The kids are out of school and we are spending more concentrated quality time together than we have ALL year! Oh, there have been little things to do throughout the days like 1/2 day camp, VBS, the pool, hanging out with friends, park dates and more! We are enjoying soaking up the sun, catching up with friends, and just hanging out.
There are moments of “I’m bored”, “What’s next?”, “Who are we hanging out with today?”, “Where are we going?”, “What are we doing?”, “Can I play video games?’, “Can I have a snack?”, “Can I go outside now!?”. Times this by what seems like a million questions a day and sometimes all before I have been able to reach out and hang on for dear life to my first cup of coffee!
I was chatting with a friend about managing all the different questions, most being asked more than once, and how best to meet everyone’s needs without pulling out my hair! She shared this AWESOME piece of mommy wisdom. I tried it and it works, it really works! 
Here’s an example of how it works:
You are enjoying your first morning cup of coffee and your kids ask you what the plan is for the day!
You tell them of all the awesome things you have planned for the day and they get busy having some downtime.
15 minutes later they return and ask you the same question, ” What’s the plan for today again?”
You then take the time to explain once more all the awesome things you have planned for the day and they once again get busy doing something else.
15 minutes later when they are ready for something new they come again and ask you what the plan for the day is and you simply say, ” You asked and I already answered”. When they get the hang of it you can just look at them and say, “Asked and Answered.”
It may take a couple of days to kick in, but I promise you it works! The key is to be calm, and make sure you have explained things in detail the first two times to make sure that they have processed the information.
It cuts back on the number of questions and the times that they ask them!
It’s a little tweak that has made a huge difference for the never ending stream of questions that comes with lots of summer downtime.
I try to maintain the same schedule throughout each day. We take downtime in the morning, by mid-morning when we are breakfast and 2 snacks in, we move onto an activity. Then comes lunch and an afternoon activity and before you know it you are making dinner. We work best on a little bit of a structured schedule with lots of built in flexibility and fun!
The View From 4 Feet
What works best for your family during these
lazy, hazy days of summer?
