summertime summertime sum sum summertime

Summer has come to the valley. We are attempting to actually enjoy it. I tweaked our daily routine for the summer to make sure we got our work done but still have plenty of fun. In the morning the kids have four requirements:

PRACTICE-on violin (Emma and Sawyer) or piano (Slade and Nathan)

WORK-daily chore

BRAIN-math, reading and journal

BODY-something active for 15-20 minutes

If they get those four things completed before noon they earn screen and friend time. If they don't finish before noon, they owe me an extra job. Taking a cue from this great essay, I also assigned each day a theme:

Make It Monday

Take a Trip Tuesday

Wet Wednesday

Thinking Thursday

Friend Friday

Finally I started a weekly rotation for their house zones and dinner jobs.

ZONE 1- Kitchen and clear

ZONE 2- Basement and rinse

ZONE 3- Family Room and load

ZONE 4- Living Room and pans

Because it was 75% the same as what we had been doing before, the tweaks have been fairly easy to implement. Despite some complaining here and there, everybody seems to like the changes. We haven't been perfect about doing a fun activity everyday but we have done several.

 We made Gak on our first Make It Monday. After trying two different recipes, we decided this recipe was the best.

Mix thoroughly:

• 1 1/2 cups very warm water
• 2 cups white glue 
• food coloring (Could stain clothing and skin. Beware of blue, especially.)

In a separate bowl, mix thoroughly:

• 1 1/3 cups very warm water
• 2 level teaspoons Borax

Mix the contents of the two bowls together kneading until it is fully combined. Discard any remaining liquid.

They have subsequently spent hours playing with the stuff. Unfortunately, Anne took some into her room and left it on the carpet. I haven't figured out how to get it out yet.

For Take a Trip Tuesday, we took a drive out to Saratoga Springs to check out a new-to-us park. 

 Dave has taken the kids out to Seven Peaks a couple of times for Wet Wednesday. It didn't matter that Wet Wednesday actually happened on Monday. Sawyer is participating in a boys' summer group on Thursdays. When it was our turn we made our own bouncy balls (which was a failure), played with dry ice, painted the driveway with water, and ate cookies.

One month of the summer is almost over and I am still feeling optimistic about surviving the next two. There are plenty of big trips/camps still to enjoy, and with our plan even the every day stuff is filled with good memories.