Summer break

As a kid, I loved summer break. Not having to get up and get dressed and sit through eight hours of school was part of it. The best part was getting to say no to shoes all summer, swim in random creeks we found along our travels, bike races up to the neighbors and the ice cream man.

As a mom, I hate the ice cream man and his over priced product. I love having my children with me but two weeks into summer break and I am missing those early mornings and quiet eight hours. Dirty feet leave dirty prints. Is it so hard to put shoes on before you go outside and keep them on? 

My house, oh my poor house. Its once clean floors and counter tops are covered in various articles of clothing, superhero action figures and a Barbie head or two. Crayons have no home during the summer. Blue may never see Red again, I think Green is vacationing under the couch. Who invented playdoh and why are there sets sold that encourage making it into food when even in blob form they must be reminded not to eat it? Bubbles. I see bubbles when I close my eyes. They used to be fun but now... now they bring thoughts of screaming over a spilled bottle, sticky and itchy skin from bubbles landing on it and squabbles over the 'good' wand. 

Folded clothes, not during the summer. They barely make it out of the dryer before someone has decided it was time for a wardrobe change. Dishes are doing the dishwasher dance but there never seems to be a clean fork. Why can I only find three forks? Worm hunting? Oh.. my forks are in the garden, probably will the guts of a few worms on its tongs. 

Oh, summer. Just years ago it meant late nights, maybe on the town or just in the back of a pickup truck watching stars. Now, if exhaustion hasnt knocked me out by 9, I'm too tired to even think about strolling outside to gaze at the moon. 

Sun kissed skin and drinks on the beach have been replaced by sunscreen and sandcastles. The convertible wind blown hair has been replaced with mini-van mom bun. Late nights have been replaced by early mornings. River rafts have been replaced by arm floaties. 

A lot has changed since my summer breaks as a kid. I see now all my mother went through to make sure I enjoyed them as much as I did. They arent the same, theyre rather exhausting but for the memories my children will have of our summers... its totally worth it.