The Good Old Summertime

So... I strongly dislike summer.

I don't like swimming.

I don't like shorts or capris.

I don't like short sleeves.

I don't like heat or direct sunlight.

I don't like getting into a hot car or having to force my children into hot car seats.

I don't like budgeting for sunscreen.

I don't like wearing sunscreen.

I don't like putting sunscreen on my kids.

I don't like sweat.

I don't like teenagers roaming the streets all night.

I don't like to wear my hair up.

I don't like long hours of daylight.

I don't like seeing people worship the sun while I cower in the shade knowing that they will never get skin cancer, but I will.

I don't like the increase in crime.

Pretty much the only things that make summer tolerable are my garden, not having to wear coats, and being able to go longer than three days without a sick kid.

Other than that, summer is not my thing. When the weather turns consistently hot (about mid-June), I experience nausea for about six weeks. No joke; summer literally makes me sick! I'm also very prone to summer depression, so while the rest of society is out living life in the sun, I'm at home crying on my couch.

This year, I'm particularly worried about summer because, in addition to the normal inconveniences of the season, I'm also pregnant. Having lived through two summer pregnancies already, I'm all the more terrified of what's to come.

(Might I add that I made every attempt possible, two years in a row, to have a winter pregnancy followed by a spring birth? I'm not sure why God and I disagree so much on when my children should be born).

The good news?

I don't have to suck in AT ALL this summer. Hello, free pass to let it all hang out!

(I enjoy this perk of pregnancy).

The bad news?

I will most likely be a total wreck until late October.

To help me get through the next few months, I've been preparing a Summer Coping Strategy. The strategy includes three outings with my kids each week (to force me out of the house): one trip to the library, one trip to the thrift store (where each kid will get 50 cents to pick a "new" toy), and one "field trip." I came up with a list of some of the fun places we'd like to visit this summer and looked up their hours and admissions. I then saved up all of the money we will need to go to those places (most of them are free or near-free, but a few are museums and can be quite pricey). This way, money will not be an issue - everything is already planned and budgeted for. I also made sure that most of our "field trips" will be in air-conditioned buildings (Wheeler Farm is one of the exceptions, but my friend Katie is always happy to meet me there at 7:00 in the morning).

I've decided to take a year off canning. All of our garden produce will be eaten, frozen, given away, or composted. If I wake up one morning and have the urge to can green beans, so be it. But I have no quota or expectations.

Most of our eating this summer will be done on disposable products. Hate me if you will. I'm just trying to survive, and right now, less dishes to wash = survival.

On days when I can't bring myself to leave the house, I plan to sit under an umbrella in the back yard reading while my kids spray each other with the hose. Hopefully, after this weekend, there will be a large sandbox in the backyard, too (with a lid - that is my demand for sandboxes, they must have a cover to keep leaves and cat poo out).

I have purchased a vast amount of craft supplies so when my kids are starting to turn into vegetables in front of the TV, I can throw pony beads and pipe cleaners at them. For Nicky, the only things better than Donkey Kong and Mario are scissors and glue sticks.

I plan to take a lot of naps and eat a lot of cereal.

Most important, I'm not going to feel guilty about anything!

Bring it on, summer!