First Day of Summer Vacation

Summer is officially here at the Ivey house.  We slept in until 7:45 - woohoo!  The kids clearly have not adjusted to vacation weekday mode.  It is 11:30am and I have just finished my 1st pot of coffee and contemplating making another.

So far we have eaten breakfast, played on PC and Grandma has come over so I can shower.

Mitchell built a fort.

I have watched Baby Genius Nursery Rhymes and Childrens Favorite Songs videos 4x, paid a bill and signed up the girls for VBS.

Mitchell has also played with water balloons - quickly going through the 1000 that arrived the other day, ran through the sprinkler and his current fitness training.

 The other kids - plus one - have retired to the basement and Minecraft.

In 1 hr the sitter arrives so I can travel to Naperville to the 1st of our last three NeuroFeedback appointments.  Mitchell starts ESY (extended school year) on Wednesday and then Summer Camp begins Friday.  Everyone in our family should be as productive with their time as he is.

Happy Summer Vacation - it is not as scary this year as it has been in the past, everyone is growing up nicely.  Considering I have been able to take pictures, upload and blog, the Summer break is starting out well.  We will have to see what everything looks like mid-August.  Maybe I should do before and after selfies.

Summer Vacation

It is finally here, Summer vacation. It's great not to have homework and not packing lunches in the morning but what the heck are we going to do for 3 months? Now begins the turning down of invites to BBQs, picnics and reunions. No playset, pool or fence or evn too many rules, and the Ivey's can't attend. I dread Summer vacation every year. My stomachs turns into knots and I am overridden with guilt. Ugh.

The regular school year has ended but Mitchell starts summer school next Monday 8-12pm for 3 weeks. Not much the rest of us can do before noon then we need to fill the time until daddy gets home from work. Camp starts when school ends and then at east we have until 3pm to get out of the house. Maybe swim at Aunt Maureen's, zoo, public pool, things we usually can't enjoy fully with Mitchell along. Of course Mitchell enjoys these activities but the dynamics of the family are different when we need to keep an eye on him and there's usually no slowing down. I think its important to let the kids have my full attention at times. Camp ends by August and the we are relatively housebound until school starts up again on the 21st. I am tired already.

Therapies are smack in the middle of the days M-W so the kids needs can't be driven places while the sitter is at the house and no water activities then either. I use the phrases, not now, no we can't, and maybe later quite a bit in the Summer and I hate it. They understand why Mitchell needs therapy but I'm afraid sooner or later they will become resentful of the time it takes up and my attention it takes away.


The good news about the summer is Grace will go in our backyard without me, unlike the past years and she can swim with floaties solo too. I might be able to work on my tan a bit more! We have several water devices set up to play when we are home and there aren't too many rules in our own backyard. I'm sure I worry too much about it and the kids don't even notice the disruptions but i can't help but worry constantly about how this affects them too.