Just Let It Ride: Hello, Summer!

I think Ryder has probably been the most excited of any of us that we have a break from school for the summer. He had a wonderful year in first grade and loved going to school every day, but he is tired! Selfishly, I will definitely enjoy not making him sit down to do homework every afternoon. Towards the end of the school year it became a chore because he would rather be playing or doing anything else but sitting at the table. He is an avid reader now, so we will definitely continue reading together every day and making weekly trips to the library. For now he is perfectly content lounging in his pj's until we absolutely have to leave the house. A flannel shirt and fleece pants are his favorite go-to pajamas. And it's summer. In Florida!!! 😅

I'm only working two days a week for the month of June, so that breaks our week up enough that I don't feel like I need as much of a summer schedule for the kiddos as I did last year. And they are another year older and even better at entertaining themselves and each other. Andrew and I decided our focus this summer will be on encouraging the kids to help out with chores around the house. In general they are really good about pitching in, but I thought having a few things in writing might make it seem more fun/official. So of course I visited Pinterest for a few ideas. :)

The Boredom Jar:
On popsicle sticks I wrote out some suggestions of things the kids can do when they get bored if a movie or video game isn't an option. Some of the things are outdoor activities like blowing bubbles, playing frisbee, or playing tag. The majority of the activities are indoor activities because I don't want to sit out in the yard supervising them in the heat of the day. That's what early morning playground trips are for! Of course they both visited the "I'm Bored" jar many times when I first put it out because it was something new. Their favorite activities so far have been "build a fort" and "give Garcia a belly rub". I figured Garcia should benefit too!

Reading together in their fort. It's amazing what four chairs, one sheet, and several clothespins can do!

After our chore pow-wow, Andrew and I agreed that there are certain things the kids need to do 'just because': tidy up their rooms, clear their plates from the table, put their dirty clothes in the laundry room. For some of those daily expectations, I typed them up, printed them, and used contact paper to "laminate" them onto baking sheets. Then I bought some magnets so Ryder and Harper can have the satisfaction of sliding the magnets into the "done" column. We've been using them for about a week, and it's been great so far. Harper likes it the most--I think the visual has been really helpful to her! After breakfast she will take her chore chart into her room and not come out until her "Good Morning" chores are done! Ryder takes a little more prompting.

To give the kids a chance to earn some spending money this summer, I came up with some chores that the kids can choose to complete in addition to their daily chores. The catch is they can't earn money for the extra chores unless they have also completed their expected ones. Andrew and I decided to make the chores 50 cents a piece, thinking the kids might do 3-4 chores in a week's time. Once a chore is completed, they can move the stick from the "How can I help?" jar into their own jar. The end of the week is payday! Last week they both earned $2--not too shabby!

I think it rained every day last week, so in addition to fort-building we played lots of games together. We've played Uno and Dos so many times that I bought Rummikub and Qwirkle to throw some variety into our repertoire. :) Not only have the kids enjoyed the games and caught on quickly, but Andrew and I have played a game almost every night and even had a couple of get togethers with Pops and Grann. It's a fun way to spend time together, lots of heckling included. ;) Ha!