Summer is just killing me, y’all. 

This is my second summer being a stay-at-home mom and, let’s be honest, last year doesn’t count. I had a newborn and, if I made it through the day without losing a kid or my mind, I considered it a win.

This year has just been different. Oh, it started out great. The older kids have reached this wonderful age where they can get their own pop tarts and, on occasion, fix my morning cup of coffee. Don’t hate. Your kids will get there, too. It’s really the least they could do considering the amount of bodily fluids and such I have had to clean up during their short lifetimes.

But, now, we are six weeks in and the bloom is officially off of the rose.

We have reached the point where there is whining, complaining and grumblings of boredom. And don’t even get me started on the kids. Some days, my idea of getting dressed is changing from my pajama pants into my yoga pants. I look at the dirty breakfast dishes and think, if I just brush off the crumbs, I could use those same ones for lunch. Someone tell me that you understand. Please?

So, what is a poor mama to do when it’s crazy hot outside, the natives are restless and you just can’t take one more argument over who gets to play with the one Barbie that still has clothing?

• Anytime can be bath time. My kids love the bathtub. I do not care what time of day it is, if they are getting on each other’s nerves (or mine!), I let them play in the water.
• The Kitchen is a playground. Since my oldest was a toddler, we have had a pretend kitchen in the playroom. Sometimes, however, I let them use the real thing. They can bring their babies and use the plastic dishes and serve up some great pretend meals.
• Ice is nice. This one is complicated, but stick with me. Fill a container with ice. Give it to the kids. Let them sit on the porch or patio. Just beware – you may end up with ice down the back of your shirt.
• No sock left behind. There is a purpose for all of those socks without matches. They make fabulous hand puppets. Some markers and any other random art supplies and this will occupy the kiddos for some time. My rule? They must give each puppet a name and a personality. This occupies them for quite some time.

Maybe, with just a little bit of creativity, we can make it through the rest of summer. Before you know it, we will be up to our necks in school stuff and counting down the days until summer.