The Plot Bunny Farm

Next week — next Friday, to be precise — is my kids’ last day of school for the year. The last day would’ve been Wednesday, but we had all those snow days, and even giving up the in-service days wasn’t enough. I’ve already laid down some ground rules — I get the computer from 9 to 4, even if they don’t think I’m working; they have to play outside for set least an hour a day; if I have to break up any arguments, they’re going to their rooms — that sort of thing.

It’s going to be a bit of a transition for us. The girl’s been in daycare since before she was 2, and she stayed there for kindergarten. This will be the longest stretch she’s been at home all day, every day. If I didn’t have to work, that would be fine, but especially younger children like time and attention. I have promised them an outing a week to the library, a playground, or the pool. (Pool’s probably going to be the least frequent because unlike the others, it costs money. That’s okay; we have a sprinkler the kids can play in — and no water restrictions.)

I think one of the hardest parts may be altering my morning routine. I’ve just settled into a good one, where after everyone is out the door, I have time to relax, eat breakfast, write my morning pages, read a bit, and enjoy the silence. I might still get to do most of that, but I can guarantee the next three months won’t have a lot of silence.

I’ll probably post in late June or early July on how the routine’s shaping up with the kids around. One thing’s for sure: they’ll be doing a lot of reading!

Originally published at Erin M. Hartshorn. You can comment here or there.