Popsicles and Play Dates

Yep, it's summer all right! This past week has been a blur of kids running in and out of the house. Trips to swimming lessons. Driving carloads of kids to and from VBS. Our supply of popsicles and ice cream is dwindling as fast as the messes are growing.


I remember when my husband and I built this house. It seemed too big for us 13 years ago when we first moved in. We had lots of empty rooms and a big unfinished basement. Now the only thing that's unfinished is my long list of household chores.


My husband and I are self-employed which provides us with some degree of flexibility. And an even larger responsibility to make things happen for ourselves and our staff. Summer is one of those times that the juggling act seems literal as we move through the days wiping faces, serving snacks and meeting the demands of clients.
Fortunately, we live in a friendly neighborhood with kids galore. One night last week was the epitome of summer – kids running up and down the street playing with all their friends, climbing trees and riding bikes, while the adults visited (occasionally casting a glance at the kids, doing a mental head count). The blissful days in which children run outside when the sun comes up and don't come in till the sun goes back down again. We've said good-bye to TV, video games and computers – and are stretching our legs and imaginations. Could it get any better than this?


"I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June." L. M. Montgomery