In the summer months a lot of other Moms & Dads I know freak out about the kids being home.  Home for the WHOLE summer.  ACK!!!  The freak out moment of “Oh, my God the kids are going to drive me absolutely crazy. I have NO idea what to do ALL summer with them!” I can understand that fear, it’s because the routine of the year is being thrown off for a few months & there’s worry of everyone driving each other crazy without that routine.

But there are some great ways to keep the kids busy in the summer. On the days when just relaxing & free play is leading to the “I’m Bored” Syndrome.  Syndrome doesn’t just strike thee kids but it can strike Mom too!

1. Check out Homeschool Websites for ideas.

Seriously, these mommas are finding all sorts of great ways to engage their kids on a regular basis. Why not look at the ideas they have & adapt them to your family?  We homeschool in the summers, although it is not a rigid school approach it does allow for us to have some routine.  I find that coming up with some ideas for the week is great. However, a word to the wise don’t worry if your really great plan doesn’t work one week or you don’t create every single activity you thought was amazing.  Instead, be flexible. It may be that you changed plans because the weather was so awesome that you decided spend all day outside exploring.

Two great Homeschool Sites are:

Simple Homeschool

The Homeschool Classroom

2.  Have a craft bin on hand that is easy for the kids to use.

We have pencils, colored pencils, crayons, scissors & scrap paper available for quick use.  I also keep some paper that is lined & available for them to practice writing or making books with. Just make sure the kids know to ONLY use the scrap paper.  Once I had them use important paper that was for work to make some pretty sweet books.

3.  Make use of the library.

It’s free & if you set up a day to go weekly you know ahead of time that it is an activity that’s waiting for you.  Don’t be afraid to take your little ones into the library, it’s a good experience for them to connect to books & to learn how to work on “quiet” voices.  Some libraries have great kid corners that have activities for kids.  Libraries often have special events for kids & families.  Check out the summer schedules & see what’s available at your local library (remember you can also check out those in nearby cities!). Our kids love the library.  We go on a regular basis.  When we get home we have some quiet reading time, we set up a reading corner in the basement & the kids have bookshelves in reach in their rooms (and the basement).   Just make sure you turn your books on time to avoid late fees.

4.  Get out & explore nature.

You can do these by just walking around your neighborhood, heading out to a park, a nature reserve or the beach.  Take a camera with you and a notebook to capture things you would normally walk past.  Have the kids point out what they see that’s of interest to them.  But don’t turn it into 20 questions, let it be fun!  You can also have a picnic outside & discuss what you see. My kids love doing this, they think a picnic outside is the coolest thing since sliced bread.  Hey, they are easily impressed. I’m taking it for all it’s worth right now.  And plus, it’s really cool to see the different things they come up with & when you get home you can explore their interests together.

5.  Memberships to the zoo and local museums.

Getting a membership can be a great way to get out of the house & get some fresh air with a change of scenery.  I found the zoo last year to be a great place to explore.  We’d walk around, talk about the animals we saw & just enjoy the fresh air. Pack some snacks & water for your trip that way you don’t spend more money while there.  Children’s museums can be a wonderful resource as well.  A day could easily be spent exploring one area of the museum.   You might also want to check with your local library.  Many libraries offer passes available for a free check out to local cultural experiences. I was really pleased to find out ours does.  Even if it only covers 4 people, our family 6 still would save money if we were only going for a single day trip versus multiple times over the summer.  If we were going for many trips then a membership might be a better deal, price checking is always good.

AND remember if the kids say they are bored they can always help with cleaning. Have some nontoxic cleaning supplies on hand & give them a rag.  Boredom will be overcome.

What are the ways you keep kids busy in the summer?  Any tips you’d like to share?  Anything you remember doing as a kid?

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I think over the last year with adding another baby to the mix, working what sometimes feels non-stop & with Hubby & I both trying to finish our graduate degrees I’ve realized a few things.  And by the way we both are done now with school! Hubby is an official graduate next month!!!  I’m so proud of him for earning his MBA while working full-time, being present for his family & staying sane.   And so throughout all this craziness there were 5 things or lessons that I realized.

5 lessons on managing family time & work time.

