We’re nearing the halfway point in Little Man’s visit. Time really flies! It’s been so wonderful having him here. I wanted to write down how we spend our days this summer since it differs so greatly from previous years.

Note: This is for my own memory-keeping. I don’t expect this to be remotely interesting to anyone else, except possibly my mom.

Last year, Jason and I were both working full time and we had to put LM in Summer Camp at the Y. It was great for the first couple of years, but there were issues last summer so we knew we wouldn’t be going back there this year. When I left my job last fall, we thought that if I still wasn’t working by summertime that I would stay home with Charles.

We tried to stagger our vacation time last year so that we could spend as much time as possible together as a family. I also took off at least a day each week due to “flexing” at the hospital.

It was hard on everybody and we never felt like we had enough time together.

Los Angeles, June 2011

This year is a lot different.

We get up around 6-6:30, depending on when Jason needs to be at work. Jason has breakfast and gets ready and I make lunches. Little Man usually wakes up on his own sometime before Jason leaves. Jason goes to work around 7-7:30.

LM and I have quiet time after he leaves. We have breakfast and I check my Flipboard while LM usually watches Angry Birds Youtube videos. We listen to the Today Show in the background.

Around 9 or 10 we’ll go outside and play either football or soccer. I’m actually getting a lot better at those thanks to his pointers. And it’s good to get out of the house when it’s nice and shady and cool in the morning.

We come in and have a snack and he calls his mom. Then we usually work on some kind of project until lunch time. We’re working on an epic Angry Birds movie. We’ve also done 4th of July crafts and made paper airplanes. And skirts.

We have lunch and then I’ll work on a LO or the blog while he plays on the computer or iPad, or reads.

In the afternoon I usually try to catch up on all the cleaning I should have started hours before. LM is always so helpful. He’s doing more around the house this year. He makes his bed every day without me asking, which is a nice change from last year. He also takes out the trash, puts away his own laundry, and vacuums his room. I’m keeping the cleaning to a bare minimum this summer, although it feels like I’m never caught up on laundry or dishes.

Then another snack. I think he’s about to hit another growth spurt because he’s hungry All the Time

Later on, if he’s starting to act particularly rambunctious, he’ll go outside and do his “workout routine”. He does sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, and runs around the playground.

I’ll either start dinner or plan on having something quick and easy. I think the only slight disappointment I have is that I haven’t gotten LM into the kitchen more this summer. I taught him how to make scrambled eggs and cheese. And he’s been a big help in squeezing all the lemons we’ve needed for basil lemonade. But I haven’t really showed him all the things I wanted to. But honestly, I’m so happy with the things that we are doing together that I’m not worrying about the couple of things we haven’t done. And we still have time for that.

Jason always calls or texts before he leaves work to let us know he’s on the way. He’s started listening to audiobooks on the commute. He’s read the first two Hunger Games books and is reading Patient Zero now. I need to get him the third HG book.

When he gets home, we usually do something all together. We go swimming or do something outside. We just joined a new library so I see many trips there this summer. Sometimes we run errands, and sometimes we just sit and relax under the AC.

Jason and LM are really into 80’s shows this summer. They’re watching Transformers and G. I. Joe. We’ve also watched Alf and the X-Men cartoons. I wanted this summer to be the summer we finally stopped eating dinner in front of the TV. I want that every summer actually. Still not happening. I justify it to myself by saying that we talk to each other a lot during the shows, but it’s still pretty lame.

Since we eat dinner pretty late. (It’s a good night if we eat before 8:30), that means a later bedtime for everyone. Which is fine, because it’s summertime. I want Jason and LM to have as much time together as possible in the evenings. So if that means we’re all a little sleep deprived, then that’s ok. It would be a lot different if we had him at all during the school year. Jason puts LM to bed around 11-ish. Then we head to bed. By this time Jason is usually past exhausted. Unfortunately for him, he has a wife who hasn’t had any adult conversation all day. So he listens to me blather on for awhile, then conks out.

That’s a pretty typical day for us. I’m really loving how things are working out this summer for us so far.