lazy summer days…

This post is part of the Carnival of Authentic Parenting hosted by mamapoekie. July’s theme is summer holidays.

As a family of introverts, we need home days. We crave home days. When we don’t have them, everyone goes berserk. Not quite, but everyone is stressed and irritable and life doesn’t move along very smoothly. In June we had two home days – yes, we were able to stay home two out of thirty days. It was ridiculous, and I’m not really certain how it happened, but I vowed not to do it again.

This month, while we still have places to go several times a week, we’ve made an effort to get back to how we really want to live and put home days back in our lives. The kids have painted, played in sprinklers, dug in the dirt, played in the rocks, read countless books, and I daresay I’ve been much more productive, too.

While our activities out are fun, it’s the lazy days I will always remember. I will remember catching fireflies with my kids and snuggling during the afternoons. I will recall sitting on a blanket in the shade, nursing my fourth baby, reading a good book, watching my children play in the sprinkler and how a light breeze sang to us. Damp hugs and wet kisses with hot little hands holding mine will play on through my memory. I will remember picking berries with my children and how the cobbler we made oozed down their laughing faces.

Forget the extravagant summer vacations and activity packed summer programs. We’ll take our lazy summer days.