1.  A visual wall calendar.

It turns out that not having a visual calendar to glance up at left us missing appointments, forgetting school schedules and all around losing track of everything that was going on.  We both have calendars in our phones, but having the larger week or month ahead to look at on the wall together allows both of us to see what is coming up & what we need to plan ahead for.  It also makes it easier to see everyone’s schedules, with 6 people in the family & all our other commitments having this is tremendously helpful.  I wish we had this the entire year, we did last year & it was life saver this year we learned the hard way it is still a life saver.

2. Some meal planning.

I’m not one to map out the entire year, month, or even week to the letter with food.  However, having a list of go-to meals that were fast & simple to put together really saved time & money.  Without a loose meal plan we would be left scrambling for something & that often means picking up food that costs more & isn’t as good as homemade.  Even ending up with cereal every night would cost too much & not be as good as homemade.  Having a loose meal plan with a few go-to meals & ideas for the week saved us huge headaches & money.

3. Have adult time as a couple.

We can largely thank family for helping watch the kids to let us out among adults after dark.  Without their help we’d never have that.  But if we didn’t have family we’d have to be more creative to find sitters through the local high school or friends who might have a night a month (even once a month can be a sanity saver) for us to get out.  When we are home we also have time for each other after the kids go to bed, we do this every night, making time for each other.  We spend that time talking about our days, relaxing and just enjoying each others’ company.  Being able to stay connected helped us to face the challenges of the day as a couple & to continue to grow together in love.

4. Have adult time for yourself.

Hard to do but really very necessary.  I found that blogging, reading and getting together once in a while with friends for breakfast (even if baby was along for the ride) helped me to refocus my time.   I focused on what was good & was able to laugh about what might have gone wrong (like say if you leak breast milk all over yourself during a lecture).  My husband had football nights and other times he went out with friends, he also took time to find books he wanted to read.  Even if we didn’t get out for hours on end we found ways to have time for self everyday.  I realized how true it is to say “without some time for you, you can’t give back to anyone else.”

5.  Make the most of family time.

It’s easy when trying to schedule everything & get through the week to forget family time.  We realized that unless this, like adult time & time for self, was a priority we’d end up not spending time with the people we were working so hard to make a living for.  I mean what’s the point in busting your tush to get to the weekend only to spend it zoned out in front of the T.V. not even talking to each other about what you are watching & realizing you wasted the time to be together as a family?  Yes, you are technically “together” but you are not engaged in real family time.  Instead, we wanted real family time the kind where you actually talk to each other & get to know each other.  We planned trips to the library, did errands with kids in tow (even if it was just one of us taking 2 kids, while the other spent time home with the other 2 kids), had game nights, read books together as a family and if we watched T.V. together we made it an event like family movie night or living room camp out with talking.  Making time for family was & is important.

I am sure I will continue to learn more lessons as we figure out how to manage daily life.  Heck, even before kids we had to figure out a lot of things.  Now it’s just with more people!

So, for you all out there, what are your lessons on managing family & work?

Remember it doesn’t matter if you are stay-at-home, work-at-home, work-out-of-the-home or any combination of these things we all work & we are all trying to manage our days!

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If you are a student, paying for a course, please for the love of all that is holy in this world open the book.  Open it at least once, even if just to look at the pictures.  The pictures are bright & colorful.  Even if your instructor is not.  You paid for the book, open it.

And as a side note: whatever you do, don’t tell your instructor that “I had a cool party to go to so that’s why I missed class” or anything else along these lines.  Instead read the book, go to class for lecture and prepare yourself. If you don’t show up because you’d rather party don’t tell your instructor because I hate to break it to you she or he does NOT care.   Unless they are invited to said party, keep it to yourself.   It will make everyone happier.

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(color scheme photo from WebsiteTips.Com)

I noticed that some folks commented either directly on my post about Making Over My Blog or asked me somewhere else (e.g. email) about how I choose color schemes that go together. Similarly to how I answered the question on LinkWithin I thought it would be good to offer another post for those looking to figure out color schemes for their own blogs. Because I know I had to find a lot of these things out by Googling all day long & honestly for a while there I was doing it haphazardly.

Then I discovered a very simple and easy way to choose a color scheme.

