Moods of Summer Phase 1: It’s May. I am on the edge of my seat waiting for summer to begin. I daydream of all the things I will do with my family. We will host lemonade stands, do many craft activities, read books together, visit the library every week…you know, all the things. My Pinterest boards get new pins, my Google searches transition to summer camps, summer vacation ideas, summer festivals, summer recipes, and refreshing, summer cocktails creations. All things summer. The first of my summer moods is very optimistic, joyful even.
Moods of Summer Phase 2: Mid-June arrives. My primary job is to be a taxi service to all the summer camps everyone is enrolled in. I am excited though. My Pinterest board has had no new pins added lately, but I have packed snacks for my kids to eat while en-route as we drive from place to place. There are only a few crumbs on the floorboard. There has not yet been time for one of those amazing summer dinner recipes yet, we are surviving on pizza and half consumed bottles of water rolling around in the car. The pool we visited was great, until my youngest cleared everyone out with a potty accident. We have not yet made it to a summer festival yet. The moods of summer have shifted, we are now feeling slightly deflated, tired…but there is still hope!
Moods of Summer Phase 3: Independence Day celebrations did not go quite as planned. The dog barked all night and kept the kids up, but most of us at least did have cute, matching 4th of July shirts. At least there has only been one ER visit so far this summer, only one kid in a cast, just my super-duper energetic teenage son. One of the kids gets braces this week, so penciling in those orthodontist visits now! A few summer festivals and concerts in the park have come and gone.Thinking we may let the kids host a lemonade stand next week. Current mood of summer could be described as confused, tired, but hey, there are still 6 weeks of summer left to relax!
Moods of Summer Phase 4: It is the end of July. We spent 4 hours preparing for the lemonade stand. Spent over $50 on supplies. Spent 4 hours in the sun. We sold $10 worth of the stuff. Not exactly sure what lessons I was able to impart upon my children during this adventure, but I was able to get the marker stain out of the rug from where the kids made their “Lemonade for Sale” signage. BUT, summer camps are over! No more taxi driver service. Now I can spend time at home and we can do some of the things that I excitedly pinned on my Pinterest board! Well, after the in-laws leave. Then we have to go visit my parents for a few days, but after those two things I am sure we can rest and relax a little, maybe have a little crafty fun! This false sense of joy is the mood of summer known as denial.
Moods of Summer Phase Five: I am not really sure what day it is. The days are a blur. I cannot quite remember what we did today, but my gas tank is empty, my kitchen is a mess, and I am beyond exhausted; meanwhile the kids keep stating they are in fact bored. I did get an email about school supply lists and “meet the teacher” dates. I think one of my kiddos said he has football practice starting next week. That cannot be right, he gets confused easily… right? Summer is ending. As this awareness slowly sinks in, the mood of summer that has slowly been evolving transitions into a sense of, dare I say: defeat.
I reflect on these evolving moods of summer for a bit. I have no clue where the time went or what we did over the summer break, but it is clearly coming to a defeated end. But, oh! Fall is near! Now I can make cookies for all my kids’ new teachers, we can get cute, new clothes for everyone! Maybe make some fun back to school signs so everyone can smile for their first day of school pictures. I found some fun ideas for fall to pin on my Pinterest board. I bet the kids will want to help me make some fun, fall crafts to mail to the grandparents. So many fun memories to be made! I am feeling better already.
