I don't know if this summer is going to be hot (although I certainly hope it won't get too hot), but it looks like it's going to be long. It's only about 10 weeks from the end of school until the start of it again in September. Still, I'm already inundated with requests to entertain Rachel and repeated bouts of whining when she doesn't get her way.
She was talking recently about how she wishes she was still in school, because she likes going to class and playing with her friends and because it keeps her busier. She talked about how all she has to do is read books, play with her Pet Shop toys and watch TV, and how is she supposed to deal with that? It doesn't sound like too rough a life to me, but I know how it is to have a job and have very little to do at that job, and it gets tedious quickly.
Yesterday we went to the library, and the act of getting ready for it took most of the morning. We ended up leaving at 11:15. But that was okay, because keeping our focus on the fact that we were going somewhere made the morning go faster, and then we killed some time that took us right up to lunch. I had her work on some spelling word practice and write in her summer journal, and then she did her responsibilities so that she could watch a little TV. I also painted her fingernails and toenails when she was ready to sit down and watch TV, and I think that helped to motivate her to get things done.
I'm trying to come up with stuff to keep her busy without me necessarily needing to be an active participant. I don't mind playing some games and spending time with her throughout the day here and there, but the demands on me to constantly supply something for her to do are driving me a little crazy, and they make it difficult for me to get my own responsibilities done. It's also tough to find any "quiet time" during the day, and I desperately need that to be a good mom. Otherwise, my fuse is much shorter and my reactions are not as kind as they should be.
I think Ben benefits from the structure of preschool, too. He adjusted to it well, and I have to admit that, even though it was tough for me to send him off so soon, it ended up being really nice having a few hours on Monday through Thursday when I could quickly run errands, get things done around the house or just enjoy the peace and quiet.
Neither child is doing well with sleeping patterns lately. Rachel keeps sleeping in and then having trouble falling asleep many nights, but if I wake her up early, she'll be a royal grouch for the rest of the day. I think I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and do that soon, though, if she keeps having trouble at night. With summer here, though, we may just have her get ready for bed by the normal time, and then read for a longer period to help tire her out. That way, James and I still get some quiet time in the evening, and she doesn't keep coming out of her room to tell us that she's having trouble sleeping, or turning her light on and being sneaky about reading when she's supposed to be in bed.
Ben has always had problems with staying awake at night long after he should be asleep. I would try removing naps, but he gets so crabby and, worse, aggressive (sometimes just downright mean) when he doesn't have a nap. Sometimes he keeps himself awake through naptime, and that can be rough, too, but he at least needs some downtime on his own in the afternoons. And I need that, too. He clearly isn't ready to give up his naps, so I may need to try to limit how long they are. That's tough to do when he frequently takes so long to fall asleep.
I'm looking forward to the two weeks of VBS in July. One is just Rachel going to VBS at the church where she attended preschool, and the next week is VBS at our church. I'll be a crew leader (for Rachel), James is helping out in various areas, and Ben will be in the church nursery while we're there. I know that it'll be a bit tiring; nonetheless, it will be good for Rachel to have something to do and will make those days go faster. After that, we have two weeks to fill, then two weeks of morning swimming lessons that will help pass the time, then a week of vacation. I think there's a week and a half left of summer post-vacation.
So that just leaves this week and next before VBS starts, and leaves me thinking about how I can make the time more pleasant and help Rachel to think more creatively about what she can do with her days.
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