Dog Days of Summer

This summer is slipping away. I try not to think this way, but I can't help it. I know it is just now August, and that school doesn't start until September 2. But that last week of August, teachers are back. We have a couple of mandated staff days, and I must also set up my room, so basically that last week is shot. I will try to hopefully have everything done so that I won't have to go in that Friday before Labor Day weekend. But for me, I really only have three weeks left of summer.

So, what to do? Now I feel panicked. I haven't taken the kids hiking yet. I wanted to hike all summer long. We haven't gone anywhere. We knew that we weren't going to go anywhere major this summer, as we spent all of our money on our deck last summer and our landscaping this spring. And I sure have been enjoying our deck.

But I begin to feel guilty, wondering if I have given my kids a fun summer vacation. As much as my summer has been taken up so far with swim lessons, so has theirs. Also, the last two weeks of July they were in this drama day camp, so they were very busy. Now it is August, and swimming lessons are finished. You'd think I had a whole month left to do the things I haven't yet done. But that is still not so.

Next week, the girls are both in a Girl Scout Day Camp all week long, Stella as a camper, and Emily as a Program Assistant. So we can't do anything next week. I think I'll be painting Stella's bedroom, but that's not fun.

The last week of August, when my husband and I both have to be heading back into school for inservice junk, the girls will go stay with my parents at the beach. Emily is looking forward to that, but Stella gets teary thinking about being away from home (from her dad and me) for five nights. I know they'll have fun at the beach, but it won't be with us.

We really only have two weeks in August that we can do stuff for fun. Two weeks. I want to hike, and I want to take the kids somewhere new-they want to go to Canada, because it is another country. I think they'll be disappointed when they see it looks just like home...but I'm thinking of doing an overnight in Vancouver, BC.

When I ask the girls what they want to do this summer, you know what their answer is? Go to the zoo! I think we can manage that.