In praise of a low-key summer

Our summers have always been a constant effort to cram the days as full as possible with outings, trips, activities and so on. This has especially been true for me the past two years, since having had my fourth baby. My summer survival plan, if you will, always involved lots of comings and goings, out of fear that too much time spent at home would result in bored, sulky children latching onto fighting with one another as a way to occupy themselves.

Not on my watch, I'd declare! And promptly invent bizarre errands like driving two hours round-trip to get a Dairy Queen ice cream cake. "For my birthday," I'd tell them. And also two hours in a car when you can't even reach your brother to pester and poke him. A captive audience.

This year we took a long hard look at our resources, both financially and emotionally, and realized we were maxed out on both accounts. A quiet summer at home, a "stay-cation," would be in order.

I remember so vividly visiting dear friends in Nova Scotia last year who had fairly recently bought a beautiful old house by the sea that was in need of some work. And you know what? They actually did that work. Gutted the kitchen, repainted everything, made it such a sparkling home.

When we came back to our own ramshackle fixer-upper, I saw it with new eyes. But I also saw our time use with new eyes. We have lived here for over five years and have let some key home projects fester. Sure, they're cosmetic... but day in and day out, we walk up and down ugly stairs in need of repainting and a hallway that we ripped the carpet up from, and has sat with it's glue marks and assorted ugly paint splatters for over two years.

Our friends I mentioned above have home as such a huge priority. Their schedule and time and energy revolve around maintaining and beautifying and streamlining it to make it a place of beauty, order and peace for their young children.

I, however, have been resorting to making 'activities' our time-filler. That is, shuttling the kids from place to place, not only to prevent them from fighting but to avoid staring down a sink of dirty dishes or unfolded laundry that triggers a feeling of failure. The summer, when Patrick usually take his vacation time, is crammed full of lengthy trips and busy doings and so never making simple home things a priority.

So after visiting our friends, I had a renewed desire to change this.

All geared up to go to the fireworks. MY first time since I was 14 or so?

I won't say we opted out of visiting our family on the East Coast because of this. It was truly a rather sad decision to not go, spurred on by our bank account and an honest need to buckle down. And there have moments when I have been terribly homesick.

And yet we have managed to capture such simple summer joys because our time has been so much more wide open. Paring down our schedule and our expenses has allowed to us to enjoy lovely, creative low-cost things.

Swimming lessons really feel like a treat because a number of friends of ours just congregate at the lake with their children. The moms chat and the kids play in the sand unless it's their turn to attend their lesson. It's a delightful snapshot of an old-fashioned childhood where outdoor time and free play with neighbours reigns.

(Mind you, we come home and while Elijah naps, the kids watch Netflix while I start supper, listen to a podcast and otherwise regroup from a busy morning. So their "old-fashioned" childhood is peppered with wi-fi just like mine involved Ytv.)

We've been playing outside and having a few of their friends over.

We've been visiting the local library -- a lot! -- because it's a free, air-conditioned place to be and we just love the kind staff there who know us all by name.

Meanwhile, on our counter sits a 1 quart mason jar for "fun money." When I sell a piece of furniture or other unwanted item on a local Facebook group, the cash goes in there and then we can use it up for a trip to the ice cream store or other splurge. It gives me reason to pare down our home and see treats as more special and rare.

We have gone on a small trip - camping and to Upper Canada Village. But it was done simply, simply simply both in terms of time and money; it's a surprise how special that can feel, too.

On a train ride at Upper Canada Village. 

Elijah was shouting for joy and Noah couldn't handle how cute it all was.

They were all so sweetly delighted by it, and I will treasure that memory for a long, long time.

For the remaining vacation days, we'll head out for one more camping trip. 

He couldn't wait for the bonfire; he just dove into the s'mores supplies.

Mostly, though, we'll just tackle our home projects. There's a disastrously tilting shed that needs to be torn down on our property... and who knows, maybe I can sell the "reclaimed barn board" for more money in my jar?