Slowing Down For Summer?

"Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. You'll wish that summer could always be here."

I DO love summer, but this year has been anything but lazy.  There has, however been plenty of CRAZY.

I have always associated summer with a slower time of life.  Even though I no longer get a summer vacation or summer break, summer always was a time to sit back and relax.  The weekends were slow with not much to do.

But that has changed this year.  We are more than halfway through summer (as defined by the school year; not by the official calendar) and I've been running amok!

For the most part, I knew what summer was going to bring me, and that there it would be a little bit more hectic than usual, but somehow this season has been spinning out of control. Not that I regret any of the things my family and I have done (or plan to do before the summer is over), but I think I'm going to need a break after this summer break!

It goes something like this:

• Pack the boy up for a 3 day trip with his paternal grandparents

• Pack the boy up for a week of camp.  

• Sunday afternoon:  Drive him to camp; drive back home and on the way find/buy a new microwave (since ours died).

• Have a 4th of July gathering with friends; including barbecuing in the rain/garage (wasn't part of the plan).

• Saturday morning; the boy and do load upon load of laundry.

• Saturday night:  Get together with friends who I haven't seen in a long, long time.  Stay up way too late especially when I have an early morning drive the next day.

• Sunday morning: Drive the boy to the shore for a week of Marine Science Camp

• Monday morning: Up early to get to battle traffic from NJ Shore to office.

• Saturday:  Up early to get the boy at the shore; spend a few hours "relaxing" at the beach before driving back home and pack the boy up for another week of camp.

• Sunday afternoon:  Drop the boy off at camp and head home.

• Saturday morning:  Pick up boy at camp.  Find him with ankle wrapped due to fall.

• Saturday afternoon:  Block party.  Boy acts surly.  Takes several hours to figure out that he's got a slight cold and not feeling well.  (This is after the inquisition)

• Sunday morning:  Drive back to the shore for another week of Marine Science Camp.

• Sunday afternoon:  Meet old friend from college who I haven't seen in years. She looks great; I look worn out.  

• Monday morning:  Up early to battle traffic from NJ Shore to office.

• Saturday:  Up early to get the boy at the shore.  Spend a few hours "relaxing" before heading home.  Pit stop at Jersey Garden's Mall for early birthday gift at the Lego Store.

• Sunday:  Rest????

• Monday:  Celebrate the boy's birthday after work.

• Saturday morning:  Up early to drive the boy back to the shore for the final week of Marine Science camp.

• Sunday afternoon:  Head home (battling Sunday afternoon traffic) and have dinner with my cousin who is in from AZ.

• Saturday morning:  Up early to pick up the boy and meet with my cousin from Australia.  

• Last 2 weeks of August:  Figure out what to do with the boy since all activities are finished for the season.  Spend as many weekends at the shore up to Labor Day.  Maybe this will be my "down" time??

• First Thursday in September:  First day of school.  Last year of elementary school.  Try not to cry when I think of this.

• Friday:  Get the boy to school and then head up to NH for a weekend wedding.  (Leaving the boy with his maternal grandparents).

• Sunday:  Drive home from NH; get the boy.  Get ready for the first full week of school.

With school in session, summer will be "unofficially" over .  Where did the time go?  Where is/was my lazy, hazy day of summer?  As I write this I still have some time to TRY and find some lazy time.  (Does one really PLAN lazy time???)  I doubt as if I will find it.  But there's always next summer!