Summer Structure; Day 1
I already feel like a failure. Monday was the start of week 3 of our summer break. {See this post for explanation.}
And so 3 weeks and 2 days in, I'm FINALLY beginning to implement Summer of Structure. See, I have the best intentions and the best ideas but as for implementation, I suck. {I know to all of you Americans out there, saying "suck" is a terrible, awful thing, but my Canadian readers will be completely fine with that word choice - even my mom says it. And sometimes, it just needs to be said. Ya know?}
But here's the reality. Until today, every day was spoken for over the last 2 weeks, between VBS and going to Michigan for almost a week and yesterday Hiyam came back from Syria (more on that later). So today was finally mine. And I was so excited about that. That is, until I woke up.
Today started out miserably. The kids were just AT EACH OTHER from the get go. I think I had been awake for, oh, maybe 43.7 seconds and someone touched the other and the other looked at the other and that was it. Frustration levels were HIGH. For all of us. I just left the room.
Enter my hubby, Jack. He works from home and during the summer he moves his office from the 2nd floor down to the lower level. Which means he hears EVERY.THING. Before I knew it, he was upstairs, separating the kids into their rooms and giving them a stern talking to. And as usual, they listen to him. Which is absolutely great and completely frustrating all rolled up into one great big ball of wax. I mean, my voice means NOTHING to the kids. It's like they see me open my mouth and they think I'm just taking a breath. But Jack says "jump" and they say "How high oh father of ours that we just must hang on every word you say!" {And I KNOW all the mothers in blogland are shaking their heads in agreement. I just know that I'm not alone in this.}
He gave me a hug and I started to cry {*surprising*}. And then he just gently said, "I think the kids need to do some chores. Maddie's bored. They need to work."
And he was right.
And so "Summer of Structure" began. And for the most part, the rest of the day went quite well. {Compared to the first 60 seconds.} I think I only said one time that I hate my job. And that was when I was on the phone to my mom and the kids were arguing AGAIN. And she'll love me no matter what I say.
So, we did chores.
Jackson is crazy for this contraption:
And so 3 weeks and 2 days in, I'm FINALLY beginning to implement Summer of Structure. See, I have the best intentions and the best ideas but as for implementation, I suck. {I know to all of you Americans out there, saying "suck" is a terrible, awful thing, but my Canadian readers will be completely fine with that word choice - even my mom says it. And sometimes, it just needs to be said. Ya know?}
But here's the reality. Until today, every day was spoken for over the last 2 weeks, between VBS and going to Michigan for almost a week and yesterday Hiyam came back from Syria (more on that later). So today was finally mine. And I was so excited about that. That is, until I woke up.
Today started out miserably. The kids were just AT EACH OTHER from the get go. I think I had been awake for, oh, maybe 43.7 seconds and someone touched the other and the other looked at the other and that was it. Frustration levels were HIGH. For all of us. I just left the room.
Enter my hubby, Jack. He works from home and during the summer he moves his office from the 2nd floor down to the lower level. Which means he hears EVERY.THING. Before I knew it, he was upstairs, separating the kids into their rooms and giving them a stern talking to. And as usual, they listen to him. Which is absolutely great and completely frustrating all rolled up into one great big ball of wax. I mean, my voice means NOTHING to the kids. It's like they see me open my mouth and they think I'm just taking a breath. But Jack says "jump" and they say "How high oh father of ours that we just must hang on every word you say!" {And I KNOW all the mothers in blogland are shaking their heads in agreement. I just know that I'm not alone in this.}
He gave me a hug and I started to cry {*surprising*}. And then he just gently said, "I think the kids need to do some chores. Maddie's bored. They need to work."
And he was right.
And so "Summer of Structure" began. And for the most part, the rest of the day went quite well. {Compared to the first 60 seconds.} I think I only said one time that I hate my job. And that was when I was on the phone to my mom and the kids were arguing AGAIN. And she'll love me no matter what I say.
So, we did chores.
Jackson is crazy for this contraption:
Jackson did baseboards. Maddie dusted.
Shortly after that Maddie went into her room and brought out her Bible and declared that it was time to do our family devotions.
And so we did. She led it, making us learn our memory verse. "We must be about our father's business." Luke 2:49 {I think}.And then Jackson insisted that we read his Bible.
And so we did, until he decided that he didn't like the story of Abraham and Isaac. And that was the end of that.We had school time. Each child was given an age appropriate work book; Jackson to work on letters. Maddie to review 2nd grade math.
We packed a lunch and headed to the gym. {Some sanity for mommy which I am SO.VERY.GRATEFUL.FOR. I can't even tell you how much this helps.}
And then craft time. It started out great. Some minor kerfuffles throughout, but overall a fun time. I got the idea from here. And it worked. We'll probably do it again. You can get a huge tub of corn starch from Sam's for $2.28 ... and we got 3 paint brushes at Dollar Tree for a buck. So $3.28 bought me an hour of sanity. Not bad.
And so as I look back on today I'm grateful for a few things:
1. That I get to do this parenting thing as a duo. I think single parents have the hardest job in the world. Hands down. I'm just thankful that Jack was able to intervene today and help with some direction and perspective on what might help in the moment. It only took a couple of minutes of his time, but it made the day go down a completely different path then it would have, had he not overheard the frustration upstairs. Sometimes it's "in the moment" parenting that is the hardest.
2. That we have the resources to allow me to have a gym membership where I can get a break from the kids. I don't take that for granted. I know lots of women would give anything to have an hour or two break from their children.
3. The infusion of hot pink paint in the middle of the afternoon. Today called for a splash of colour.
And so today is over. And I'm not going to lie; I'm glad.
But overall, not a bad day for Summer of Structure Day 1.
We'll see how Day 2 goes. One can HOPE for the best.
{There's that word again!}