Back Home & Loving It!

I’ve been home for a little over a week and I’m been loving it! To say I didn’t miss my kids is an understatement.  I mean, I didn’t realize how much I missed them while I was in Spain, but once I got home all I could do is hold them and hug them for days!

The week has passed by so fast!  As I look in our summer calendar I realize how busy but not “activity-committed” we are going to be.  I didn’t sign my kids up for dance, music or any other camp around us.  Although the free time to actually get work done would be nice, they seem happy to be home having free reign to play.

We play each day by ear.  Yes, I want and should get to the gym and take advantage of the free childcare they provide… but we just don’t seem to make it there! Yesterday was one of those days we did things on a whim and had a blast.  After a quick stop at the pediatrician’s office (Sofia has a mild case of swimmer’s ear) we went on to have coffee and beignets at Morning Call.

My girl loves anything and everything that is sweet.  What I like about the way Morning Call serves their beignets is that they let one self-dust with powdered sugar vs. Cafe DuMonde’s HUGE glob of powdered sugar pre-served.  Plus, we got to meet my husband after work and have fun family time.

Next, we made a pit-stop at my kid’s favorite indoor play place: Pottery Barn Kids.  Yup, you read it right. My kids can spend hours playing house and games (with or without other kids) and are not satisfied until they have tried everything in the store.  Eric and I sit back in one of the rockers and watch, talk to the sales people or take turns going to another store.

Seriously, why can’t my kids play ‘house’ so well at home when we already own half of the things they have at Pottery Barn?  All I can say is that it’s probably the new surroundings.  After the first ten minutes the sales people know we are there to play.  They stop lurking around us and asking us: “is there something we can help you with?” Last week, we spent $1300+ there, yesterday was only $18.  No, you can’t help me spend any more money… I think I do that just fine on my own! LOL.

After the mall the kids begged to go out and do something else together.  They were hungry (and tired) so off to Whole Foods it was.  Whole Foods is the one place we we can find something for everyone to eat without it being fast food.

Not everyday is going to have an outing.  Today we are home and they have two little neighbor friends over to play.  Since Sofia can’t swim for another day, we will stay busy doing other ‘things’ that don’t involve the pool.  In the afternoon, we have a mandatory ‘rest’ hour.  While Alex naps, Sofia and I read books, color or lay on the sofa and watch something together.  My friend even offered me some ‘lesson plans’ but my kids want nothing to do with school.  I say freelance activities work best in their unscheduled summer days.

What do you do to keep your kids busy during the summer?  Are they in camps? What type of activities?