So Much To Do

We are at the end of the first week of June and just getting into the swing of summer. The temperature is rising and the humidity is increasing. My favorite parts about summer are the sounds and smells. The sounds of sprinklers ch-ch-ch-ing in the mornings, evenings bring the buzz of lawn mowers. Everywhere is the sound of children squealing and laughing. We live close to our neighborhood pool and I can hear the splashing and giggles and life guard whistle. There is the smell of wild onions and chives and cut grass, and wafting through the air the aroma of meat on a grill. Fireflies and stars light up the nights, a bright sun lights up the day.

For us, June is a busy month. It is the first full month of summer and the "Summer of Fun." The Fun Bowl is still full of slips of paper with activities to be selected. The BIG ones - zoo, aquarium, children's museum - are still to be pulled out. This week we went berry picking, made an angel food cake, went swimming, went to a magic show, and attended a birthday party. This is on top of practicing making Little Man's bed and getting dressed himself.

And speaking of birthdays - this is my father's birthday month (happy birthday Dad!). Last year my siblings and I threw him a BIG party. This year he mentioned that he was looking forward to the 2nd annual birthday celebration. Ummmm... sorry, Dad. This year Little Man turns 4 and he told us in no uncertain terms that he wants a 4th of July Pirate Party. Well, who doesn't? So he gave me his invitation list, we made invitations and mailed them out. Now all we have to do is wait for the RSVPs to come rolling in. In the meantime, he has chosen three different cake styles he'd be happy with. Oh my.

June is also the month for Father's Day. And since Husband and I are not good hint givers/takers, Husband has told me what he wants for Father's Day. There are two items on his list and I get to choose which one to get. I think I know which it will be. Now to actually get it in time for Father's Day. Sometimes I lose track of time and forget to get cards and gifts on the correct date - I'm usually a day or two behind. I plan on being late to my funeral too.

Tomorrow is the Belmont Stakes. It is the third race in the Triple Crown and all I can say is GO CALIFORNIA CHROME!! I'll be watching and cheering. Will you?

Bags

A while back, on a different blog, I wrote about my love of bags. I love bags, all sorts of bags - luggage, purses, canvas bags (the bigger the better), backpacks, diaper bags - you name it, I either have it, want it, or covet it. I referred to myself as a bag lady because at any given time there are bags all around my spaces in my house because I use them as organizational tools. I have a knitting bag that contains current projects. Each project has its own bag to keep them separated. I have a computer bag when I need to take my laptop with me. I have a writing bag that has binders and folders in it of ideas and scribblings. The pool/beach bag hangs on the coat rack at the ready stocked with towels, sunscreen, and toys. Wherever I go, I'm usually toting a bag (sometimes with more bags in it) that contains something to keep me busy.

There is one bag that gets more abuse and neglect than any other bag is my purse. I know women who change out their bags to match their outfits. I know women who *gasp* don't carry a purse. I know women who manage to have the same purse day in and day out, yet it rarely shows any wear and tear. I haven't been able to find a purse that suits my needs perfectly let alone several to match a number of different ensembles. My poor purse looks like it went three rounds in the gorilla cage - cracked leather, frayed seams, missing zipper pulls. And just who are these women that can carry the cute dainty purses? And no purse? These are not human women.

Swiss Gear SA1908
Image from www.amazon.com

I thought I'd prepare for summer and the "Summer of Fun" activities with Little Man and look for a backpack that could be a purse/carryall where I could carry my laptop/knitting/book/notebook/water/snacks/purse stuff/Little Man needs AND keep my hands free. Alas, that is not the case. I realized that such a contraption would be more of a piece of carry-on luggage. In fact, the closest thing I could find was a Swiss Gear SA1908. Heck, why not just keep carrying the diaper bag?

For the summer and the "Summer of Fun" activities, I have returned to an old stand-by backpack/purse I used in the old days when Husband and I would go on motorcycle trips. It's roomy but not too big. I wear it like a backpack and thus my hands are free. It's leather so it is durable and water-tight, at least in a quick rain shower. It does not hold my laptop, knitting, book, notebook, snacks, water bottles, or Little Man stuff. I still need an extra bag for those things. Sigh.

My current purse for the
Summer of Fun

And this is my problem. At the end of this "Summer of Fun" I will need to transition from the backpack purse to something more autumnal. Dressier perhaps. And right now I don't have anything in my closet that is suitable. The purse I just vacated is in no condition to return to.

