Yes, I realize we are still in Spring Break mode and summer seems far away. But bear with me here and do yourself the favor of thinking ahead a bit to gasp…..summer. And summer camps and vacations and activities…oh my!
The chatter amongst moms at my stepkids’ basketball and baseball games in the next few weeks will inevitably turn to which summer camps and activities everyone is going to….and not just to brag or name drop Texas Hill Country camps, but to genuinely get ideas for those dreaded extra weeks that have yet to be accounted for. This is a dilemma for both SAHM’s and working moms.
There will be a few casual questions here and there and the exchanging of ideas as local camp enrollments start (those Hill Country camps registered back in the fall!). Now as we get into late May, and you can literally count the number of days left until summer on two hands, the questions will have a greater sense of urgency. Ok, I have actually heard some sheer panic in a few moms’ voices when they realize there is a span of weeks to come with nothing concrete planned. Yikes!
Moms, the panic will set in as the spring frost melts and the temperatures start to rise and you begin recalling last summer’s bickering between siblings and the inevitable whining of “I’m bored!” in the sweltering heat. It starts to creep back in our minds and we get desperate!
What to do….what to do….what to do….and how on earth do you strike that balance between a nice, relaxing summer that evokes those nostalgic memories of our own childhood summers (you know, the popsicles, the Cherry Cokes, Dad’s burgers on the grill, the sounds of cicadas in the evening while you chase fireflies with your little brother) and the true reality of summer boredom (the constant “he hit me!,” “what are we going to do now?” and the sticky popsicle hands)?? And, better yet, how do you do it without over-scheduling the kids with vacations, swim lessons, and camps?
Now our situation might be a little different than yours because we split time with our kids’ mom 50-50, but we still run into the same issues as everyone else during our 6 weeks of the summer. We both have demanding, fast paced, full-time jobs, but we don’t want just sign them up for camps or daycare 5 out of those 6 weeks. Last summer was a real struggle balancing vacations, camps, work, and the elusive (and unrealistic) “relaxing” time, on top of having to keep in mind what they were doing the rest of the summer with their mom as well (we still maintain our regular school schedule as best we can throughout the summer if we aren’t on vacation- so maintaining balance is particularly important for us). Overtired, overscheduled, overheated, cranky kids can put a real damper on your nostalgic summer memories.
But I do think I did a decent job achieving that lofty goal with this Action Plan:
- Calendar Template in Word
- Fresh Ideas: Word of Mouth (friends = carpool)
- Mix old with the new (SA Academy + Sea World)
I got a jump start on this summer already back put together a calendar of the kids’ entire summer as I knew it, including their vacations and camps, so we could visualize exactly what we were doing to ourselves and to our kids. I downloaded a simple calendar template in Word and I will update it as we get closer to Doom’s Day…I mean the most anticipated day of the year! Armed with this visual tool, we were better able to craft a summer schedule that was realistic so the kids weren’t overscheduled with activities they didn’t really want to be at in the first place and we weren’t pulled in too many different directions.
At our son’s request (actually his begging and pleading over the last two summers), we actually “scheduled” a week to do N-O-T-H-I-N-G (it also happens to be his birthday week so that worked out nicely). My mom was a SAHM for part of my early childhood and when she went back to work to continue her teaching career, she was home with us Every. Single. Summer (read: every day of every summer for years). I never went to daycare or had a babysitter a day in my life (I take that back…we did go to daycare for one single day in elementary school and it scarred me forever). Based on my own life experiences, I want that for our kids too. I don’t want them to be forced into gap filler activities that are overpriced baby-sitting substitutes. I want them to look back on their summers as kids and remember waking up late just to roll out of bed to watch tv or play videogames. No one nagging them to pick up their clothes off the floor, lecturing them to eat their vegetables, or telling them it is bedtime because you have to get up early in the morning. Oh to be young again!
Now back to our regularly scheduled program……who am I kidding?! I have a full-time year round job, I don’t have a live-in nanny or maid and therefore I will be the one picking up their dirty clothes off the floor, and I will be counting down the hours until they are in bed at night so my husband and I can actually have some ALONE time (no, those few fleeting moments at the neighborhood pool during which you are grateful your kids are strong swimmers and there are lifeguards on duty do NOT count)!! I am starting to think my mother was either certifiable or she is truly Wonder Woman. I hope it’s hereditary (the Wonder Woman part of course- we shall ignore the certifiable elephant in the room please).
Maybe there is something to the lists of camps and activities out there. During our six weeks, we’ve got a big trip planned for one week, our built-in down time week, a week of Sea World Camp (just the driving back and forth out there every day for 5 days in a row has me questioning my sanity) and Summer at the Academy (if you haven’t found this gem for your kids, you are missing out!), a few days at my in-laws’ vacation house, and then our annual end of summer trip to Port Aransas which we all cherish. Stay tuned to see how my “perfectly” crafted summer calendar turns out. There is never a dull moment in our lives and I expect this summer to be no different….but I’m going to strike that balance I tell you!
Need ideas for Summer Camps in San Antonio? You can find our guide here.
