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Friday, July 6, 2012

Summer Crunch

I've heard, "Whoever talked about the lazy days of summer didn't have children."  Well, there's a resounding AMEN to that phrase in our home again this summer.

Our children all participate in one of the local summer swim clubs which gives us early morning wake ups.  We are up, out the door, and at the pool earlier than we get up during the school year.  That is somehow just so, so wrong.  The only saving grace is that the kids just throw on a suit and go.  Goggles and towels are hung by the door so we grab 'em on our way out.  It's a painless as possible for the non-early riser.

I use the time they are swimming to squeeze some exercise into my day, too.  Yes, SQUEEZE.  Because despite not having "anything to do" all summer, "the days," as Calvin & Hobbes puts it, "are just packed!"  I run/walk with some other moms squeezing exercise into their day, too.  I plan on doing it everyday, so I usually get three or four mornings out of it - given schedule hiccups.

My boys are on summer lacrosse leagues for the first time this year.  So we bookend our early swim team mornings with lacrosse practices or games.  Last week, my oldest son had a game at 9PM!  I'm usually powering down for the night by then.  Combining this new lacrosse schedule for our family with Saturday meets, Wednesday night meets, and lacrosse tournaments ... the days are long.  And now that it's July, the days are hot, steamy, and sticky, too.

At least we have the middle of the day, right?  Yep!  You bet.  Well, sort of.  After that morning Olympic year workout, those kids are spent.  The next couple hours are spent being as lazy as humanly possible and still drawing breath.  The afternoons are filled with library trips, bike rides, forest wandering, $1 movies, PlayStation, Just Dance, lots of crafts (for the girl child), more swimming, Monopoly, poker, and the occasional nap.  Accompanied by the usual bickering I assume is standard issue for all out-of-school siblings.

We are squeezing as much of summer as we can into the middle of the day.  In a few short weeks, the swim season will wind up, the kids will head off to sleep away camp, and the remainder of August will be spent finally sleeping in.  It will be insanely delightful.  We are all looking forward to it.  Until then, we crunch along.

The Total and Complete Upside:  Relishing in these days of summer while my kids are still underfoot, wanting to play with me, wanting me to sit and watch a movie with them, wanting my company - I will drink it in like a soothing tonic.  These months are clicking by just too fast for me ... I heard tale of Back to School sales beginning.  I just shake my head.  With all the running and the less than lazy days, I'll take the kids and crunch over empty bedrooms any day (and twice on Sunday).

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