Perky thoughts, what are you doing this summer?

[Bang!Zoom!]

Never mind the reality of the day, I'm at the point I need to daydream about my pretend summer.

 

What plans do you have?

[MeaganS]

My summer doesn't look so sunny. Recover from a c-section and take care of a newborn, move (and all the fun that goes with it), and support my husband through his board exams. Bleh.

 

ETA: Sorry, I guess that doesn't help much. :lol:

[Jen500]

I think I'm going to take a trip around the world. Spend some time in Paris, go on an African safari.....aaahhhhh

[myfunnybunch]

We rented a cabin at Anthony Lake in eastern Oregon. We'll stay there for three days, then visit my dad. He lives nearby.

 

We'll probably host a Japanese student in August.

 

Small-town Fourth of July parade!

 

Cat

[Remudamom]

I hope I will be visiting my first grandchild.

[Jennifer in MI]

Baseball, baseball, and more baseball. Two kids on travel teams. One on little league. Dd is in gymnastics twice a week. That is it!

[MamaT]

We're going to New York City for a week the end of May, taking a trip to Florida to see family in June, and camping at the beach for a week in July. My kids are all going to different camps for a week (all different weeks :confused:), my 14yo is going to Guatemala for two weeks, and then we start school the first of August. Whew!

[DarlaS]

I'm a lifelong Michigander who has never been to the U.P. I'm hoping to remedy that this summer.

 

Other than that, I'm hoping to finally create a nice usable outdoor living space on our bare, roofless 12' x 40' deck.

[Jennifer in MI]

I'm a lifelong Michigander who has never been to the U.P. I'm hoping to remedy that this summer.

 

Other than that, I'm hoping to finally create a nice usable outdoor living space on our bare, roofless 12' x 40' deck.

 

Oh my goodness!!! Go to the UP! There is so much there! Where are you considering?

[Susan in TN]

I'm going to Scandinavia with my oldest for 10 days - a choir/orchestra "tour".

 

After a couple weeks recovery/prep time, we'll start our new school year (mid-July).

 

We'll attempt to keep the garden growing.

 

Then we'll adopt a couple rabbits for family pets.

 

I'll dream of a late October trip to the beach (PCB area) but I'm not making any promises!

[StaceyinLA]

Dd and dgs head back there this coming Monday to be with her dh. My goal is to not go more than 10 weeks without seeing dgs, so I'll leave early June, stay 2-3 weeks, and then go back early September. They will leave HI in November.

 

I'm gonna venture to guess that dh and I will take our annual couple trip to the panhandle beaches of FL (most likely Destin), but I'm not sure exactly when.

 

The peak will be the family trip to WDW in December - cannot WAIT!!

Edited March 14, 2012 by StaceyinLA

[DarlaS]

Oh my goodness!!! Go to the UP! There is so much there! Where are you considering?

 

Most of it! I want to hit everything from the locks to Keweenaw. We'll probably take about a week or so staying a night or so in 4-5 places.

 

DH has a brother in Alpena, and I have a cousin in Kinross. I'd like to see Mackinac Island as well, either on the way up or down.

 

I'm hoping to do a couple short day hikes in some of the more scenic areas. I'm hoping to see family, do a little photography and just chill.

 

Every vacation we've taken so far (and they have been few and far between) has involved putting the family on a plane and going somewhere like Disney or Grand Canyon. You know the kind of vacation where you come home exhausted? That's dh's kind of vacation. I want to relax a bit!

[jenn-]

I'm a realist... I will spend my whole summer shuttling my gymnast back and forth from gym 3 to 4 days a week. On the 2 weeks we get off (one at beginning and one at the end) I am sure my DH will haul us camping.

[lmrich]

We have booked our trip last June - a Disney Cruise that leave out of NYC! We are very excited. I endured a third ankle surgery last summer and did nothing but recover, so this trip will mean a lot.

 

The rest of the summer - dive team, ballet camp, nature camp, teaching at a camp, and have youth group meeting, VBS. I think I like the time where school has started back for us but the activities have not yet started. Summer is fun, but oh so busy!!!

[Brooketopia]

I'm hoping to begin the process of turning my children into lifelong campers. I'm finally not pregnant or nursing, our youngest will be 2.5 yo (not ideal, but I'll take it) and so we can just go.

 

Those are the extent of my plans. We took a big trip up to No. Alberta last year, so we're staying close to home this year and just relaxing.

 

If I had lots of money and DH had unlimited vacation time, I'd probaby just rent a cabin out in the woods for a month. People bug me (we live in a densely-populated gated community); I'd love to be away like that.

 

Someday we'll do the international travel, but it does not sound like that much fun with how young my kids still are at this time. :)

[MrsBasil]

I hope to take the kids to Great Sand Dunes National Park if Medano Creek has a decent flow this year.

 

Trying to get DD to tolerate her Baby Bjorn so I can hike at Rocky Mountain or other close-ish to home places.

 

DH might take DS camping this summer for the first time, we're not sure where yet though.

[sparrow]

We have a seasonal business. Summer=work for us.

