It was inevitable. I knew it was going to happen but later not sooner. After one week of summer break under our belts, I heard it. I’m bored!!! And it happened on day two! My soon-to-be 6th grader (referred to in an earlier blog as Mr. Minecraft or MM for short) announced it. My 6-year-old (Princess) is also showing the signs of tedium. Oh boy!

So what are we to do about it? When asked, they had no real answer or response. It is, of course, up to me to solve this conundrum. I didn’t throw out one of my parent’s go-to responses when I became bored with summer. “Oh you’re bored and need something to do? I can definitely find something for you to do!” That is when a huge chore list would appear. Or “Bored huh? Sounds to me like you need a summer job.” That definitely kept my mouth shut and brain searching for some creative things to do.

The beginning of summer break always is a big adjustment in our house. It especially is for me. Gone are the large chunks of silence, time to get projects done and (since I am a freelancer) work time. Now that summer is here, I have added new jobs to my ever growing list of things to do. Some of them are activity planner, entertainer, shuttle driver, and educator. Oh yes, we still have to fit in some type of schooling to stay on top of things. And all of this takes planning, which isn’t something one can do simply.

It would be great if I could put them both in back-to-back camps. But that isn’t feasible. And despite the upheaval in my routine and the extra jobs, I am really glad to have the extra time with both of them. I want to have it as long as I can. Because pretty soon they aren’t going to be interested in spending time with me. So I am thankful to have it.

Now we just have to get over the hump and get a summer routine going. It is tricky having kids with a big age difference (6 years and 11 years). So I have to make sure our outings have something for both of them. If not, we alternate days and activities (one for MM and one for princess) with the strict agreement that no one will declare that the other’s activity is lame or sucks. That agreement usually gets broken.

I do know that there are worse things out there to complain about. And I am very grateful that right now this is all that I am dealing with. Considering all of the problems out there in the world, I will take boredom any day!

If  you are dealing with some bored children, here are a couple of links to a few site that I found. There are many more to choose from with lots of really creative things to do. So get out there and enjoy before the boredom invades your house too.

Here are the links:

http://redtri.com/

http://brainchase.com/10-ways-beat-boredom-summer/

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/05/50-outdoor-summer-activities-for-kids.html