slowing things down

its that time of the year... 

time when all the busy-ness of the school year comes to a halt 

and everything slows down... 

no more soccer... no more dance classes... 

no more guitar lessons...no more school

it was an abrupt end to the school year, because of the bc teachers' full walkout strike. 

 my children are still in limbo... my daughter and her friends are hoping 

that they will be back in school and that all the farewell activities that

 usually happens at the end of the year get rescheduled. 

it was an emotional ending especially for the teens in grade 8 who 

are moving on to different high schools in the fall.

but the weather is beautiful outside,

it's been averaging around 17 degrees celsius during the day, with clear and sunny skies 

while the evenings have been balmy and calm too

and there are signs that gears are shifting to a slower summer pace...

my teens have been sleeping till around 11 am for the last few days... 

growing in their sleep, no doubt. 

the tennis and badminton rackets have found their way near the front door, 

the chess board and its' men are waiting mid game for the next move,

flip flops and sandals have replaced sneakers and cleats,

popsicle sticks and remnants of water balloons litter the lawn...

it's so lovely this time of year...

officially, the summer hasn't even started yet, 

and my kids have already declared their boredom. 

  i think this is a good thing !!!  

children need to be bored in order to tap into their creative and imaginative side.

they need this time to unwind from all the scheduled activities 
they were signed up for during the school year.  

they need this time to forget about the school bells and the alarm clocks 

and the homework and due dates.

i use to hate summer when i was growing up, because i loved school so much. 

not only for all the learning (i was a real math geek). but all the socializing and 
casual connections that a school environment allowed.

i couldn't wait for summer to end and for all the back to school sales to start 
so i could start sharpening my pencils and labeling all my dividers and notebooks.  
back then, the ten weeks of summer vacation were excruciatingly long.

but now the ten weeks fly by so quickly, and i deliberately try to slow things down.

most likely, this is our last 'free' summer together, 

because soon (hopefully...) my kids will find their first summer jobs. 

so...besides camping trips with friends and a trip to visit family and the rockies in alberta, 

i want to keep the calendar as empty as possible to make room 

for learning how to make sushi, 

for endless days at the beach, 

for reading a 700 pg. page turner,

for sitting on the front porch eating popsicles while watching the cyclists go by, 

for picking enough wild blackberries to make some jam,

for watching the grass grow... 

here's to a long, slow, hot summer and getting bored out of our wits !!!

erica

xoxo