Summertime: Part Deux

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about it only being 3 days into summer and how things weren't going so well. Now that we are 3 weeks into it, I haven't killed anyone yet, and dare I say things are going okay. I haven't exactly followed a schedule or routine like I sorta wanted to. Not that I am a schedule person, but I found that if we have a routine going, things go a little better. Everyone sorta knows what to expect and it works. Like, Q likes to get on the computer and would ask me 24/7 if he could play. Well, I made it part of the routine during the school year that he could only get on after rest time and after homework was done. It worked beautifully, he stopped asking me all the time to play on the computer and all was well. Well, try as I might, I couldn't come up with a routine cause we don't have anywhere to be consistently during the summer, so we are playing it loosey goosey and I'm surviving. Instead, it goes like this.
Kids get up and play, eat, play, eat some more, maybe go out somewhere, rest (most of the time fight nap time), eat, play, bed.
One of the things I really want for my kids is to have fun unstructured time during the summer. Like I did when I nearly burnt down the shed and went missing all day till meal times. I also wanted for them to use their imaginations and create things.
I'm so delighted that they are doing this on their own. So far this summer, they have created awesome monster truck ramps out of left over fence posts (Scott did not appreciate this for some reason), played in the dirt building more monster truck arenas, sidewalk chalk obstacle courses in the driveway, and very intricate train track set ups. They have also built monster truck car washes and kites and other stuff with some junk around the house. And I have to say, that only once did I offer the suggestion as to what to do, all the other times its been Q that has thought up his inventions. I love that.
They do fight. Which gets on my nerves pretty quickly. But its been less frequent and I love watching their friendship in action. The big boys are best friends and its sweet. I do notice that if we have a play date over, things go downhill very quickly, so I don't do them often. In fact, we've only had 1 in the 3 weeks we've been home. I'd be happy never to do them again, but that wouldn't be very social would it?
Next week is KidzKamp at church and I'm sure it will be a struggle to get everyone (including Scott) out of the house that early. Its harder when we all have to be somewhere in the morning, Scott and I fight over the bathroom. I have reluctantly volunteered to help out at KidzKamp this year. I don't know why I agreed to help, I don't know how it will go and feel bad for J being in child care from 9-12:30 everyday. But its one week. I can do almost anything for a week. Unless it involves giving up carbohydrates. I can do this for a week. I hope.