I thought sharing it might help others. I used the resources for Free Online Color Tools from WebsiteTips.Com and it helped TREMENDOUSLY for figuring out what I liked & what I didn’t like. The site has tools for producing a palette of colors that work together versus against each other. Also, it takes the hassle of you having to play with different CSS or HTML color codes trying to wing it on your own all the while you’re thinking of throwing your computer out the window because that would JUST BE EASIER. Save the computer & use a color generator to help reduce some of the stress.

It also helped to have a second pair of eyes give me some feedback.

While Hubby can sometimes give me TOO MUCH feedback (NO, I don’t need to know that you think I shouldn’t have mentioned in ALL CAPITAL letters that I bore all your children, CAPITALS were REQUIRED MISTER) but overall he gives a good critical second eye to whatever I’m doing, be it blogging or writing in another forum. He is also willing to help me if I need it on the layout or design of the blog in general, even if he thinks I can be a tad bit too obsessive (which is true I can be but how dare he point out the OBVIOUS?!). Anyway…if you have the possibility to have someone give you a second opinion before you make a change to your color scheme on the colors you are selecting it can save you a lot of time & effort.

For those who already have their color scheme locked down on their blogs or wbesites, how did you make your decisions?

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I wanted to answer the following question that was asked when I wrote about my blog Makeover in a separate post. My reason is that I thought it was a question that many people might have when perusing the blogosphere & one I had previously before finding out how people created a “You Might Also Like” section under their posts. Also, I love that Coryanne at housewifebliss used the word snazzy. I think Mad Men is amazing as well, not just because my gorgeous best friend was once on the show. (Although, I do think she should end up with a reoccurring role!)

Alright here’s the question:

Coryanne:
02/12/2010 at 2:08 pm (Edit)

Sepia is always more flat­ter­ing than colour! I have all my pics 1960’d in pic­nic now — we all look so healthy. And I did notice all the changes, try­ing to fig­ure out myself how to do every­thing, but I am sure that your hubby is right. By the way, how do you do that snazzy ‘you might also like’.…

not sure why I keep using snazzy, per­haps I have been watch­ing to much madmen

Ok, now for the answer…I use LinkWithin to get the “You Might Also Like” if you are on Blogger you can create a widget (LinkWithin takes you through the steps) and on WordPress there is a Plugin designed for this you can add it from the Plugins section of your WordPress dashboard.

Now, go add this to your blog. It’s easy & doesn’t create a bunch of clutter.

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As you may have noticed I’ve been unable to restrain myself when it has come to playing with the layout here on my blog. I couldn’t help it. I’m trying to be better, I swear, and not make you all want to jab pencils in your eyes when you come here.  So I’m going to back away from making too many more changes for a bit.

However, I did have a real reason for making the changes besides seeming like I lacked an ability to commit to a layout.  My reason was wanting something more organized, cleaner, & easier for me to navigate behind the “scenes” on the back-end of the blog.  It’s not as sexy as it sounds.  Really it’s so I can write & keep up the blog without wanting to jab pencils in my own eyes.

Or for that matter Hubby’s eyes because he dare ask me what was taking me so long to get a footer that I liked?

What?  What do you mean SO LONG?   Don’t you know how important a footer is?   How could you not know this?

His response may have been something like…No one even cares about the bottom of a blog.

WHAT!  How could he not see the importance of the bottom of the blog? How could he mock me & not support me?  By daring to ask a totally reasonable question & point out the obvious. NO ONE really does care about the bottom it turns out. EXCEPT me of course, which is why I spent a day on it.

Anyway, my point (I’m sure I had one) is that now that I’ve finished the major portion of this initial redesign and even if there will be a few tiny changes & maybe a new header in a month (I’m toying with a monthly header idea or just keeping the same one FOREVER) I promise that in general there will be no more massive changes.

At least I think I promise that, unless I cause the entire thing to implode, make a million more changes & then well…PENCILS FOR EVERYONE’S EYES!!!

I’m also thinking that in the meantime, I’m going to makeover all my photos.  I find that in “olden” days a total lack of makeup is less frightening.  (note I wrote “less” not completely unfrightening).

