My daughter's moved home from college. School's out for my son. And the weather is FINALLY getting warmer here in the Midwest.Summer's here. Yay!
Only it doesn't feel like anything to get all that excited about.
As I look forward on our family calendar, I have nothing scheduled. I'm not even going to the RWA national conference this year. So what about the summer festivals, the camping trips, the State Fair, the outdoor concerts?
Truth is I'm bored with all the regular stuff. And since I must have a book finished (one that I've barely started) only a few weeks after school starts in the fall, I won't have much time for a vacation to take off somewhere.
Rather than get to the end of summer and look back feeling as though I didn't even have a summer, (which is pretty much what happened to me last year) I'm trying to be proactive. I'm hunting around for some new and exciting things to do these next couple of months.
Got any ideas? Have you tried something new lately that you're adding to your "must do" list for the summer? Most importantly, how do we slow down time and make the summer last?
Helen
Oh, one last thing. I ran across these questions, presumably from a young child) on the sidebar of a blog called "I am Joe Pesci" As I read the questions I found myself laughing out loud. Read and enjoy "Colt's Questions of the Day."
- Can you drink toilet water? Have you ever drinked toilet water, Mom?
- Can your eyeballs fall out?
- Do cupcakes grow on bushes?
- Does snow live in Mexico?
- Can we live in the future sometime?
- Do bees sleep?
- How do you say "chopsticks" in Chinese?
- What's the difference between a bank and a cactus?
- How do you count to eight in Chinese?
- Mom, do you like underwear?
- Can chickens swim?
- Mama, are you faster than water?
- Mama? Can you pick up Papa?
- Does broccoli float?
- Why is ice slippery?
- Do penguins have bones?
- If a volcano interrupts once, can it interrupt again?
- Does North America have volcanos?
- How do Frisbees fly?
- Do monkeys eat ham?
- When are we moving to the North Pole so that I can have a pet penguin?
19 comments:
Helen. . . I love this list of questions! I think I remember wondering about eyeballs, too, when I was little.
Thanks for the chuckles!
The questions are too cute!
As for summer fun - Helen, if you don't have one, get a hammock. Seriously. Every time I sink into mine, I feel like I'm transported to a tropical island. I just close my eyes and swing. Oh, Heaven.
And rats - I'm so sorry I won't see you at RWA this year!
Helen, you are so right about summers filling up. I always wonder where they went. And although there is much to look forward to, some day I look forward to a much lazier pace, sigh, one when I don't have travel or a wedding on every single weekend.
When my daughter was still coming home, we walked together in the mornings and occasionally had lunch dates. Time spent with family is always my favorite part of summer anyway!
Those questions are adorable. Makes me think of all kinds of things my kids said when they were little.
Cindy, a hammock sounds like heaven. We don't have one and I was thinking of getting one for my dh for father's day. Maybe I can sneak in some time on it for myself!
Kylie, lunch dates with my daughter is a good idea. This is probably her last summer home. Thanks for the reminder.
Watermelon always means summer to me. Eat lots. Pretend you're at the beach, spitting the seeds in the sand. But yeah, how to make the summer last when we're just barely getting there after days of fifty degree weather?
Eat lunch with friends often! (hint)
Pair the lunch date with a mani/pedi and it sounds like a great day!
My summer, at least until July 10, is filled with having this cast on my right leg and having to beg rides everywhere. It comes off 3 days before I leave for DC. My July 10 calendar reads "10 AM cast removal, 11 AM Spa pedicure." I want them to exfoliate the leg and then I'll see just how bad it looks and whether the little black dress goes to DC or I substitute pants to cover up my gimpy leg and foot. I just want it to be HEALED so I can walk pain-free.
I love that list. My boys used to ask things like that too and I'd smile and say "I'll get back to you on that."
Marilyn
P.S. The hammock sounds like a good idea.
Love those questions.. cute. Summer for me is going up to the cottage and sitting on the beach... But this summer driving will be a bit of a problem, so the backyard with a book will or a walk to the park will be the norm this year.. I will miss my day trips to my fav little out of the way places to shop and explore too..
