I have survived the first day of Summer break, and not once did I have a desire to flee the house. This is a marked improvement over last year. Even more surprising, I feel like our family is falling into a familiar rhythm rather then me having to enforce a new schedule. Perhaps I’m starting to get the hang of this. (Yes I realize I’ve just doomed myself by saying it. Please don’t remind me that I did it to myself when I’m going crazy next week.)
The schedule goes like this:
Mornings I work while the kids go through their list of assigned chores. They have a short list of daily things and a few weekly things which are assigned to days of the week. No video games or movies are allowed. Theoretically this creates a quiet morning conducive to Howard’s scripting and my editing/accounting/lay out. Kids get their own breakfasts (We keep kid-fixable foods on hand.)
Lunch: I fix this at noon. It provides a forced break for me, and an anchor point for the kids mid-day.
Afternoon: Video games are allowed for kids who have finished their lists. Friends can come over. I also need to remember to get us out of the house at least twice per week. Cabin fever is not a good thing.
Dinner: Again, this is my job. I need to plan ahead and fix healthy stuff rather than resorting to frozen pizza like I did today.
Evening: Video games off. Sometimes movies are allowed. The kids need to wind down from the screens and start feeling sleepy. Then bedtime.
Get up the next day and do it again. I liked today. I hope most of the summer can work as well.