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Challenge: Summer Fun

No summer bucket list here

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Welp, summer is on its way out, and back to being a parent of school-attending children I will be.

With

one heading into her first year of middle school,

one riding the third-grade wave

and another marching into first,

it's sure going to be a busy year

- for all of us

As I reflect on this summer with my kids, I think we did (and we're still doing) alright.
I think that we did a good job of keepin' busy and doing stuff

but balancing that out with some slower days.

The two littles each had two spread-out weeks of a camp, and the ole' gal spent a whopping sixteen days at her first sleepaway camp.

We took a vacation, and we visited with family for a little bit of time.

That being said,

I still feel a pang of guilt for ALL THE THINGS we shoulda done but didn't.

Here's a non-exhaustive list of what we did NOT do this summer:

Summer Reading.
I'm 1 for 3 on that one. Hey, it beats being 0 for 3.

Any math.
Outside of counting the number of chips on our plate to make sure it's the same as the number of chips on our siblings' plate because if they have more chips, well, then that's not fair, and indeed a fit must be pitched.

Eat healthy.

Why did my chickens cross the road? To get to their next meal/snack, of course.

Save money.

I don't even know how this is possible with kids. I think it's a made-up thing.

Get along.

Well, not allllll the time, at least. Okay, barely any of the time. You could say that if my kids weren't fighting [or eating], they were sleeping.

Learn a new skill.

Nope...nope...just nope. Not a single one of us. I mean, we're all over here still working on chewing with our mouths closed, not interrupting, keeping our hands to ourselves, and staying in our beds. And that's plenty on our plate, I think.

Tackled a 'Bucket List.'

No. No bucket list here. The only bucket I've been getting into this summer is the kind full of ice and beer or the one swimming in buffalo chicken wings.

So...that's it...that's a little about me and mine and our summer.

We ain't over here winning any awards for taking the bull by the horns and kickin' summer's butt.

And we probably did more sitting on our butts than busting 'em to "get it all done" this summer.

BUT WHAT WE HAVE DONE,

what we have succeeded at,

is closed out every day with everyone

happy,

healthy,

and not hungry,

and I'm gonna go ahead and call that a win.

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