Summmertime, Here I Come

It's not officially the first day of summer but for almost all of my life-- whether I was a student, a teacher, or a stay-at-home mom--the seasons were dictated more by the school calendar than anything else. Today was The Princess' first day out of school and even though I had to go off to work, my mind went into summer planning mode. Gone are the days of swim lessons, ball practices and weekends at the baseball/softball fields. They've been replaced with College Boy's summer classes to stay on the graduation schedule, cheer camp for The Princess, and summer jobs for all. Gone are the days of popsicles in the freezer, slip n slides in the yard, and jars on hand for an evening of catching lightening bugs. I still stock the fridge with easy to make meals and the pantry with snacks. I make sure there's wood for a spontaneous firepit and a box of brownies and plenty of microwave popcorn for sleepover snacks.
I used to make a list of chores and projects for the kids to complete while I worked the morning away from home. The promised reward was usually a trip to the pool in the afternoon if tasks were completed. That was when it wasn't too embarassing to be seen with your mom at the neighborhood pool. That was back when I was good for some new pool toy or .50 to spend at the snack bar.
Now days I still love to sit poolside with a good book or, better yet, conversation with the friends who have children to bring to the pool. And because I'm not ever sure when the weather or my afternoon schedule will accommodate such an outing, I stay prepared. In the back of my car the swim bag sits packed alongside a beach chair & blanket in case the poolchairs are all taken. I may always long for the summertimes of yesterday but I'm not giving up on the hopes of summer yet to come!