Keeping them busy...

We are two weeks into summer break and it would be the truth if I've already blessed the kids' teachers many many times.  I don't know how they do it.  Perhaps its that our kids have been home together most days and are sick and tired of the same walls and same people to play with.  Or it's that my kids can't get along and just like to argue and fight, all of them.  My grandpa always would say, fighting is a good thing, it means your kids are healthy and there's a blessing right there. I guess he is right. I'd gladly take fighting over having some real health concerns to worry about.

So we've been trying to keep them busy. They get daily homework assignments (I've been informed they are the only kids in the history of the world that have to do homework in the summer), we have them help with chores, which I often have to make them redo because I am a stickler in that if you're going to do something you should do it quality.  Much to their dismay and disagreement, they don't think quality is a necessity when it comes to doing things sometimes.  I'm determined to break that habit.  And then we have some scheduled activities. The middle two are doing summer academy school, Gabe is doing a few camps and Madelyn she gets to go to daycare/preschool still.  In the evenings the three older kids are doing swim team which started this week.  And in between all that they seem to still have plenty of free time.  

Just this past week I decided Gabriel could help my parents out by trimming their pineapple palm at their house. It was actually a chore he was interested in doing because he could chop, cut and use his "developing" manly skills.  (He's still afraid of the tiniest bug so we have a lot of room for growth).  The little kids stayed in the care watching a movie and Michael with his hand injury was only there for verbal support (or criticism). 

He ended up getting it trimmed and looking a bit better and after he had it all picked up he insisted he was exhausted for the rest of the day. :-)

This summer should be filled with lots of fun and hopefully new family members that we will always cherish.... just to keep them busy enough that they don't fight.

Any ideas?  I'd gladly welcome them.

Until next time,

Angie