Summer

Okay, it's taken me a few years to figure out but I think I've finally got it....

"the ultimate summer schedule".

Be prepared to be jealous.

But first let me share with you the mistakes of years past.

I used to let my kids get up whenever they wanted to during the summer. Most would rise early, and some would stay in bed till mid-morning. They could spend the morning however they wanted. I only had one rule...by 10:00 everyone had to have breakfast and be dressed and ready for the day.

I thought I was being a nice mom by letting them laze around and casually get the day started.

BIG MISTAKE!

Most often what would happen is once they got up they would race downstairs to watch cartoons. And that is where they would stay until I called down at 10:00 to tell them to turn off the t.v. and come up for chores. That's when I would hear a chorus of whiners saying.....but I'm not dressed.....and I haven't had breakfast yet, blah, blah, blah, whine, whine, whine.

That's when I would begin the daily lecture of following the rules...and "didn't I tell you's", etc.

This whole process just set us back for the whole day.

Chores got done randomly and despite my best intentions the TV always ended up back on and some kids were spending WAY to much time vegging in front of the TV.

The lack of structure would often lead to contention which would then often lead to mom screaming. 

When mom screams, then kids fight - it's not fun.

SO....

Before school got out I thought about what I wanted to accomplish with the kids this summer and how I was going to do it.

Here are a few things that were important to me.

* I wanted to have minimal amounts of TV, computer, video games, etc. (minimal as in mostly never)

*I wanted to teach them accountability and time management skills.

*I wanted to teach them to work hard and complete tasks completely and correctly. (according to their ability)

*I wanted to teach them that good behavior brings good consequences and negative behavior brings unpleasant consequences.

*For one child inparticular it was important for me to teach them the consequences of procrastination.

*I wanted them to be reading everyday.

*I wanted them to get exercise everyday.

*And I wanted us to have fun together. Working and playing.

For those of you that just read that and thought to yourself....whoa lady, you are one beastly/crazy/mean mom.

To you I say...Well thank you, thank you very much.

This year I came up with a different plan.

Are you ready for the SECRET?

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Our key to summer success is all about how we START the day.

The beginning is crucial because it sets the tone for the rest of the day.

So for us no more lazy mornings.

Ken and I decided that although we have always had our family scripture reading in the evening, with the kids growing up and their schedules getting busier that just wasn't working anymore.

So scriptures is now at 7:30 am (come school time it will be much earlier) Some may think that making the kids get up early during the summer is cruel and unusual punishment but really it's AWESOME!

It's the best way to start the day and I'm sort of bummed that we didn't do it sooner.

Next is breakfast, dressing, then CHORES.

Oooooh, I love it!

Someday I will have a supremely organized, visual masterpiece of a chore chart. However, I'm not there yet.

Each day I write out the kids chores according to what I want to accomplish that day.

The chores I choose for each child usually coincided with something I am trying to specifically teach that child.

Mon-Wed. are everyday basic chores, Thurs. are more heavy duty deep cleaning chores, and Friday I go easy on them and only expect their rooms to be cleaned up. We also plan a fun activity to reward them for the week. Saturday is always a family work and play day.  

I don't harp on the kids (most of the time) about getting their chores done. But they know they don't get any privileges until chores get done. No friends, playing, etc. 

After chores they are free to play or use their time as they wish.

We decided TV wouldn't go on until I'm making dinner or later so that is not an option unless I am feeling exceptionally nice. That happens every once in a while. 

At lunch time we walk down to Westmore and eat lunch at school. The kids enjoy that and it gives them some exercise in the day. And it saves TONS on my grocery bill.

By then everyone is usually done with chores and they spend the rest of the day playing.

At night we sometimes watch a show as a family.

Then silent reading for the older kiddies. On nights that Ken is home he reads to the kids and they REALLY love that.

Then the next morning we do it all over again.

So far this summer schedule is really working for us. I feel like we have a good balance between working hard and having fun. All the kids get to feel productive during the day and they get to play and have fun as well.

My house is not always clean, I am learning to ignore the things that don't get done each day. That way I am not always nagging the kids to pick things up all day long. But they take more responsibility for the specific chore they were given that day.

We get to work together which is really some of our best spent time.

Don't get me wrong, our days don't run perfectly smooth. We still have bumps along the way. But I am convinced it could be a whole lot worse. It fact it could be down right chaos. But it's not, because I'm a genius.

THE END. 

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