 

I'm a lifelong Michigander who has never been to the U.P. I'm hoping to remedy that this summer.

 

:svengo: Please visit Grand Marais and Pictured Rocks!

[Heather in Neverland]

We are flying back to the states for the first time in THREE years! And more importantly, my family gets to meet my daughter for the very first time!!!

 

Can you tell I am excited? :D

[melissad2]

We are kicking off summer travel early and leaving in eight days for opening weekend at Dollywood! We have a trav trailer and if gas doesn't hit $5/gal hopefully we can afford to pull it more than once. Mostly we go to Pigeon Forg for Dollywood but we have gone to Charleston before so hopefully a beach trip is in our future.

 

I will be having a scheduled c-section on April 24th so as soon as I feel ok we are headed back to Dollywood. We buy season passes and I don't want to waste them :)

[Donna]

My summer doesn't look so sunny. Recover from a c-section and take care of a newborn, move (and all the fun that goes with it), and support my husband through his board exams. Bleh.

 

ETA: Sorry, I guess that doesn't help much. :lol:

 

A new baby sounds like all kinds of sunny to me! :001_smile:

 

I will be taking two kids to the Irish music camp they love. I will get to spend a month with my sil and niece when they come to stay and get to see my brother for a week when he comes to get them. We also will hopefully be flying to Ireland again to end the summer.

[Mommyfaithe]

Swim Team, Swim Lessons, Water Polo, water aerobics......see a pattern here??

 

We will probably travel to Surf City, NC for a week or so.....at some point in the summer....crazy fun...nothing to do but sit, walk the beach, and take naps! Love it!!

 

Faithe

[Jennifer in MI]

Most of it! I want to hit everything from the locks to Keweenaw. We'll probably take about a week or so staying a night or so in 4-5 places.

 

DH has a brother in Alpena, and I have a cousin in Kinross. I'd like to see Mackinac Island as well, either on the way up or down.

 

I'm hoping to do a couple short day hikes in some of the more scenic areas. I'm hoping to see family, do a little photography and just chill.

 

Every vacation we've taken so far (and they have been few and far between) has involved putting the family on a plane and going somewhere like Disney or Grand Canyon. You know the kind of vacation where you come home exhausted? That's dh's kind of vacation. I want to relax a bit!

 

You will love it!!! It is just so beautiful. Enjoy!

 

We have booked our trip last June - a Disney Cruise that leave out of NYC! We are very excited. I endured a third ankle surgery last summer and did nothing but recover, so this trip will mean a lot.

 

The rest of the summer - dive team, ballet camp, nature camp, teaching at a camp, and have youth group meeting, VBS. I think I like the time where school has started back for us but the activities have not yet started. Summer is fun, but oh so busy!!!

 

YEAH!!!!! Which ship is it? We've done four Disney cruises and absolutely love them! We've got a fifth one planned, but it's just a dummy reservation - we're going to move it.

 

We are flying back to the states for the first time in THREE years! And more importantly, my family gets to meet my daughter for the very first time!!!

 

Can you tell I am excited? :D

 

YEAH!!!!!! I'm so glad everything worked out for you! I know your time will probably be tight, but I'd love to meet your dd too!!!

[kewb]

The first half will be spent driving the kids to summer swim meets. The second half will be spent driving them to swim camp. In between driving we will spend hours sitting at the town pool relaxing. The kids will swim and I will sit on the sand and read. Somewhere in there we will do math and grammar and maybe a little science.

[bettyandbob]

No plans to vacation. Either dh or I will fly across the country with oldest to take him to college (YAY!) at the beginning of August.

 

dd is going to nature camp for 2 weeks.She has swim team and is contemplating whether to do some weeks of ballet intensives or cheer stunt/tumble. I just told her she just needed to find a good physical activity to do regularly. Finally, if she decidedes to tryout for high school cheer, I know we won't be able to travel anywhere because of the practice schedule.

 

Younger ds has a couple of day camps and swim team. One day camp is geared toward kids with special needs. That is something we've never done before, but I think will be good for him.

 

I'm going to teach math and science to summer school students--who are always so happy to be repeating a course.

 

Part of me hopes dd doesn't try out for cheer. I'd like to take her and younger ds to on a quick beach trip.

[JenC3]

Well we are switching to a new school schedule: 3 weeks on 1 week off starting in July. So when we break in mid May we have about 6 weeks of nothing, but swimming in our pool. I will be planning out the year, decluttering, gardening and putting up food. In August we go to MI for a week and I hope a long weekend to Williamsburg can be fit in Sept.

[Heather in Neverland]

 

YEAH!!!!!! I'm so glad everything worked out for you! I know your time will probably be tight, but I'd love to meet your dd too!!!

 

I would love to see you and your family again! We will be there for 6 weeks so I am sure we can find the time!

[LuvToRead]

I will be doing some school over the summer. Both my girls are on softball teams that travel, so softball will take up most of May, June, and early July. Bible school in July, and hopefully a short vacation in early September. We will also be doing lots of swimming.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

We got a new patio by the pool last summer, so this summer, I plan to fix up the area around it, plant lots of flowers, and hopefully buy some new summer lounge furniture. Then, I will lounge by the pool as often as possible.

