Ahhh, Summer!

"Summer's lease hath all too short a date." -Shakespeare

Ok, I can see that this little blog of mine could become quite neglected this summer, if I'm not careful. There really hasn't been much to document over the last three days. I basically put on my slave-driver pants, and condemned my children to hours of hard labor, at least that is how they see it. Reality would describe it as requiring that my kids give a good hour each day to helping me whip this house into shape. I was the one that was going through the house like a Tasmanian Devil. But it looks pretty good now, so we are free to enjoy our summer.

We decided that a picnic at the park would be just the thing to start the summer with. We threw a few things in a cooler, grabbed a blanket, and we were off to "Castle Park". We stoked up the tunes on the way there. You know, some Beatles, A-Ha, Depeche Mode, Erasure, the staples. My kids have a healthy appreciation for music of just about any era but their own.

Everyone but Jonah is passed the whole playing on the playground thing, although Sabrina and Spencer snuck over to the castle playground for a few minutes. We are now at the lounge on a blanket with a good book phase of life.

Jessica took her first bite of a peach. Summer can now begin.

There were so many wholesome and healthy food options to choose from at our little picnic. Rule of Thumb: It is not wise to shop for a picnic when one is suffering from the munchies. I left the bag of cotton candy at home. I took a few bites of pineapple but mostly indulged in the many other nutritious food choices.

Our blanket was spread out on a hill. We were afraid that our delicious lemonade might tip over in the grass, so Jonah came up with the brilliant idea of using our shoes as cup holders. It's a good thing that enough of us opted to wear shoes over flip-flops. Most of us chose to actually remove the cup from it's holder before slurping from it, but you know, to each his own. 

During lunch, the kids discussed what their future children might be like. Jessica is convinced that she will end up with a brood of boys who want to do nothing more than play sports and do math, while Jonah will get only daughters who have an insatiable love of music. Yes, sometimes irony plays cruel tricks. I forgot to remind them how important it is to begin brain-washing your children at a very young age so that they only have passions for things like 80's music and fine literature. I'll wait until that time gets a little closer.

Sabrina decided that she had had enough of the bugs and the allergies. We had already had two ugly encounters with a Daddy Long Leg, and now the mosquitoes had the audacity to show up to our picnic. She picked up her Great Gatsby novel and left for the van in a huff. That left Jessica and myself to enjoy this blanket so perfectly placed on the hill. We lay reclined in such a way to allow for maximum napping enjoyment.

At this point Jessica mentioned that she felt like she should be worrying about something. Ah, but that is the beauty of summer. The worries are washed away by the sunshine and warm breeze. An Oreo never hurts either. Yes, that is one sitting on her stomach right there. It's a new form of relaxation. Deep breaths followed by large bites of cookie. It's very therapeutic.

Why can't life be this carefree all year? I suppose that when you work hard nine months out of the year, such revelries are considered relaxation and rejuvenation. But if one did nothing but lounge under shade trees with a box of Pringles all year, it would be called idleness. So we will take what we can get and cherish it for as long as it lasts.