I can't believe that today is already Wednesday! I don't know about any of you other sahm moms, but when the kids are all home for the summer the days all start to blend together!
I find it hard to run without a real schedule. Trying to create some semblance of planned activities balanced with the right amount of carefree relax time...(and by relax time I mean for the kids because they create even more dishes and laundry to wash when they are on vaca!)....is challenging!
Ultimately, I want all my kids to have happy summer memories from their childhood. I find it especially challenging because of the different age groups we have! What makes one group of kids happy makes another group of kids bored. What makes the older set happy often can't be done with the younger kids.
I find myself trying to plan some sort of (free or mostly free) activity for both sets but it isn't easy...or always possible!
The older boys are a little easier because they are working quite a few hours(30-40) and they have their own cars so they tend to meet their friends for ice cream or food or pool time...or their friends all come here which is fine with me. The challenge is that, when one of them is out at night, I can't really sleep until they get home. Of course, they almost never go out on the same night so that means late nights for this mama multiple nights a week!
Maybe that wouldn't be so bad if we didn't still have little ones that don't enjoy sleeping through the night!
Ahh...the joys of sleep deprivation!
I find it really hard for the middle kids, a.k.a. Sarah and Ellie, who would love to be more social with their friends but have to rely on parents for rides, or wait for open days since kids are away at camps because their parents work.
The little ones are content to mostly play at home but need some outings here and there to mix it up a little.
Then, of course, we have Peter who adds a whole other set of limits to the activities we can do and the time we can spend doing something.
It's just a lot to try and coordinate! Most of the time I feel like I am behind the eight ball! Even though I know in my head that it isn't my job to make everyone happy all the time, my heart still aches a little when my kids feel lonely.
I really do love having my kids home during the summer. I just miss the days when everyone was happy doing the same activity!
....and when everyone went to bed at 7:30!
The good old days!
