Summer “Vacation”

…is bearing down on me like a freight train.

Is it just me? Where did the school year go? How the heck did it get to be May?

And whose brilliant idea was it to jam an entire year’s worth of activities into one month, then follow it with a desert of three school-less months where everything is closed?

I can’t be the only one walking around looking like a deer in the headlights at this time of year. Even WITH the twenty (rather expensive, alas) summer camps I signed the kids up for.

I have two children, which always used to seem manageable, if not exactly a walk in the park. But I’ve discovered that if you’re not hypervigilant, the activities kind of creep in there (basketweaving on Thursdays? Sure, honey!), and combined with school plays, doctor and dentist visits, and school events, all of a sudden you’re having to block out seventeen minutes to sit down and have dinner. Which you’ve bought pre-prepared, because who has time to cook?

Of course, all that will end in about three weeks. After which my children will be hanging off of me like ripe fruit. (Only more active, and vocal.)

So after nine months of ferrying children to mind-enriching activities and creating impromptu Abigail Adams caps out of cheesecloth and twine, I’ll be fending off requests to create to-scale replicas of the Taj Mahal in mixed media (drinking straws, egg cartons, and permanent marker, most of which will end up on my couches).

What are your summer plans?

Do they involve rum?

And if so, do you have a mojito recipe you’d like to share? 😉

(No more pink wine for me, thank you very much. At least not tonight…)

12 Responses

  1. John K. says:

    Just yesterday, while I was sitting at my daughter’s dance class, I was looking at my calendar (and, for once, putting things down on it, and at the same time trying to keep a lid on my son’s state of agitated boredom) when I realized that the last day of school was exactly TWO WEEKS away. So, no, you’re definitely not the only one looking like a deer in headlights right about now. Especially since whatever summer camps my two kids are signed up for won’t be starting until June, which means I, too, will be feeling like a tree laden with hyperactive fruit for at least a couple weeks. Personally, I plan on getting out of town as early and as often as I can, starting with Memorial Day weekend. And I may very well include rum in my plans. Or Guinness. By the pint.

  2. Sometimes, I am glad I have dogs rather than children. However, at these times of year, I am always happy to take my nieces and nephews off their parents’ hands (because that deer in the headlights look on my siblings’ faces freaks me out a bit). Maybe it’s time to organize some things with “Crazy Aunt Laura”, or whoever your family equivalent is?

  3. Ha ha haa! The joys of living sans children! I have a rabbit and all he does is look at things.. and occasionally dig at he carpet.

    So, as far as Summer plans go, I will be devoting myself to finishing this novel(75k words so far WOOHOO!). Once this rewrite is done, I’m gonna’ pass it off to my critique guy and start the next one.

    By November, I intend to have the next novel written and ready to edit so that I can set it aside and start a third for NaNoWriMo. *crossing fingers*

    Maybe by September I’ll have my first manuscript critiqued, edited, proofed and ready for agents. No, strike that. By September I *WILL* have it circulating.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Karen
    I do remember those days when my two daughters two years apart were home for summer vacation. Very hard to write. When I shooed them off, I felt guilty and couldn’t write. Then my husband began working nights and was home all day and I said, why me,God? So I do understand your frustration–and I can imagine how hard it is also to keep up with all you have to do- not only the housework, cooking and cleaning– but all your publicity appearances, book signings, teaching… I think you should get some help– ie, a nanny or housekeeper.
    OH by the way, are you going to Maine again this year? That should be something fun to look forward to !
    In any case, Happy Mothers Day to you, Karen. You deserve very special treatment!
    Judy W.

  5. John,

    Yes, it is. Entirely too close, if you ask me.

    Abby’s teacher today asked me if I had camps set up for Abby, since she’s so active.

    I was delighted to be able to say a resounding “YES.”

    Just signed them up for swim lessons, too. Maybe I can have Guinness on the sidelines and say it’s root beer…

  6. Laura,

    That sounds like a great idea. Where do you live? :)))

  7. Nicholas,

    I have a rabbit, too, and several holes in my house to show for it.

    What kind? Mine’s a netherland dwarf with active teeth…

    And congratulations on your fabulous progress. I KNOW you’ll have it done and ready. You ARE ready.

    (Lots of pats on back here.)

    If you’re in the mood to sneak in a book on coffee cakes or werewolves, drop me a line… I’m sure we can work something out… 😉

  8. Judy,

    I generally solve the problem by failing abysmally to keep up with the cleaning, cooking, etc. 🙂

    Then I reform for a few weeks, during which the house looks great, only to have everything return to relative squalor within 24 hours of the time my resolve gives out.

    And I do have someone come to help me a bit, thankfully, but I always feel guilty; she comes the morning after my critique group, and I never manage to get it quite tidy (hubby and I have different versions of ‘tidy’).

    I wish I were going to Maine, but alas we’re not. My in-laws are taking a group to Alaska, which should be fun, but we’re all still jonesing for Maine.

    Thanks so much for the kind words, Judy… I hope to see you soon! (And hope you had a great Mother’s Day… mine involved a nap, which was lovely.)

  9. Karen,

    My bunny is a Dawrf Rex with black otter coloring. His name is Keiser Willhelm mit Weissaugen. 🙂 He came with the house.

    As for werewolf books.. come to think of it.. the novel I’ll be working on AFTER this one does feature a pack of werewolves as supporting characters, but they don’t get to be MC until the sequel.

  10. Hi Karen. Speaking of kids, sorry I missed your class last night. Something came up with my daughter. I hope to make the last one tonight. As luck would have it, I have a good Mojito recipe. About two weeks I go I had a staff dinner at the house and served mojitos. I scoured the internet and sort of combined recipes to come up with my own. Here is the direct link to the recipe up on my website (I have a couple of pages of recipes that have been served by my Bunco group over the 21 years I’ve been with them.
    http://helenginger.com/bunko_recipes.htm#mojitos
    Helen

  11. Nicholas,

    I’ve got a white Netherland dwarf; yours sounds quite cute!

    And werewolves are fun. Something to look forward to!

    Glad things are coming along…

  12. Helen,

    It was good to see you today; and I’m heading over to find that recipe now.

    After my soccer ‘game’ this evening, I need it.

    Hope to see you again soon!

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