This summer I have a list of parks in our area and surrounding suburbs that I would like for us to try on for size. Due to the heat factor, we must do such testing in the early morning hours. If you live nearby and have a park to recommend, please let me know!

House Cleaning, Part 1: I have decided to vary my cleaning schedule, mainly because cleaning schedules are so incredibly dull that they simply scream for variety on occasion. This summer I intend to sweep/mop, clean bathrooms, and dust on Wednesday mornings.

House Cleaning, Part 2: On Thursday mornings, I wash all bed linens, clean the kitchen, clean showers, and vacuum.

Morning Chores: Everyday we make all the beds, straighten the house (this actually happens before nap and before bedtime), wipe down counters (kitchen and bath), unload dishwasher (the NEVERENDING chore) and do a light sweep (who knew children generated so many crumbs?). Such chores are a family effort. The kids help with making of beds, straightening (cleaning up toys, putting clothes in laundry basket), and with cleaning of table (Evelyn's favorite chore...the child even moves the booster seats and wipes under them which is something her mother does not always do).

Playdate: We always love getting together with friends!

Friday Field Trip: This year, I finally feel like I have two kids who would both equally enjoy particular "field trip" type activities. I cannot express how greatly this excites me. I have generated a list of activities which I plan for us to do on Fridays this summer. If you would like to know what we are going to do (and possibly like to join us!), just send me an email. If you have any suggestions, pass those along as well!

Swimming: Being a former "water baby" my own self, the Lord has blessed me with two children who love the water just as much as their Mommy. We try to hit the pool most Saturday mornings as a family, but this year I believe the children and I can venture out one or two afternoons a week as well. I had planned on doing this last year, but wimped out because I had one kid who was crawling and one kid who was still a bit unsteady in the deeper parts of the kiddie pool.

So that is our summer in a not-so-short blog post. Although it appears to be relatively structured, please know that it is flexible. For example, one week the kids are in swimming lessons all week which will throw all other activities out the window. I am also contemplating a local science camp for Isaac and considering sending the children to our preschool's Mother's Day Out a few times at the end of the summer. This schedule is not etched in stone and mandatory, but rather serves as a guideline for our summer so we all are alive and sane by the end of August.

Anyone else care to share a summer schedule?

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