Summer...

Ahh, summer...Of course teachers love summer. So do kids and so do all the parents who bitch about it and then send their kids away for 8 weeks of overnight camp ;-). Here are some observations about summer, courtesy of moi (of course).

1. I enjoy going to the pool in my bathing suit. Granted, I don't look amazing, but the things that SOME people wear makes me realize I'm just a normal 41 year old mom trying to enjoy the rays. I'm not huge and I'm not trying to recapture a body I didn't even have in my 20's.

2. Taking a walk in the evening is about the most relaxing thing to do. I grab my freaky dog and walk around town. I usually see people I know and I get to wave and feel all "small towny" when kids yell, "Hi, Ms. K!" out their car windows. That's nice. Of course, if I am carrying a bag of dog crap I have to make sure to wave with the other arm or things get all yucky very quickly.

3. Summer is just long enough for me to play stay-at-home-mom. By the time mid-August rolls around I'm sick of the 4 of us being home together and I look forward to school and having more structure. My favorite is the moms who tell me I am "brave" for staying home with the boys all summer. Huh? They play, we swim, it's fun. What's brave about that?

4. This summer we are planning a trip to Disney World. Wow...I'm guessing I will have a lot to write about after that! 2 days in the car each way. The way I figure it, no matter what happens it will give us stories to tell for years to come...even if they are the kind of stories that aren't funny for about 15 years. By the time they ARE funny we can tell them at the boys' weddings.

5. I love summer evening little league games. We have had good experiences with the people on summer teams and I look forward to it again this summer. Hanging out in the bleachers with some fellow parents, playing on my Blackberry, cheering on the boys and the smell of marijuana wafting over the field from the skateboard park nearby...ahhh, summer!

6.I like to be tan...I know it is isn't good for your skin and blah, blah, blah...but I like it and I think I look nice that way.

7. I don't like mosquitoes. What is their purpose? So, they provide food for other animals...but those other animals eat other, less annoying insects. Mosquitoes serve no purpose and they carry disease! When those mosquito abatement people come can't they just spray a teensy bit more poison to kill ALL the mosquitoes? Pretty please?!

8. I don't water my lawn. Tom and I have owned 2 single family homes over the past 8ish years and we have never once set up a sprinkler to water the lawn (for the boys to play in, yes). Our lawns have always been fine...not the best, but not dead. It is a waste of water and I think it is silly. So there. Sue me.

9. We live on a dead end street that has bunches of kids. In the nice weather they all play out in the street...baseball, riding bikes, capture the flag, water balloon fights. It is like the nicest, hokiest, cheesiest thing ever to look out there and see them all yelling, running and laughing. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I know in about 6 or 7 years they will be drag racing down the block and sneaking through the bushes into the bakery parking lot to smoke but for now, it's all good.

10. How great is it in the summer to run out the screen door, jump in the car (no boots, no coat, no scarves in the way) and drive somewhere with the windows down? It is just so easy compared to going anywhere in the winter in Chicago! Makes you appreciate summer all that much more.

What is your favorite thing about summer? Or, do you have a summer confession (like my lawn neglect)? Please share!

Only a few more full school days left until summer...if only I could turn the heat off in my house...