Summer Intentions—2023

Okay, peeps.

I’ve come across this tidbit of parenting perspective several times in recent weeks—both in person and online. It goes something like…

There are only 18 summers to childhood. Make this one count.

Really hits home, yes??

In fact, it’s kind of mind blowing when you think about it.

For even greater perspective, we did our own household count and realized there are officially 75 days to our summer break (isn’t that a nice solid number?). And a week is already done and gone!

So…in summary:

18 Childhood Summers

75 Days to This Summer

Which means we’ve got to live it up!

Now…let’s pause to note how cute my crazies are in this pic. Taking a selfie on Chica’s phone the other day while Daddy and I ran out to get coffee. There’s just something about their smiles when it’s only them and the camera.

They are the reason we have to live it up!

In my personal experience, planning is often the way to make the most of the limited time we have (although there’s something to be said for some of those unplanned, magical days, too). So we always head in to summer with boatloads of intentions that help focus our days and ensure we don’t waste them.

Also, the boatloads of intentions help us stay sane. And that’s probably more important than any of the memory-making, amiright???

So.

Without further delay, heeeeere are some things on our summer intentions list:

Activities

We’re certainly not going to be letting any grass grow. In addition to the weekly swimming and tennis lessons we’ll continue throughout the summer when we’re in town, the kiddos are enrolled in a slew of random things. Random different things, I might add.

In past years, my three crazies were in age brackets where it was easier to group them together. 

But now, they’re starting to fracture a bit on that front—and their interests are becoming more distinctive, too, which leads to a bit more fracturing.

Lastly, their friends are a major factor at this stage, as well. Syncing up with buddies for summer activities was a guiding force for a handful of things this year.

Like…tennis camp for Chica.

A no-brainer extension of the lessons our kiddos have already been doing. When one of Chica’s friends asked her to enroll, it was an easy-breezy decision.

Meanwhile this week, Little Man is enrolled in a Camp Invention through our school district’s GT program. It’s STEM-centric, and, so far, he’s given it a thumbs up.



And, lastly…this little cutie pie is ALL MINE in the mornings this week.



It’s such a rare treat to have only my Chicklet underfoot—and pretty much the reason she declined to join the tennis camp.

She and I have major Harry plans to complete the second book, watch the movie, and just soak in some special togetherness…like we did today. :)

Any Harry fans know exactly what we’re doing in this pic. ;)

In addition to the above activities…

Chica is doing a math camp with a friend later this month (yes, a MATH camp, ha). She and a handful of her friends are enrolled in honors math for middle school and a week of math-focused work will help avoid that summer slide.

Then Chicklet’s longtime friend—both in homeroom class and dyslexia intervention—is going to a traditional summer camp in the area and asked if she wanted to join.

She was all for it, and Little Man decided to jump on the bandwagon, as well. That will be in late July and hot, hot, hot, but a classic, summer day camp experience that’s actually through a faith-based organization.

And while my twins/not twins are occupied during that week at camp, Chica and I will have the chance for some pre-middle school shopping and one-on-one time. :)

Tack on a week of VBS (next week for all of us), and all of the above activities span nearly half of our available summer weeks. Whew! It’s a lot! But all good things.

Math & Reading

As I mentioned above, Chica has some dedicated math plans later this month, but I always do my best to tackle a bit of “school work” with mu crazies a couple days a week during the summer.

Luckily, my kiddos are all shaping up to be avid readers (AMEN, HALLELUJAH; you know I could do a whole post about this, but I won’t…for now), so I’ve stocked them up with new series and/or extensions of series they already love to keep them reading away in the coming weeks.

Chica has been adrift the past couple weeks, after completing a lengthy series (The Land Of Stories) that she adored and spent months reading. 

But I finally managed to find something to spark her interest—and it’s another long series, which is always a good thing for her.

After starting the first book last night, she’s already about 100 pages in, so I know she’s hooked. 

And I luuuuurv it when I’m nearby while she’s reading so she has the chance to ask me about vocabulary words. Today’s asks included: telekinesis, chagrined, upbringing, and a few more I can’t remember. Reading for the win!



