Summer Days

We are fortunate to be in our second summer of having two parents at home. I can't believe it's been a year since One Ordinary Dad was let go from his job in the non-profit world due to budget cuts and a reduction in force. His first year as a stay-at-home dad was a huge success (in my humble opinion) and allowed him to dabble in some things he loves and even make some extra money on the side.

And now the summer vacation is here and one of the perks of my job is having summers off. Just in case you are confused or a teacher-hater, let me remind you that I am NOT paid in the summers-- the checks I receive are for days already worked. With vacation behind us already (we headed to Disney World last week, when the rates were still cheaper), we have a solid two months stretching out ahead of us. Our days now are consisting of a lot of this:

We fill up the pool in the early morning, when we head out to water the plants. Mornings are spent taking walks or playing at the park before it gets too hot. After lunch, the pool water is warm and perfect for splashing and playing. C usually gets a good hour of solo pool time before B wakes up from his nap and joins her. One Ordinary Dad and I sit nearby, on the patio, reading or just marveling in the wonder of our two awesome kids. Sometimes we dip our feet in or put on swimsuits and get all the way in, though we displace a lot of the water in the pool. Swimming lasts until dinner time and sometimes continues after we eat, all the way to bedtime. We drain the pool nightly to discourage mosquito breeding and to move it to a different spot for the next day and give the grass a rest. Every few days or so, we don't fill it at all and head the four blocks up the street to the community pool instead. C will be starting swim lessons there in a few weeks.

Life is good in the summertime. Once the kids have worn themselves out and are snuggled in bed, One Ordinary Dad and I are in the habit of taking some wine or a favorite brew out to the adirondack chairs on our front porch and reading we're nearly nodding off.

The pace of summer is slow and our sun-up to sun-down days are long. We wouldn't want it any other way.

~One Ordinary Mom