Sidewalk Chalk Summer

This is what the Lord says to me: “I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.” -Isaiah 18:4

Summer is here and that means a whole different kind of activity level in our home! I imagine most moms can relate to this shift in atmosphere. It’s an adjustment for everyone as we fumble around to establish a new summer routine. The backpacks and lunch boxes are cleaned and tucked away until fall, schedules have shifted, and ready or not, the kids are preparing for some exciting days ahead as they’re filled with anticipation of what new adventures this summer might bring.

Our oldest son has wrestling camps, practices, and will be starting driver’s ed soon. He’s got all kinds of goals for the summer and is also enjoying some time to take it slower in the mornings. My thirteen-year-old is just relieved he can sleep in a little and spend more time doing the hobbies he loves. Our eight-year-old is content to have some sports, Lego building, and bike riding on the agenda. My four-year-old son is happy to have his brothers home (for the moment) and just tries to keep up with them at all costs. Even though they’re all enjoying their time so far, each of my kids have asked, “Are we going anywhere this summer?”

We aren’t big vacation people. Being a family of six and with the age gaps between our kids, we haven’t had many opportunities to go on fancy vacations. If I’m being honest, it just hasn’t been a huge priority for us, either. Even little trips require so much preparation from us moms that it can be daunting.

Camping, trips to the ocean, and staying a few nights somewhere are usually the extent of our summer plans and that has suited us well. We’ve had a few bigger trips over the years and there are a lot of places I would love to take our kids, but when they asked where we were going this summer, I didn’t have an answer! It just snuck up on us after the very full school year we had, and my husband and I realized we hadn’t planned a single camping trip or stay somewhere. At first, we thought we should scramble to plan something so the kids have more to look forward to. But you know what? They have summer to look forward to and everything that comes with it.

Samia Gatgens

Somewhere between the sidewalk chalk and the lemonade stands, summer settles in. We navigate the first few days of chaos while they’re all choosing to stay in one room of the house and fighting over a spot on the couch, and then things start to shift. They get into a rhythm and I try to keep some sort of routine going (for my own sanity and theirs!) Yes, there are some bumpy days. Unfortunately, summer doesn’t mean kids won’t argue, fight, or get bored. We aren’t all blissfully leaping through sprinklers and enjoying a popsicle. Sometimes it happens, but most often someone has dropped a popsicle and the ants are all over it. Or after all the sunscreen applying and swimming trunk finding, they are shivering and say the water’s too cold after two minutes and beg for a towel. The grass is stuck to their feet and tracked all over the house, their brother hit them with a water balloon outside of the designated pelting zone, there’s a hornet chasing them, or they think they should stay up until 10 because the sun still hasn’t set!

Nope, things aren’t perfect here. It’s still a busy time with a few sports camps, VBS, and swimming lessons. Aside from that, it feels good not to have a big trip on the calendar. We love to celebrate the 4^th of July so that’s always a big highlight, there are some local places we’d like to visit if we can, and maybe we’ll take a ferry boat ride for a day trip somewhere. My husband takes our older boys on some big hikes and we’re fortunate to live near many beautiful parks and a nice library.

Summer doesn’t have to be extravagant to be good. It’s amazing how much kids will come up with when they’re given the opportunity to slow down, to not be over-booked, and to take in the season by appreciating the simple things. Finding lady bugs, dipping their feet in a creek, and having an ice cream sandwich on the porch are great ways to spend a summer, no matter what the age.

If you’ve been feeling like your summer isn’t going to be “enough” because you don’t have some Instagram-worthy vacation planned, that’s just not true. The truth is, your kids will have a great summer even if all they do is draw with sidewalk chalk and ride their bikes. There’s no perfect recipe for summer vacation. Have some ice cream, go for walks, play catch with water balloons, and give yourself a break. It’s not our job to provide a picture-perfect summer, it’s our job to enjoy the time we have with our kids and to show them that some of the best memories can come from doing nothing at all.

A Moment in Summer

A moment in summer belongs to me and one particular honeybee. A moment in summer shimmering clear making the sky seem very near, a moment in summer belongs to me. -Charlotte Zolotow