Summer, Kids, Chaos...It's All Good
Summer, Kids, Chaos…It’s All Good
Summer is almost here. The kids will be out of school and if yours are like mine, they will come off the bus for the last time this year, already bored. What to do? I have a few fun ideas to keep the boredom at bay while trying to maintain everyone’s sanity.
Going to the park can be fun as well as healthy. Be sure to bring scooters or skateboards, sunscreen and plenty of water. A first aid kit is always a good safety measure to fix up any minor boo-boos.
Your children will love the outing. They will ride the scooters, wearing the appropriate padding and headgear, steering clear of hills and trees. They will let you apply sunscreen knowing it is healthy to avoid exposure to the harmful rays of the sun. They will drink the water to keep themselves hydrated as they take in the sights, sounds and various plant life.
My children - they will find the steepest hill, apply the sunscreen to this hill, add the water to hydrate the sunscreen, and then race in a Slip ‘n Slide fashion to the 657 year-old enormus oak tree at the bottom of the hill. All while resembling the Olympian elite, flip kicking their skateboards, and taking out the various plant life.
While your postcard-sized first aid kit is suitable and contains 4 Band-Aids, antibiotic ointment and tweezers, mine is approximately the size of a refrigerator, with 4-wheel drive, a padded shoulder strap and a detachable towrope. It contains Plaster of Paris, an antibiotic IV drip, enough gauze, when unwound, to stretch the length of a football field, pliers, and probably a chainsaw.
Should hot weather or rain dampen the outdoor fun, the movie theater is always a good option. With plenty of G-rated movies, you and your children can settle in for a few hours of popcorn and giggles. Just the other day, ok – many years ago, I took my boys to the movies. The wait in line was not long and I soon arrived at the ticket window. I pushed my coupons, gift cards, and an enormous amount of cash through the hole in the window then shouted, into this very same hole, “I would like three tickets, one adult and two child’s, to see Over The Hill”. My son Christian, who is was nine at the time, rolled his eyes with painful embarrassment as he explained, “The movie is Over The Hedge, Mom.”
I have learned to bring plenty of extra cash for the concessions. Fifty-seven dollars later, with candy, popcorn, and the one-size-fits-all sodas, my kids and I took our seats. The first trip to the restroom came before the previews were even over. Twenty minutes into the movie, charged up on caffeine and sugar, was the second trip to the restroom. This cycle repeated every 22 minutes, which was OK, because they couldn’t stop fidgeting. You may have been the unfortunate family seated behind us. While in the totally-automated bathroom, they flushed the toilet 13 times, dispensed enough soap to wash a fleet of tractor trailers and unrolled 227 sheets of the 2-ply paper towel – all with a wave of their tiny, little hands.
Leaving the theater they seemed content as they said, “The movie was awesome, Mom.” I simply said, “Was it?” and “Did you notice how clean the bathrooms are?”
Summer is almost here. The kids will be out of school and if yours are like mine, they will come off the bus for the last time this year, already bored. What to do? I have a few fun ideas to keep the boredom at bay while trying to maintain everyone’s sanity.
Going to the park can be fun as well as healthy. Be sure to bring scooters or skateboards, sunscreen and plenty of water. A first aid kit is always a good safety measure to fix up any minor boo-boos.
Your children will love the outing. They will ride the scooters, wearing the appropriate padding and headgear, steering clear of hills and trees. They will let you apply sunscreen knowing it is healthy to avoid exposure to the harmful rays of the sun. They will drink the water to keep themselves hydrated as they take in the sights, sounds and various plant life.
My children - they will find the steepest hill, apply the sunscreen to this hill, add the water to hydrate the sunscreen, and then race in a Slip ‘n Slide fashion to the 657 year-old enormus oak tree at the bottom of the hill. All while resembling the Olympian elite, flip kicking their skateboards, and taking out the various plant life.
While your postcard-sized first aid kit is suitable and contains 4 Band-Aids, antibiotic ointment and tweezers, mine is approximately the size of a refrigerator, with 4-wheel drive, a padded shoulder strap and a detachable towrope. It contains Plaster of Paris, an antibiotic IV drip, enough gauze, when unwound, to stretch the length of a football field, pliers, and probably a chainsaw.
Should hot weather or rain dampen the outdoor fun, the movie theater is always a good option. With plenty of G-rated movies, you and your children can settle in for a few hours of popcorn and giggles. Just the other day, ok – many years ago, I took my boys to the movies. The wait in line was not long and I soon arrived at the ticket window. I pushed my coupons, gift cards, and an enormous amount of cash through the hole in the window then shouted, into this very same hole, “I would like three tickets, one adult and two child’s, to see Over The Hill”. My son Christian, who is was nine at the time, rolled his eyes with painful embarrassment as he explained, “The movie is Over The Hedge, Mom.”
I have learned to bring plenty of extra cash for the concessions. Fifty-seven dollars later, with candy, popcorn, and the one-size-fits-all sodas, my kids and I took our seats. The first trip to the restroom came before the previews were even over. Twenty minutes into the movie, charged up on caffeine and sugar, was the second trip to the restroom. This cycle repeated every 22 minutes, which was OK, because they couldn’t stop fidgeting. You may have been the unfortunate family seated behind us. While in the totally-automated bathroom, they flushed the toilet 13 times, dispensed enough soap to wash a fleet of tractor trailers and unrolled 227 sheets of the 2-ply paper towel – all with a wave of their tiny, little hands.
Leaving the theater they seemed content as they said, “The movie was awesome, Mom.” I simply said, “Was it?” and “Did you notice how clean the bathrooms are?”
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