Expectant Prayers ®

Summer.  It's officially here!   What a wonderful, relaxing.....yeah, right.  Most of the time when parents hit "summer" you quickly learn that you exchange one type of busyness for another.  Places to go, things to do, people to see.  

This week in the Big Weiss family was no exception.

Two of our boys started school again.  In fact this was their second week of school but now we are starting to get into some real learning instead of introductory things. 

We are attempting to combine our children into classes with siblings instead of having 5 different grades this year.  Although the goal is noble, it takes a lot of hard work and discipline to get kids moving in the summer when they want to relax and take it easy.  In the long run, it will be very beneficial for the kids to be in a class with someone other than themselves as well as the financial break we'll get!   Like I said... very worth it. 

Four of the kids were also involved in Vacation Bible School this year.  I, on the other hand, opted NOT to help out this year with all the things going on in our own household.  The week went by quickly.  The more you have going on in a day, the faster it seems to speed along... sort of like a speeding train full of cargo.  Once it starts, you have a hard time stopping it!

We're also gearing up for several camps and a vacation in the next month.  Planning, organizing, and packing will be the theme for the next 8 weeks or so.    It's like a three ring circus.  Hey, we're never bored around here and we're pros at juggling.

Yesterday I was sitting outside thinking about how wonderful summers seemed as a kid while watching my kids swim.   Do you remember summers as a kid????  The world seemed like a much simpler place even 20 years ago.   It even seemed more polite; more innocent; more moral.  Is it me, or does every grown up feel that way?  Is it our age or is it really the truth?

Back then, black and white reruns were still part of the mainstream television programming.  One of my favorites was "Lost in Space".  Do you remember it?  "Danger, Will Robinson... Danger!"  I thought that robot was the best!  Gilligan's Island, the Munsters, The Andy Griffith Show, The Adam's Family, The Gong Show, Three's Company... all part of classic TV viewing.  Who could forget the cartoons back then?  We didn't have fancy cable channels that pipped in kid shows 24/7.  That didn't come until we were teenagers.  You had to watch the cartoons when they were on.  Bugs Bunny was a favorite ("Which way did he go, George, which way did he go") or the Flintstones.

My summers were filled with swimming, too.  We had a pool growing up and I lived in the pool during the summer.  Our house didn't have central air, just a few window units- which was probably one of the reasons I just stayed outside.  One air unit was in the kitchen dining room window and the other two were in the bedrooms upstairs.    We'd take the radio outside and "tan", listen to 640 Christian Radio- all the while dreaming that we lived in sunny California (a far cry from northern Ohio).

I played outside almost all day back then.  We'd chase butterflies and lightning bugs.  Usually the neighbor boy and I would play "ball" at least once a day and ride bikes.  Basketball, badminton, croquet, volleyball, and especially softball.  I was on softball teams for years as a kid.  I loved it.  That filled up time on summer days.  We normally had practice for an hour a day in the morning and then games in the afternoons.

Our elderly neighbor lady would grow strawberries and make her own preserves.  If we were lucky, we would get to have some on some homemade buns... or maybe sample her cinnamon rolls.  She grew other things like flowers (we'd make her snapdragons "talk") or cherry tomatoes. She used to stick some in the freezer for a cool summer treat.  (If you haven't tried it, you should...even if you don't like tomatoes).

I remember playing Atari with my sister (and that was up to date technology back then).  We'd eat orange push ups or once in awhile try to make our own snow cones.   We had Sea Monkeys, pet rabbits, guinea pigs, and dogs.   We had chores, which we did without complaining (most of the time).
Occasionally there would be a summer birthday party to attend.  If we were really lucky, someone would have a party in the "Caboose" at McDonald's.  Way cool.

I liked to take books (like poetry) out in the back yard and read under one of my favorite trees.

We'd wait for the carnival to come through at the park, which was always a sign that the 4th of July was nearly here, along with the fireworks, cotton candy, and fun.  We'd have a picnic and eat lots of watermelon.  Dad would make a fire in the back yard occasionally where we'd roast hot dogs and marshmallows.  We'd drag our tent outside and beg to sleep in it, only to wander back into the house in the wee hours of the morning.

Then... my thoughts turn back to my own children.  What kinds of things will they remember about their summers?  Were there "good times" to recall?  What are their fondest memories?  

What do you remember about summer and being a kid?