 

We will be having a 15 year old German girl staying with us for the month of August, so I plan to take her to Niagara Falls and some other fun stuff. This will be her first trip out of Europe, so we're all excited. She's the daughter of a friend of a friend I met at my college 24 years ago.

[Kari C in SC]

Our summer starts in a week and a half. I am so happy we started school in July and now will be off at the end of March. I am kicking it off by going to the homeschool convention in Greenville for a couple days. Then we get back and we head to FL for a week. Dropping my hubby off in our hometown to spend time with his parents. While we are there I get to see my oldest son's best friend and wife. They have let us become adopted grandparents to their 2 year old daughter. So - the first weekend in FL - I get to love on her! Then I am taking my kids over to Orlando to spend four days with my best friend from childhood. Then we go back to pick up hubby and spend another couple days loving on that baby girl. Whew! April is an open calendar. I need to work on taxes, curriculum, cleaning, etc. I have so much stuff that I want to do, but in truth I will maybe get 2 or 3 of those things done. May has a beach trip with lots of homeschool friends. June has a camping trip with those same homeschool friends. July 4th - hopefully oldest son's friend is bringing his family to come to stay with us. I am excited about our summer plans. March is hard for me - it has my oldest son's birthday. May is equally hard - it has his death date. So I PLAN to be busy or I will sit and crumble.

[CalicoKat]

Gardening, taking care of my micro-herds (rabbits & chickens). boating, and shuttling kids to/from camp.

 

Planning for next year. I won't let myself buy curriculum until we're finished with this year. So it will take me a bit of time, in the hot afternoons inside in the air conditioning.

[Night Elf]

We'll be doing the same thing as we do during the other seasons, schooling. We're year-round schoolers. We will take a week off in June to visit my inlaws out of state, but other than that, we don't do anything special.

[FaithManor]

1. Helping the boys with 7 science projects (each) that they will be entering in 4-H at the county fair.

 

2. Dh is hosting a very large science fair at the county fair.

 

3. We are taking over the Natural Resources division of the county fair which we have renamed Earth Science and Ecology. As part of that, we'll be doing a talk on harnessing the power of the sun to 45 children ages 5-8 (with LOTS of helpers of course) and assisting them in making 8"x10" "sun-prints" (photo negatives of foliage collages). Of course, that could be off the table if we have rain.

 

4. Hosting a chess tournament for ages 9-19 at the fair and checkers for ages 5-8.

 

5. Building an 8 ft. Trebuchet for our "Science of Medieval Warfare" event in September. We'll put together kits for each child to make a pvc catapult while at the event and we'll demonstrate "Greek Fire" or the best approximation which will include launching a small nugget of pure sodium into a large wading pool of water (from a safe distance which means dh and I really need to practice hitting the target zone and accomodating wind conditions so the nugget will land in the water and not in the sand which would be VERY anti-climatic :D) as well as the launch of a small ball of flaming quicklime and pitch into a sand pit with a small "fort" wall (essentially 4x8 piece of wood fence) so the kids can see how effective a weapon this was. I'm doing the talk on the chemistry behind medieval chemical warfare and dh is handling the physics of trebuchet design and mathematics of trajectory, etc.

 

6. Making costumes for dh, dd, myself, and the boys for the above event.

 

7. We won't know until after TARC finals how our team will finish. If the rocketry team manages a top 20 finish, somewhere in all of the above, we'll be headed to Marshall industries at NASA in Huntsville for the additional student challenge and instead of having a break from rocketry, will be mentoring the team through the building process of a super-size rocket and back to Virginia to fly them before the new school year begins. If they manage the additional rocket challenge and it coincides with the county fair, then I'll be handling dh's science fair and department along with my Earth Science/Ecology department and the sun-prints and the chess/checkers without him! My brain hurts thinking about it. But, I've got a good group of 4-H parents who will pitch in, the extension office staff will be there in force, and my parents, as always - LOVE YOU MOM AND DAD!!!! - will help as well.

 

8. If by some miracle (okay, the kids would call it skill, but I'll call it cosmic intervention), this very young rocket team wins at the TARC finals though this be their first time making it to the competition, then there would be a trip to England with six young teens during the last week of June added to the mix.

 

9. A short trip to the Danish/American festival in Michigan in August if we can possibly manage it. We'll see about that.

 

10. I've been invited to perform some Bach and Beethoven at a classical music exhibition. However, now that I've listed all of the above, I'm inclined to turn down that invite...I have until Friday to decide.

 

Faith - I'm suddenly feeling slightly overwhelmed now that I see all of this on paper since I've not stopped to this point and put it all on the calendar. Possibly, this may require some starbucks and chocolate in order to process. :lol:

[jenL]

We're heading out to Colorado for 2 weeks to visit my college roommate and her family, and I am beyond excited!!! So are my kids as they also love her kids and the mountains there.

 

We'll also be visiting with a family of homeschool friends from here who recently moved out there, and we miss them terribly. It will be a great time, but it will be bittersweet having to say goodbye to them again.