So I have not posted everyday this week, like I wanted to, but such is the life of a busy mother. This will be my last post for a week or so because we are headed to our Pagosa Springs Boyack family reunion tomorrow and I do not think I will take the time to post anything while we are gone.
Summertime, is there anytime more crazy for a mom than summertime? I always think the school year is so busy with school, piano, soccer, other sports, and scouts. I always think we will get to summer and things will be more laid back and easy going. I guess they are in a way, but I am so busy trying to keep everyone in this family happy and I am also trying to keep them from killing each other. So we have gotten back to our summertime routine. Swim lessons, tennis, and soccer camp. This year, we may even try a volleyball camp that we found out about. My kids all love volleyball, like their parents, but there are not many places for boys to play vball in Albuquerque. Jake plays sand vball every Tuesday night and he sometimes takes the boys along. Charlie, the owner, told him about a camp for kids in the mornings and we may give it a shot later in the summer.
Swim lessons. This year, we gave up on swim team. I love the exercise that it provides for the kids and it is dirt cheap, but I do not love the fact that the teenagers running the program do not do anything to help the kids get better at the strokes. My kids have done it for 2 summers and I basically had to drag them there last summer, so I decided to end the pain and give that one a rest. Eric, Nate, and Reagan all did a session of swimming a couple of weeks ago and they will do another 2 week session later in the summer. I tried to convice Jared to join in, but he thinks he is good enough. All of my kids just had a blast. Of course, some of the teachers are better than others, but all of the kids had a great time. I was a little worried about Reagan being clingy and not going to class, but that was not a problem this time. The manager of the pool was very clear that you should drop your preschooler off and walk away, even if they are crying. I appreciate that because that is usually the only way my kids will go and then they will get used to things and be fine. On the first day, Reagan was crying and would not sit down, so I handed her to the lifeguards and walked off. She cried for literally about 2 seconds and then she was fine. All of the other days, she went on her own and sat down. She was splashing and laughing and having a great time.
Tennis lessons. In the past, I have usually signed my kids up for one or two 2 week sessions with the city. This year I was looking for a little more intense program. I signed up Jared and Eric for a program with the city. The kids go for 6 weeks, from 9:15 to 11:45 in the morning and they work with coaches that whole time. I think the older kids may even play some matches. This is the best deal ever. The cost of the program is $50 for the whole thing. We will miss a week and probably some days here and there, but what a great deal. Eric and Jared are both having so much fun and getting a lot of exercise. They have both already made new friends and the program is just great. Corey’s friends were going to do a program at La Cueva that meets for basically the whole summer from 2:00 to 3:30 in the afternoon. The cost is 4 times as much, but we decided that it would be worth it so that he could be with his friends and get to know the coach (since he is the middle school and high school coach for tennis). Corey has practice Monday – Thursday and he plays matches on Tuesdays. The program is good, but it is right in the heat of the day. I guess that is the price Corey has to pay to be with his friends.
Soccer Camp. Both Nathan and Eric have participated in a week long soccer camp that just lasts one to two hours a day. Nate had so much fun. This will be his first year on soccer and I can tell that he is going to love it. Eric will be playing with Rio again next year and he will be playing against competitive teams. We shall see how this all goes this next year, but he seems to have an interest in goalie, so maybe he will give that a shot. My other kids have never wanted to play goalie. Eric was one of the youngest kids at his camp, but he hung in there and had a fun week. Corey will probably have a camp later on in the summer with his team. It should be another interesting soccer year, especially with 4 kids playing soccer.
In between all of these activities, we are finding time to have friends over, do chores, practice piano, work on scout merit badges, go swimming, and all of the other fun things that we can do during the summer. This summer is already going crazy fast and I am trying hard to enjoy those special moments, instead of worrying about always keeping the house clean and always keeping everyone happy.
By the way, my laundry load has probably doubled during the summer. The towel loads are crazy with swimming and my kids playing with water in the back yard. Nate and Reagan just love to play at the sink and they probably change their outfits 3 times everyday because they get everything wet. I could live without the extra laundry, but at least my kids are having a good time and the water seems to bring them all together. In my book, that is priceless.
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