New Beginnings
June 7th, 2010
Today is a new beginning for us here in the Baugher household. The official start of summer vacation.
We’re off to the library today! I got the new chore lists printed out yesterday and we’re ready to begin our summer adventure!
I’ve learned that the trick to surviving a summer vacation with all my hair intact is to plan and schedule something to do or somewhere to go for almost every weekday. We get up and get moving in the morning while the weather is still tolerable so by early afternoon when it’s starting to become uncomfortable outside, we’re back home where there’s air conditioning and a pool.
We’ve got a library day, beach day, grandma day, home day, and bike day.
I’m so happy that I get to spend summer vacation doing fun things with my kids. Heck, it’s my JOB! That’s sort of funny.
I work hard at having fun!!
I realized a year or so ago that, you only get so many summers with your kids. When they’re really little there’s not much you CAN do and when they get older, they stop wanting to do things with their parents and start wanting to spend time with friends and girlfriends. This is MY time.
Alan is going to be 16 in two months and he’s already spending most of his time with his girlfriend. Michael is 10.5 and wanting to go hang out with friends. There’s still a LOT of limits on that, but I know it’ll only be a couple more years before there’s not and then he won’t be around much through the summer anymore. Eddie is my baby, and I’ve still got a good 6 years with him yet :) That makes me feel happy.
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Time is fleeting. It slips away from you. I used to be so focused on where I was going and looking forward that I was always losing time and missing what was right here in front of me. I’m so glad that I was able to change my focus in a permanent way.
I don’t want to miss the childhoods of my children. I don’t want to have them sitting right here with me and miss it because I was so focused on when they’ll be grown up and “out of my hair.” I think too many parents see raising kids as something they’re expected to do. Something that they have to do. Something that should be approached and pushed through to minimize discomfort, boredom, or responsibility.
“Go play, I’m busy.” ~ “I’d LOVE to, but I can’t because I have kids.” ~ “When I’m X years old, these kids will finally be 18 and moving out!”
That used to be me… in a BIG way. As it turns out though, you can TOTALLY enjoy kids. You can laugh and run and play with them. They’re there to MAKE you stop looking ahead so far. Kids aren’t fun when you’re looking over their heads and into the future.
Kids are only fun when you’re right there with them in THAT moment. That is where all the fun and laughter and enjoyment is.
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I have TWO Happy Monday Freebies for you to enjoy today.
Download the FREE, Kindle versions of:
The World Set Free * By H.G. Wells
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My affirmation today~ My life is an amazing utopia of grace and beauty. I am truly blessed.
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