Five Favorites: Summer Vacation Edition

Joining  Hallie for my Five Favorites, Summer Vacation Style!

1) Lazy Mornings. Even if I don't get to sleep in, quite a few of the kids do and that means more quiet, less squabbling. I also love just sitting around in my PJs, sipping coffee, and listening to the classical music station.

2) The Garden. We have a postage stamp-sized backyard, but 2 years ago Kyle and the kids installed a 4'x4' boxed garden for me as a Mother's Day gift. This year, we have strawberries, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, peas, and cucumbers. It doesn't produce enough so that I don't have to buy fruit and veggies at the store, but the delicious food it does give us makes me happy and proud.

3) The Pool. We are lucky enough to live only a few blocks from our village's pool. We are also blessed that it's yearly family membership is incredibly cheap (compared to most pools in our area). Nothing beats a fun-and-sun-filled afternoon at the pool, followed by a slow walk home where air-conditioning, popcorn, movies and naps await us.

These are my girls at the pool in 2011

4) The Lakehouse. Speaking of being blessed... My wonderful husband works extremely hard so that we have a little haven to which we can escape with our kids. While it's a year-round house, the summer is when it really shines! The house sits right on the lake shore and all we have to do is put on our swimsuits, open the deck doors, walk outside and enjoy swimming, boating, grilling, bonfires, and playing all day long. We have no cable, Internet, or landline up there and it forces all of us (even the teens!) to interact with each other. Even rainy days are fun: fishing, board games, card games, fort-building, baking! 

 5)Having my kids all around me. For me, having just a few months of being around my kids in a relaxed setting is sheer joy. Even the kids who work or go to sports camp for a couple of weeks are still around a lot more than they are during the school year. It's a nice re-grouping before the busy pace of school and sports takes over in the Fall. Of course, by mid-August, all of us are yearning for the structure that busy pace provides!