Summer Prep – Part 4

 

Idea jars are going to be my secret mommy weapon this summer.  One of those things you just happen to pull out of nowhere in a split second.  My kids will either think I am completely awesome or they will know I’ve had it and they better get ready to work.  The great thing is…it’s up to them.  

2 jars – one if they are being nice and one if they are being naughty. 

I don’t know about your house, but at ours we have sibling squabbles, rowdy play, arguing and lots of deafness going on.  My children tend to not hear me a lot of the time.  When quiet time isn’t working and free play is creating havoc, I will pull out my jars for quick thinking. 

First I have to decide which jar to use.  If they are on my naughty list, which means they have had plenty of chances to redeem themselves and this is the last straw, then they each have to choose a slip from the naughty jar.

Here are a few examples of what they might draw:

Take out the garbage's

Clean your jammy drawer

Windex the back door

Clean the garage

Straighten the house

Dump the recycle

Clean the door knobs

If they are behaving well and just need a little help getting started on an activity during free play or… I’m feeling really nice and generous that day, then they get to choose from the nice jar.  Super Kid gets to choose 1 and all 3 of them do that 1 activity.  We have to simplify.

Here are a few examples of what they might draw:

Make brownies – we always have a box mix in our panty

Story time – each takes a turn reading to each other (like at the library)

Board Games

Bubbles outside

Play Leap Frog

Wii Sing It or Bowling

Play Telephone

Movie and Popcorn

Make a snow cone – eat it outside

Give back and foot rubs

Side walk chalk

Cut out magazines

Count the commercials on your TV show

Spin the bottle – you set up books in a circle with a water bottle in the middle.  Spin it and read the book it lands on.

Color a picture for mommy – it has to be super pretty (which means take your time)

It  is really up to them which jar I choose.  I want them to have a lot of fun this summer.  They have plenty of opportunities to do fun things.   I’m hoping that this gives them an incentive to listen and behave.  If not, I’m going to have a clean house!  Sounds like a win, win to me. :)

Check back tomorrow for my last summer post.   

To read part 1

To read part 2

To read part 3

Summer Prep – Part 2

 

Planning is just as important as cleaning and organizing.  This is the step where all of your ideas, thoughts, needs and wants for the summer come together.  I’m a list maker so the next thing I did was get organized on paper. 

I keep this file folder handy all year long.

 

I subscribe to the Family Fun Magazine.  They are so creative and have lots of great ideas.  When I see something I want to do , whether it be a kid friendly summer recipe or a craft, I tear it out and stick it in this folder of summer ideas.  Of course I find most of my ideas from blogging (because you ladies are seriously amazing!).  I jot those down on a sticky note and toss it in the folder.  I also save my summer plan from the previous year to see if there is anything we didn’t get to or if there are things I want to do again.  I pull everything out and spread it all over my table. 

But before I get to that pile I make a list of what I want our summer to be about.  The things that I really want us to do and things I know my kids love.  I also think about things that I personally want to do and try to think of a way to fit it in. 

Here is  my list:

Pool Time

Library Trips

Movie Theater

Reading with my kids

Free Play

Quiet Time

Craft Time

ABC Summer

Field Trips

Outside Play

Kids help with Treats

Kids help with Dinner

Me Time

Then I check my calendar to see what we are already committed to and when our vacations are.  Now I am ready to plan our summer routine which I call my “Summer Plan.”  When you think of summer, I’m sure routine isn’t the first thing that comes to your mind.  It’s probably the last thing you want to think about.  I feel this way too a little bit.  I want our summer to be laid back and relaxed, but there are a lot of fun things I want to do with my kids.  I know they will get bored if I don’t have some sort of plan and that is not a good thing.  Driving their momma crazy

is.

not.

good!!

I came up with a weekly routine that works for us.  I have to be flexible because of Ady’s naps.  She isn’t very predictable.  There are always things that come up, so this routine is just a guideline.  Something to keep me sane and a way for my kids to know what to expect of our day (and what I expect of them).  We all do better that way. 

Summer Plan

Every day from 7:30 – 11:00 – The kids can sleep in, but I will be awake to start chores.  Once they are awake, breakfast, chores, swim team practice for 1 hour, get ready, TV time.

Every day between 5:00 – 5:30 – I will start making dinner.

Those two things I knew would be constants through out the day.  In between those times I fill in with our activities.

Monday

Alphabet worksheets (more on this later)

Lunch

Free Play (me time)

Library

Reading time with mommy

Alphabet Activity (more on this later)

Kids – Quiet Time (me time)

Outside play while I make dinner

Free Time/Family Time until bed

Tuesday

Art/Craft Time

Pool with friends/lunch at the pool

Quiet Time/Movie time/Me time

Free Play

Dinner – I have this really fun children's cookbook.  It’s called Simple 1-2-3 Cooking for Kids. I want to start teaching my kids about recipes so every Tuesday night Super Kid gets to choose a recipe and help me make it.

Outside Play until bed/Mommy cleans up

Wednesday

Wednesday mornings my kids will skip swim practice and we will go to the movies with friends.  Cinemark does $ movies once a week for the summer.  We have done this every year and really enjoy it.  Check it out in your area.

Lunch

Alphabet Worksheet and Activity

Quiet Time/Me Time

Read with mommy

Free Play/Me Time

Outside play while I make dinner

Treat time with mom – Every Wednesday night Super Kid gets to choose a recipe from that same cookbook and help me make a treat. 

Free Play/Outside play until bed/Mommy cleans up

Thursday

Same as Tuesday except that it is my laundry and cleaning day.  I will do laundry in between activities through out the day but do most of my cleaning at night.  It’s pointless to clean during the day when everyone is home. 

If Casey has time, he likes to take the kids to the pool in the evenings after dinner.  They get to go twice that day!  And I get to clean the house.  Whoo – hoo! ;)  What a compromise.

Quiet Time inside after the pool until bed.

Friday

Same as Monday except that we don’t go to the library.  It gives us more time to play at home or do something that we didn’t get to do earlier in the week.  It’s just more of a lazy day. Or a good day to squeeze in a field trip if we feel like it.

 

And there you have it!  Those are the bones of our summer.  I will fill you in on all the goodies  throughout the week.  

P.S.  Now that you can obviously see how important a plan and a routine are to me and you might think I’m a little crazy, I just want you to know that being spontaneous is also important, especially during the summer.  Like I said before, this is just a guideline and gives me something to fall back on when I need to reign the kiddos back in.  Because we all know that wild kids are inevitable, but now I have something to work with. 

Good luck and I hope you find a Summer Plan that works for you!