Suriving Piranha Week!

I refer to the first full week of summer as Piranha week!

Just one week ago, the kids were sick of the school routine and ready to have a summer break. They were tired of teachers, school lunches, getting up early and home work.

And now, one week into freedom, they are bored, hungry, irritable and pestering anything and everything that moves. Even the family dog has run for cover.

Each year, as piranha week edged closer, I promised myself, "This year, we will have a great first week!"However, this statement rang hollow, as I found myself defeated and frustrated by day 5.

Following are a few tips that I found worked for me as I forged ahead, and through trial and error, survived piranha week, and set the groundwork for a great memory filled summer.

#1 Have a family meeting, and set clear expectations of what the summer routine will be. Do not assume that the children know what these are. If they can read, post the list on the refrigerator.

#2 Children crave structure, whether they know it or not, so do have a schedule for the week. It should be "looser" than the school year routine, but have one.

#3 Look at your children bents. Do they like to sleep in? Are they early risers? We had a rule that everyone was up by 9:00 am. This gave us a goal, so that those early birds, were not "waiting" for the sleepyheads to get up, get there morning chores done, and then finally move along to something fun in the day.

#4 Have chores for each child, everyday. Even the tiniest tot can find all the dirty towels in the house and put them in front of the washer. They can take a bag and "find" all the trash in the van. They can put all the toys in the toy box and feed the dog.

Older kids can sweep out the car and sweep the house. They can wash the car. Make beds, Take everything out of the fridge, wipe it out and put things back. Maybe they are in charge of breakfast or lunch each day. They can pull weeds around the house, gather and sort laundry, fold laundry, do the dishes, wipe down kitchen and bathroom cabinets, gather library books, and the list can go on and on....
Some of these chores like beds and dishes can be daily, while others can be assigned a specific day of the week.

#5 I found that having a rule that all chores be done by lunch was a great strategy. This gives incentive to get the job done. We could then have afternoon plans and come home to a clean tidy house.

#6 I tried to have something scheduled to do 2 or 3 days a week in the afternoon. Monday may be library day, Wednesday we went to the local pool, Friday we spend time at the park, ect. I kept it simple and just for a few hours.

#7 Show your kids "downtime" is ok. It is fine to have everyone take "personal" time each day after lunch and go to our rooms and read or listen to books on tape. This gives you, mom, a much needed break! This is very important if you have little ones who still need naps and older children who are looking for entertainment. If you find the naps are interfering with afternoon activities, try flipping you schedule and doing chores in the afternoon while the younger children are sleeping and enjoying the fun stuff while the children are fresh and rested.

#8 Have a bedtime routine, even in the summer. You need a break mom, and you and your husband need time together.

#8 Have incentives! Treat you children to ice cream during the week, go to the park or zoo this summer. Praise them and thank them for cooperating around the house and helping get things done so you have time to enjoy the activities summer brings.

#9 You will still have "piranha days" this summer. Days where you hide in your walk in closet and eat M&M's to console and convince yourself that you will survive the summer. Hopefully they will be few and far between:)