Category Archives: summer

This is My Summer

friendship, nostalgia, summer

Around here, summer means sleeping in, making s’mores by the fire, and lots of friends stopping by.  I’m not sure which of those is my favorite, but all of those things definitely fall into the “Things that Make Life Happy” category.

Last week, we had friends visit from back east.  My husband and his friend, Dave, have known each other almost since time began.  Well, since time began for them, anyway.  I first met Dave when I was the new girlfriend; he was around for every break up and every getting-back-together and knows things about my husband that I never want to know!  Dave’s wife grew up with them, too, so it was a wonderful week of reminiscing and laughing.  Our friends have two boys, about our kids’ ages, so the five boys had a great time running around town, playing at the beach, and eating s’mores, ice cream and whatever other junk they could inhale while their parents were busy laughing by the firepit.

This is my summer and I love it.

What do you love about yours?

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5 Summer Getaways Every Kid Should Experience

activities for kids, summer, travel

Summer beckons with its fresh, warm air and the heady lure of long days filled with nothing but fun.  As our kids grow up, though, their summer lives get busier and busier.  One day in the not-to-distant-future we’ll wake up to find our summer filled with road trips to visit colleges!

In the meantime, we can spend our summers creating lasting bonds and memories.   Although the days can seem long, every parent knows that the years fly by too fast.  Why not slow time down a bit this summer and watch your kids enjoy their youth at one (or more!) of these fun getaways?
1.     A day at the beach.  Who doesn’t treasure their childhood memory of digging for sand crabs, body surfing the waves, and enjoying that deliciously cold ice cream cone at the end of the day?  In these iPod and Xbox days, this is a great way for families to disconnect and reconnect.  No gadgets: just kids and waves and fun!
2.     Camping in a tent.  Am I really recommending camping?  For the record, I don’t count among my personal favorites things like sleeping near the dirt or using showers that require flip flops.  But kids?  Kids love this stuff!  They get to run through the woods, stay up late, and sit around the campfire gorging themselves on s’mores.   What could be better?
3.     Visit a National Park.  Pick one, any one.  We chose Yellowstone and three years later our kids are still talking about the bears and the beauty.  With so many parks to choose from, you can tailor your trip to your family’s style.  Hiking, canoeing, swimming and rafting—there are fun activities for everyone.   Trust me:  the memories your kids bring home will last much longer than their souvenir trinkets!
4.     Hit the zoo.  If you can splurge for a trip to San Diego, the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park are worth your dollars.  But even if California isn’t in your plans this year, you can take your kids to a nearby zoo and reap some of the same benefits.  I love visiting the zoos that make an effort to provide more of a natural habitat for their animals, and my kids love petting the giraffes!  Many zoo memberships have reciprocal programs that offer free or discounted admission to others.  Be sure to check and see if this is available in your area.
5.     Cousins Camp.  Or Grandparents Camp.  Or whatever you’d like to call it—let them experience an overnight without you with the other people they like best!   Every summer my kids are excited beyond words to go spend time with their grandparents.  Is it the ice cream?  Visits to the Smithsonian?  The fact that I’m not there?  I’m not sure, but whatever it is, I know that my kids cherish these memories as much as their grandparents do, and that’s a getaway worth its weight in gold.
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