As the month of May starts to approach I start to find myself counting down the last days of school just as I did when I was a child. Summer is with out a doubt my favorite time of the year. I am certainly blessed to get to enjoy these three months at home with my kids making memories. Here are a few things I have picked up along the way that help me stay sane and the kids happy.

SLEEP IN!! Staying up late and sleeping in are a must. Our two daughters are eleven months apart. Up until about four years ago they had always shared a room. During the summer and honestly on most weekends year round they camp out in each others rooms. Each night I find them crashing either on the futon in one room or dragging the mattress from one bed to the other room. There are nights when I go to tuck them in and they're eating popcorn and watching a movie or they might be in the middle of playing a board game. I think to myself of the mess Ill have to help them pick up the next day but I refuse to rob them of these memories. This summer their five year old brother has stared to join them. Each night he drags his favorite blanket back to their rooms and I hear them up giggling late at night. Letting them sleep in gives me a chance to start house work early and get some quiet "me time" and yes I get to sleep in too.

No schedules is another way we enjoy summer. I know its not possible for everyone but for us it works. Making spontaneous plans like going to a movie or to go grab some ice cream make these moments even more unforgettable. The kids and myself get our days restricted to a schedule while we are in school. Being able to just go with the flow or come up with activities at a drop of a hat depending on each others moods make them more of a success.

I find that it doesn't matter if we are enjoying a movie outside, swimming, catching lightening bugs, or blowing up the air mattress and watching fire works; each year the kids ask to do these fun things again and again. They expect them and enjoy them and that is what matters. Be consistent with your summer activities each year. But don't be fooled by all of these heart warming moments. My children are just like yours; they have bad days and melt downs too. So far this summer Jaxon has had a melt down over me letting a Mario turtle go down the drain and he's received the speech "there's no crying in baseball" from my husband. We just decide to not let these melt downs hold us back from enjoying the summer and our kids.