The Summer of Mediocrity

Toward the end of the school year when all the focus of conversations was, "What are your summer plans?" I was feeling kinda sorry for myself. Besides a quick road trip to visit with family, we don't really have any "plans". Or the funds to make any fantastic plans happen. I gulped a bit each time I told people we would be mostly staying home doing "whatever" while they went on about trips to the beach, Disney World, or NYC. Truthfully, I felt bad that I was going to give my kids The Summer of Mediocrity instead of The Summer to Remember.

As I look back on this week, though, I'm amazed at all the stuff we did. Sure, it was full of pretty mediocre, ordinary stuff. But, it was also fun, great memory-making stuff. In just one week...

• The kids and I went to a playgroup "water fun" at one family's house, complete with blow-up water slide and Popsicles.
• We attended a terrific puppet show at the local library and won a free book.
• The kids were excited to cross off chores on their very own Chore Lists.
• We ate fresh SC peaches and hot boiled peanuts with lunch one afternoon.
• We baked chocolate chocolate chip cookies.
• We met friends at McDonald's and The kids played on the PlayPlace after eating hot fudge sundaes.
• We spent an afternoon at a friends' house. The kids played outside on bikes and scooters while I played cards with a friend. (This afternoon was complete with S's discovery and presentation of dead-driven-over-squashed-sun-baked-flat frog.)
• We ate pocket-fulls of candy while watching the movie at the movie theater's free movies.
• We swam at a friend's pool.
• Plus, we celebrated A's 7th birthday. (More birthday pictures to come!)