Summer Hopes

I've been a day ahead of myself all week. Yesterday's post was originally entitled, Friday Thought, and it wasn't until about four o'clock this morning that I realized my error. I've changed the title now, to the just as mundane and seriously uncatchy, Thursday Thought, but I guess at least I'm using some alliteration, you know? (Why was I up that early? I was lying in bed, under attack by at least one cat. I can't be sure which one. I did go back to sleep.)

My ability to forget what day it is goes hand in hand with the end of the semester. When I have a set schedule of teaching, I rarely forget what day it is. When I'm momming and volunteering, it could be any day of the week. I'm afraid for what is to come, because as of next Thursday, my children will all be home. Yes, our summer break starts on the afternoon of May 21.

A couple of weeks ago, I admitted that I'm ready for the summer. We've been sick all school year long, so I'm hoping that we have a germ-free block of sunny days. But I never am really ready for the summer break. Who can be ready for hour upon hour of complaints about the sun, the heat, the being bored that happen so often when you have hours to fill? And who can be ready to start back up as short order cook? And the laundry? I'm never ready for the enormous piles of laundry that stack up around here in the summer.

But this year, I'm armed. The girls are 13, Aaron is 10, and Melina will turn 7 in July. Not only do they have the maturity to be more helpful, but they have the strength. Which means five people getting things done around here should give us more time to do the fun things, like visiting metroparks, pools, and museums, or perhaps just sitting outside having a picnic. Our hours can be filled with more things to stimulate the mind than to make us bored, or at least that is the hope. And of course, I'm being selfish, too. I hope that I have a little more time to sit and write.

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