July is upon us and we are now officially on countdown to the summer holidays. There is always that part of me that is excited and looks forward to the children being home for the summer. The part that looks forward to no school runs, no last-minute uniform disasters and no more school trips to fork out for.
There is also that part of me that thinks six weeks, SIX WHOLE WEEKS with the children how on earth am I going to cope!
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Ship them off to family
I can remember going to stay with my Grandparents during the summer holidays for what would initially only be a week but by Tuesday I was on the phone to my Mam asking whether I could stay another week. I used to have great fun walking the dog with my Grandad down by the river, he would try to teach me to skim stones but I was a lost cause. I’d go and play in the village
I used to have great fun walking the dog with my Grandad down by the river, he would try to teach me to skim stones but I was a lost cause. I’d go and play in the village schoolyard opposite their house with my cousins and go collecting pine cones in my Grandad’s large polka-dot handkerchiefs. One of my uncles would come and take me to the cinema to watch the latest children’s film as he really wanted to see it and he didn’t have any children of his own at the time – we saw Honey I Shrunk The Kids at least three times as he kept falling asleep.
For the past couple of years, Roo and Tigger have spent two weeks at their Granny’s house, initially to help with childcare over the summer whilst I worked but actually, it’s lovely for them to have that one on one time with her. Whether they are walking her dog, attempting to catch fish in the river or exploring my old hometown they have a fun time with her.
Technology is a Mum’s best friend
Whilst children need to have their day dose of outdoor fun, something to stimulate the mind etc. They also need something to help them chill out, slow the pace down a little and technology is your friend here. Netflix is a huge hit in our house and I can guarantee you that if I mention they get to watch Netflix once they are done they suddenly speed up their snail pace of tidying their room or completing chores.
Get them baking
Baking with the kids can be great fun, messy but fun all the same. I would bake quite a lot with my Mam and at my Granny’s house, in fact, I left home only knowing how to bake and not how to prepare an actual meal (don’t ask Mr. Boo about our first Christmas dinner).
Baking in the morning means that you’ve got them at their least crankiness (hopefully) plus once you’re finished you can eat your creations for lunch. So whether you are whipping up a batch of cupcakes, cheese straws or oat cookies make sure it’s something that will keep them quiet for the rest of the day.
Day on / Day off
I’d love to have the energy levels and the bank balance to be on the go every day with the children. However, life still continues whether it is the school holidays or not so I like to operate a day on / day off system. Every other day we get to do something, whether it is a day trip, a picnic at the park or exploring the local woods etc. The days we are at home, I’m busy completing jobs around the house (that washing doesn’t complete itself) whilst the children are entertaining themselves playing in the garden, falling in love with forgotten toys, reading a book or just following me around the house saying I’m bored – which when you offer to share chores with them they suddenly find something better to be doing.
Here’s to the school summer holidays – see you on the other side!
Disclosure: This post is an entry for BritMums Confessions of a Summer Parent Challenge, sponsored by Anchor
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