In other summer reading news…I already mentioned that Chicklet and I will be finishing the second Harry. That’s a given, since we’re already on the final two chapters.

But Chica and I are still co-reading Harry, as well. We’re halfway through the sixth book. And though I’ve given her permission to blaze away without me, now that she’s older and such a savvy reader, she wants to continue the way we began: together. And I die over that. It makes my heart SO happy.

So we’ve got the major goal of finishing the sixth book and it will be a challenge to find the time, but we’re up for it!

On the math front, beyond Chica’s little camp, I’ll make the other two tackle some workbook and online challenges. This is the one workbook I’ve purchased for this summer…

Travel

Okay. Last year, we had our epic anniversary Hawaii trip, and there’s really no topping that for this summer, ha. But we’ve got two really wonderful things on the agenda because of the people we’ll be with.

First up: a trip (this weekend, actually!) to Florida, to see my dear, DEAR, DEAAAAR friend, who is also the kiddos’ godmother. I haven’t seen her in person in more than four years, and the kiddos/hubby haven’t seen her in five! It’s TIME.

I mean…look how tiny my babies were the last time we saw her! It’s going to be a fantastic long weekend and it will do my soul SO MUCH GOOD to see my friend who means so much to me. I can’t wait. :) And, hellooooo, bonus beach time!

Then, in early July, we have a Colorado trip planned to celebrate my mom’s big bday, and it’s also going to be such a joy because we haven’t traveled with anybody from my side of the family since my mom’s last milestone bday, so…again, it’s TIME.

Picture proof of how tiny my babies were the last time:

I think that was also the same year we managed a trip with the hubby’s side of the family (that August, to Mexico), so…all these things are due again!

Luckily, we’ve also got our annual (maybe five or six years running?) trip to Oklahoma in late July. It’s always something the kiddos look forward to and enjoy, and I’m happy we can keep the tradition going!

For MAMA

Okay…this summer intention is all for ME. I’m only a few classes away from my 250th Barre Class milestone, and I’ve literally worked until it hurts for this one, so I’m excited. I’m so close!

Now that Chica is another summer older, and in possession of a cell phone, the hubby and I are finagling schedules so that we can each manage a couple days of Barre (me) and Pickleball (him) a week, while only leaving the kiddos for half an hour at a time.

These pockets of activity have been so beneficial to both of us, and for me, personally, the relationships I’ve built with my lively “Barre Besties” are truly priceless.

These women are a joy to be around. We’re supportive of one another across all facets of our lives, silly in the way of youth (I mean, we sometimes match exercise clothes, for the love!), and just downright FUN.

I adore them, and I’ll be grateful to maintain some continuity over the summer, even if it’s not as many days as I would like.

Behavioral Boost

Okay…nearing the end of our list, here. One of our household summer intentions is to promote the BEST behavior my kiddos can collectively maintain.

I’ll do a whole separate post about this, but we’ve created charts and a gem system and rewards that are a riot, and…so far, so good.

My kiddos are all wonderful kiddos, but they all have areas available for improvement—just like the rest of us! We’re all human and constantly growing and evolving. And I think this is going to be a fun way to track things over the summer. :)

Social Connections

Last but vertically not least…we’ve really worked hard to build wonderful relationships here in San Antonio. And the kiddos are finally old enough to maintain some of their friendships year over year, even when they don’t end up in the same classroom as some friends.

This summer, more than any other, I hope we can hold tight to those relationships. I think it’s going to be easy to do, given a lot of the activity and camp touchstones, but it certainly takes a bit of planning, so we’ll have to make sure to put in the work!

Okay. WHEW! That’s a lot, right??? 

And there are lots of other odds and ends (Monday Science Fun days, Test Kitchen Tuesdays, theme days, project goals, STEM experiments, and some local excursions) that I haven’t mentioned, but…you get the gist with our big buckets.

I know it’s going to add up to a FANTASTIC summer…even if it makes me a bit tired reading all of it, ha. 

Now. I’ll end with these beautiful sunset pics out our windows last night. :)

This house/property continues to be an ongoing love/loathe relationship, but you really can’t beat the views, sometimes. 

HAPPY SUMMER 2023, PEEPS!!!

Over and out.