(picture courtesy of Mr. J)

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Hubby says D-man is like his mother. I think Hubby is just jealous that I have so many back-up writers to help me, because it’s not just D-man who has my back, but if I need it I can always get the elder children to bust out some mad writing skills. They are my back-ups for blogging & when it comes to prepping my courses. If only Hubby had this type of help. I mean just look, the kid is even ready to answer any important calls as they come in on the old Crackberry. It warms my heart.

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Last night I was in the groove lecturing. Durkheim, Marx, & Weber, you got it. Material versus Non-material Culture, done. Discussion on how to present self in a social interaction, here ya go! My left breast deciding to grow 3 times its normal size, BAM. Oh, wait. No she didn’t. Yes, yes she did. My left breast decided to grow 3 FREAKING sizes during the end of my lecture. She hates me.

My left breast is out to cause me total humiliation. Forget falling down in front of the class; instead, it was like I had a chia-pet on my chest. As it was growing I could feel the pressure of breastmilk building up. That pressure is unmistakable. I figured Ok, I can get through this. I’ve got breast pads on. I mean they have the adhesive stickies on the back, I’m golden. No problems. Then it happened, near the end of the lecture, my breast pad on my left side had shifted.

I began to LEAK. YES, LEAK!

All I kept thinking was “OH ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS IN HEAVEN, PLEASE HELP ME!!”

Then the “WHY, WHY, WHY ME????”

As I apparently didn’t begin to pray soon enough I could feel a light spot begin to form on my shirt. Made all the more uncomfortable by the student who noticed instantly and was staring with the WIDEST EYES EVER!! I think that student will NEVER be the same again. Needless to say that the end of lecture was wrapped up quickly. I’m pretty sure the students that noticed got a lesson the presentation of self that I had NEVER hoped to give. And as for my left breast, she’s on notice.

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Picture Courtesy of Wikimedia-Commons User Túrelio, Creative Commons BY-SA 2.0-de

My first week back for lectures went well.  Every class was full and everyone showed up the first day.  I am positive that’s a record, I mean everyone showing up the first day?  I’ve never heard or seen of such a thing. Usually the third week about 10 people mosey on in & explain they weren’t there for the first 2 weeks because, well, they weren’t there.  No real explanation given, no “I was in a ditch on the side of road unable to get to your class. I swear this class means more than my life.”  Which I know is true I mean how could a college course not mean more than your life?  As if your life, family, & friends are more important than knowing the differences between Durkheim, Marx & Weber.  It’s practical insanity to think those theorists aren’t more important than your Mom.

Another amazing feat of my first week was that I saved a student’s life or at least his vision, hearing & ability to walk.  On the first day I explain the differences between Incompletes, Withdrawing & Dropping the course.  I let the students know “If you just don’t like me, if listening to me speak, seeing me ever again, or being around me makes you want to jab pencils in your eyes & ears while you jump out a first floor window (which is more dangerous than it sounds, you can really hurt your ankle doing that) then you should drop the class.”  Reason being students get their money back & won’t fail the course.  Money matters.

However, when a student in one of the classes actually got up & walked across the room, crossing the entire room in front of everyone upon hearing my words, I knew I had saved my student.  Just think if I hadn’t made that off-handed comment he might have really jabbed pencils in his eyes & ears while jumping out a first floor window.  BUT MY WORDS SAVED HIM.  It’s almost like I’m the Mother Teresa of Academia.

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Dear Students,

I wanted to offer you some advice. If you have to ask the following questions be prepared for your professor’s head to explode.

*Do I really have to buy the book?
*Do I have to actually read in this class?
*Do I even have to come to class?
*Can’t you just give us all the answers for the exams?
*Are you, like, even old enough (or aren’t you like REALLY too old) to teach this class?
*Deadlines are kinda hard for me, could these be optional deadlines?

So, word to the wise think these sorts of questions in your head.

Do NOT ask your professor them, prior to the exploding head her/his answers will NOT be ones that you want to hear.

In addition, to answers you never wanted to hear & an exploding head your professor may accidentally lob an eraser in your general direction. I mean how could it not happen? THE PROF’S HEAD JUST EXPLODED!!

And for those wondering, trust me when I tell you that the exploding head thing is not a pretty sight. It also leaves a nasty stain on your clothes.

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