It’s the first day of summer vacation!

Having learned my lesson about how summer days can go awry, I am going into this year with a plan. Two bored boys, with no structure to speak of, will inevitably descend into bickering out of sheer boredom. And then the bickering becomes full-on fighting, and I end up being a shrill, screeching harpy. I don’t want to be a harpy…it will give me frown lines.

I decided that from day one, we would have some basic rules, a loosely structured schedule and the plenty of projects to keep things interesting. As both my mother and our pediatrician will tell you, kids like routine. Sure, a little spontaneity is always fun, but they still thrive in the comfort of knowing what they can expect. Coincidentally, we are now working to transition Bean from her on-demand lifestyle to a more predictable daily routine…one that hopefully includes naps that last longer than fifteen minutes.

I know I want each day to have three key components: chores, some type of educational activity or reading, and exercise (obviously disguised as any outside play). As long as we accomplish those three things, we can play the rest by ear. With the boys, my greatest downfall has always been inconsistency, and with inconsistency comes Heathen anarchy. I’m hoping to have a basic routine that is still loose and adaptable, so we can stay consistent without being tied to an overly structured schedule.

So, we started the morning with breakfast and the customary cartoons. While Bean napped, we cleaned up and did a few chores. Then, we headed off to the park to get some exercise and fresh air before it got too hot outside.

We had lunch, made cookies and then had a little work time (summer reading and journaling…can’t have their little brains turning into Swiss cheese, now can we?). After that, they got the rest of the afternoon to do whatever they wanted until it was time to start dinner.

Over the next few days, I’ll be building a list of low or no-cost ideas of how to keep them entertained this summer, so we can make the most of their time off while keeping the peace.

Why? Because we’re only one day down, and I still have 87 to go.