Saving Summer

Our 2nd day of summer break I realized that I needed a plan.  Wide open days with 6 young kids quickly turn into chaos.  Everyone forgets to do their chores.  There are lots of random requests to do lots of projects.  There is just a lot of time to fill with...well, I did not know what we were going to fill it with.  I just wanted everyone to get a bit of a break before jumping back into school July 1st.  I wanted some sleeping in, lying around, reading aloud, and hanging out.

So, here is my plan for our fun summer:  Summer Flippers!

I'll go through them and explain a bit.

Before 10:00- During the school year this flipper says before 9:00.  It refers to a list of things to be done by 9:00. But we are all sleeping a bit later in the summer so I moved the time.  Things to be done by 10:00 include Reading Bible, Making Bed, Cleaning Body, Praying, Morning Chore, and Resetting Flippers.

Piano- We keep lessons going in the summer so they need to practice.

Outside 15 minutes- This is a minimum of course, but it's to make sure that no matter the weather, the kids are outside every day.

Greek Tues and Thurs- Taking the summer off of Greek would set them back a good bit.  So we do it two days per week.

Read to a younger sibling for 15 minutes-self explanatory.

Read 30 minutes- I still want them making time to read during the summer.  Most of them read a LOT more than this.

Fun Activity- This is something they come up with.  We have tons of books with ideas for fun things. I just want them to make time to do something that they enjoy.  

Watch Olivia for 20 minutes- This gives me EIGHTY minutes of time knowing that Olivia is safe and being loved on.  This is in addition to a little bit of time in the pack and play with toys, and blanket time near me.  This is really helpful because she likes to climb :0).

Jurisdiction 5:00 and Before Bed- This is a part of the house that this child is responsible for.  They pick it up all the way at 5:00 and then do a quick pick up again just before bed.

Hug your Mom and Dad- This will be helpful for me.  I can get so busy doing all the work around here, but I want to make sure to give them eye contact, and loving physical touch.  Looking forward to this one!

Play with Marley- Marley is our dog and he needs some run around time with the boys.  Making it a flipper ensures that they don't forget about him!

When I told the boys that I made some summer flippers they were happy and excited!  I think they like feeling some control over their day and having some things to focus on.

Enjoy your summer break!