What I won't do this summer

Well, today is the two week mark for summer vacation. We have kept busy so far. The season is new. There's so much I want to do. Every year there is so much I want to do with the boys. Just not enough hours in the day. Not enough days in the week. Not enough weeks in summer vacation. But, not only am I concentrating on what to do this summer, but on what I plan NOT to do.

1) Worry about sand. Every time we visit a beach, in the back of my head I am agonizing over what a pain it is going to be to keep the sand out of my vehicle. Then it all gets brought back in the house in their shoes and pockets. This year I want to go to the beach and sink my feet in the sand and not care about where it's going when it's time to go home.

2) Hide in the air conditioning. Even on the days I have absolutely nowhere to go, I will be sure to get outside. Even if it's just to retrieve the mail or walk out to the garage.

3) Let the kids stay up late and sleep late. Ok, I will -- a little, but the more they get used to it now, the harder it is to return to the regular schedule when school begins. A couple of the boys are taking summer enrichment classes, so that's helped a little with keeping them on track.

4) Ignore the garden. Normally, I just let my husband and boys do the planting and maintaining. I'm going to pitch in a little with weeding and watering and eventually, picking.

5) Skip the ice cream. Ice cream is a frequent treat in the summer. I often order for the kids, but not for me. I take their leftovers if there are any. But hey, I like ice cream, too. I'm going to indulge once in a while.

6) Not get my money's worth out of the season pool passes. For many years, we've gotten season passes for a local pool, but we don't go that often. This summer -- more trips to the pool. We need to make at least 8 visits to get our money's worth out of the passes. So far we have gone twice.

7) Let coupons and free passes expire. I have two Six Flags Great America passes the boys earned by reading books. Another earned a free water park pass. They also earned several free personal pan pizzas at Pizza Hut. A couple got certificates for free Subway sandwiches from the library's reading program. I've collected a few others for various places over the past few months. I'm not going to let them go to waste this year. I'll keep them where they are easily visible and won't get lost and forgotten.

Hope you enjoy your summer!!!! Get to it...the clock is ticking!