Thank god for all the great books I have on hand to read.
Last year we started a new thing in our family (me, and my two daugthers 8 & 11). We've decided that we need to visit every museum within driving distance of our home, we need to visit one new place each year, and we MUST let each person choose a favorite MUST DO every year thing to build traditions that will last our family into adulthood.
I was stunned when earlier this year I offered them a choice: We can go to the Shriner Circus again this year or save the ticket $ and get concert tickets to see Taylor Swift. They hands down, NO DISCUSSION chose the Circus. Their reasoning - "It's tradition mom, we go EVERY year." This year they chose to have our picture taken with the pink poodles for their souvenier.
Good luck with the book.
Marcia in OK
Your on with that lunch idea, Michele. Name the date!
Marilyn, thank goodness your cast is off BEFORE conference.
Buy cottage - thanks Kathleen. I think that my favorite so far!!!!!
Marcia - you reminded me - the MIA here in Mpls is amazing - I'm going and dragging my son with me! Yeah, kids do love the traditions, although mine seem more than ready to let a few go. ::sigh::
Oh, that lovely watermelon.
My victory garden is coming along in spite of the recent cold snap. That's new since I haven't had one in years and years, and it gives me a boost every time I look out the window. (It's a kitchen garden--right outside the kitchen.)
I can't go to RWA this year, either, and I feel kinda sorry for myself over it. But five of us are trying to plan a few days' retreat "up north." I hope we can get our calendars synchronized.
LOL, Helen! Fun questions! I can answer the ones about Chinese, since those fall into the extremely limited vocabulary I still retain.
That *is* gorgeous watermelon, and our family adores summer fruit--we'll be eating a ton of it in the next couple months. We don't actually grow any ourselves (yep, the black thumb of death does live at our house), but we'll try to visit the farmers' markets more often during the summer.
We don't have much on our summer must-do list--we might try to visit some of the local sights that we never go see (playing local tourist, as the case might be) :)
As for how to make the summer last, maybe just try to say yes sometimes to those things you might ordinarily say no to--OK, let's take a break and walk to the ice cream shop :) Or OK, let's have a water balloon fight ;)
BTW, I commented late on your previous post about your bookmarks--they look fabulous! Are you printing some up?
I have no big plans for the summer this year. My youngest niece is coming to stay with me for a week and we plan to spend the week at my friend's pool. Free and fun, plus she can play with all of her friends that live here. My middle niece is coming up for the 4th of July weekend, but again we don't really have any big plans. Must take her somewhere to watch fireworks.
Love this list. When my allergies are really bothering me I always joke that I would love to pop my eyeballs out to cool them off in cold water.
Kathy, my son was dying to plant watermelon this year, only we don't have a garden. So we're trying something new. Container watermelon. Gonna set the pot by the fence and see what happens!
flchen1 - the water balloon used to be a favorite must do for the summer when my kids were little. I'm gonna put that one back on the list!
flchen - oh, and I forgot. Yes, the bookmarks for the first book have been ordered and are on their way. Need to buy some cording, but I have the beads. And then I just need to make 1,000 of them before they're ready. LOL!! Wanna help?
Liza, that sounds fun to have nieces visit. 7/4 fireworks are always fun. I have a cousin who's in the Coast Guard stationed out in Long Island. A couple of my cousins from here in MN are going to visit him over the 4th and head out on his ship to watch the fireworks from the Statue of Liberty. Does that sound cool or what?
And I love your eyeballs in the water story. My allergies are all that bad, but I can imagine that would feel so wonderful.
OK! I'm in, as long as the project isn't too tricky ;) Let me know if you do need help :)
You're a sweetie, flchen!
Those questions are darling. I suspect if cupcakes grew on trees some of those young children parents cannot extract from their computer chair would be running outdoors with a glass of milk.
Writing a barely begun book with kids home for the summer, see that is in no way boring.
Dr John linked to you. ~Mary
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