Camp Lindsey, June 2nd & 3rd

Ok, friends. I am going to come clean here and be completely transparent about the fact that our summer has had a rocky start. You will find no perfection on this blog. There have been many time out's, behavior chart plummets, and some home damage (documented earlier). In putting together a response to the trio's issues, I Harry S. Truman-ed this situation (i.e., "The buck stops here.") and drilled down to identify the causes.

First, while I think we should have arrived, developmentally, to a place of having a relaxed schedule  and a relaxed approach to summer, the reality is that, of the many words one could use to describe our children, relaxed isn't one of them. Second, I tried to recall being eight, and remember how long summer seemed back then. If someone had told the eight-year-old version of you, dear friend, that you had plans looming three or more weeks away, that would have seemed like an eternity.  I definitely recall the months from June to August stretching out indefinitely as if anything were possible. Third, the little "LinkWithin" widget at the end of each post randomly populated with one of the old "Camp Mom" posts from when the girls were the age William George is now. Since George is often the impetus of our plans being derailed, this was an especially beneficial reminder.

Therefore, we will be kicking off Camp Mom immediately, although it is being rebranded as Camp Lindsey, as I foresee some pushback in the upcoming tween years. Actually, it began two days ago.  On June 2nd, while strategizing my response to a challenging day, we spontaneously signed up for gymnastics. They attended their first classes and loved it. Incidentally, this was also the day I started carrying a wooden spoon in my purse.

On June 3rd, we went to a local show at our library, signed up for the summer reading challenge and put together our official library book bags for summer. As a bonus, Grammie arrived to spend a few days with us. After quiet time, during which time, the girls each read approximately 70 pages, they alternated between playing on the playground and practicing gymnastics.


Hometown Heroes from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

After grilling out for supper, we took a neighborhood bike ride, and Grace climbed a very large hill for the first time. Lauren is a bit of a dare-devil, and we are cautioning her repeatedly to slow down before the inevitable crash occurs. (Everyone wears helmets, of course.)

We are almost finished with day three of Camp Lindsey, and significant progress has been made. Keep your fingers crossed.