Fortunately, I LOVE shopping for bags. Husband is sweet and offered to get me a purse for my birthday/anniversary/Christmas/Mother's Day/ just-because-I-love-you gift. However, a purse is personal and can't be a gift. I have to feel the purse for it to be right, the same way a man needs to feel right about a new wallet. A purse isn't just another bag, it's a part of me. I am a bag lady after all.

Update on the "Summer of Fun." We went to the Georgia Renaissance Festival last weekend and Little Man got to see knights, princes, kings, queens and all sorts of medievally-garbed people. It was also pirate day so there were a multitude of pirates, male and female, wandering about. There was one Roman soldier too; I don't know why. We have also attended a magic show which was exciting and this week we go berry picking and we will make strawberry shortcake. Little Man is having fun and keeping busy. I'm exhausted.



Summer Time, Summer Time

Photo by David Castillo Dominici
www.freedigitalphotos.net

Well, it's summer break for the Little Man an me. A break for him, that is. My schedule just kicked into high gear. It's not easy entertaining a 3-year old. Husband built a tree house for Little Man. Not just any tree house, a pirate-ship-fort tree house. It is awesome with a rope ladder, slide, ship's wheel, telescope, and cabin. Yet Little Man isn't at all interested in playing in the tree house with me, he waits until Daddy gets home and the two of them go out and play together. I think that's sweet. Still, the fantasy of opening the back door and letting the kid and the dogs out into the back yard to play for the day has vanished. So amid the housekeeping, fixer-uppering, needlepointing, knitting, writing, blogging, reading, bill-paying, laundrying, errand-running, cooking, property-managing I typically do, I now have to find things to entertain and occupy the Little Man without setting him in front of a TV all day.

There are lots of things to do, but at his age there aren't (at least none I've found) day camps where he can go for the morning. Those will have to wait until he's five. So, this means all my housekeeping, fixer-uppering, needlepointing, knitting, writing, blogging, reading, bill-paying, laundrying, errand-running, cooking, and property-managing will have to happen on the go or in the middle of the night after the boy has gone to sleep. That's okay because he's only this age once and if we spend the day playing hide-and-seek, reading books, coloring on the sidewalk with chalk, or making rice crispy treats that's good. The only real obligation I have is the autobiography I'm ghost writing. Everything else can be squeezed in when necessary or until Husband has to go buy new underwear because I haven't gotten to the laundry in a while.

Image by Stuart Miles
www.freedigitalphotos.net

So what to do? Well, if you have little ones and are wondering what to do with your summer, these are some of the things I found to do with Little Man:

1. Teaching him to swim in the neighborhood pool. He's terrified of water so this is going to be a struggle. I also don't like to swim so this is a REAL challenge.
2.  Story Times. Barnes and Noble and the public library both offer story times for toddlers and preschoolers. Barnes and Noble is good because we can have a morning at the mall. The library is walking distance, connected to a park and it promotes reading.
3. Library programs. Our library offers wonderful programs. This summer there will be a ventriloquist, a magician, a jazz concert (geared towards children), an art exhibit, and a puppet show.
4. Farmer's Market. There is a farmer's market at our library near the park every Thursday. He can play and then we can visit the market to pick up vegetables. He's usually more willing to try a vegetable if he can pick it out and help cook it.
5. The gym. I am making a renewed effort to go to yoga and the gym. This is good for him to spend time at their nursery meeting new kids. He is also enrolled in a tumbling class at a gymnastics gym where he can meet new friends and learn new skills.
6. Parties and play-dates. Little Man has several friends from school who have summer birthdays, including his. So, at least once a month there will be a birthday party to attend. Play dates will be arranged probably once a week or so. I have come to realize that play dates are really more for the mothers than the kids. We need the interaction of another adult.
7. Helping around the house. Little Man is more than willing to help "clean" the house. He will dust and put his clothes away and he's learning how to make his bed. He also likes to draw on the sidewalk and driveway while I'm weeding the gardens.

All that sounds like enough but still, there needs to be something BIG to look forward to. Something he chooses to do. So, I created the "Fun Bowl." Inside the Fun Bowl are folded slips of paper with an activity written on it. Each Sunday he reaches into the Fun Bowl and pulls out a slip and that is the activity we will do one day during the week. This Sunday he selected bowling so on Friday afternoon we will go bowling. Next week (due to scheduling) we will be going to the Renaissance Festival. The other activities in the Fun Bowl waiting to be selected are: Visiting a farm and going berry picking, children's museum, zoo, putt putt, movie, aquarium, planetarium, ceramics, Build-A-Bear, and an afternoon in the bouncy house. And we will have a family vacation in there somewhere that will be fun.

It will be a packed summer with lots to do. What are some of the things you've found to do with your little ones? What are some of your favorite summer memories?