August Joys with my Boys

August is in full swing and summer seems to be winding down.  There's something about the calendar change to this time of year, life gets busier and the last half goes much quicker than the first.

We've spent the past week getting our Junior ready for school.  That in itself seems unreal.  While his looks would pass for a college student, it seems he should still be the excited little boy awaiting his first bus ride.  Instead, he'll be driving himself to class this year.

This momma bear isn't sure how to process that just yet.  

We enjoyed our final "Mom & Son" date on Friday with lunch at our favorite sushi spot.  How I will miss those afternoons together!  Between school, his job, and the loss of our morning commute together, it'll take some creativity for quality time.  

Anyone want to teach me how to Snapchat?!

On Monday, I took a vacation day to finish shopping for what he needed.  As he has years past, my gentle giant was ever grateful and humble while browsing for clothes.  If he spied a price tag that seemed too hefty, he'd move on, whether he loved it or not.  I'd have to catch glimpses of his body language and use my sales experience to seal the deal, vowing use of a coupon to add it to our cart.

Somehow that didn't translate at the grocery store yesterday.  I should know better than to bring hungry boys, as there were lots of unnecessaries by the time we reached the register!  But Noah is such a hard working kid, who pays for so much of his own things, how could I deny him extra cans of Chunky soup and chocolate chip muffins for after school snacks.  And, of course, the perfect pack of mechanical pencils that "don't squeak" when he uses them.  

As our big boy headed to work, we got a call from my niece with an offer to watch her baby.  Well, maybe it was a request, but any time with that sweet boy seems like a reward!  His momma couldn't stay away too long but we loved seeing him for as long as he stayed.  Our doggies weren't quite sure how to react to someone so small.  Both were protective, though our smallest dog was just rather curious.  Ross, on the other hand, would sulk at the outline of his tummy time blanket and then slowly army creep closer to him.  Once his head could reach Isaiah's feet, he was content.  

The rest of Saturday was spent with my sweetie.  With the heat, we've pretty much retreated to the house and stayed lazy.  He did however move long enough to relocate from his recliner to sit by me on the couch.  Love his heart, he didn't complain about watching a romantic comedy either.  Afterward we flipped between the Olympics and crime dramas.  Hearing him mention steak earlier in the day, I made sure my grocery cart contained all the fixing for a "fancy supper" at home. We almost settled outdoors to eat but even with the sun setting the humidity was too much.  Besides, how often can you watch volleyball live in Rio and eat a steak dinner?

But the simplest joy I tucked away from yesterday was holding hands with my hubby.  I love how we still enjoy and want to be close when together.  I noticed that both of us would search the other one out, if we moved or shifted positions during the movie.  

Yes, I even broke our tech free rule to sneak a pic.

I'm thankful to have lingered through a slow Saturday, as I don't see many lazy days of summer left. This girl is ever-ready for fall and all that comes with it but I sure found lots of joy in doing much of nothing yesterday with my boys.  Welcome August, whatever joys may come....

Faithful Friday: Summer Jobs

Summer break officially began this week for the kiddos.
I'm sure they had visions of lazy days sleeping in and vegging out.

But this momma had other plans...

Enter the handy chore chart.  

After a few minutes on Pinterest, I found one easy enough to tailor for growing teens.  Now, chores are nothing new for these two, as they both have a small daily set they do during the school year.  But with all the extra hours that summer provides, I thought we could bulk it up a little.

No, I'm not creating a tiny sweat shop but, after working all day, the last thing I want to do is come home to a messy house and empty frig.  And by the end of summer, I want them to feel as if it were productive and that they learned something along the way.  My hope is that within these two months we're instilling work ethics that will last a lifetime.  They are, after all, on the cusp of adulthood.

On Monday, I decided to let nature take it's course and see what I came home to.  As expected, the house was trashed, nothing had been done, and the kids weren't hungry for dinner because they slept in and snacked all afternoon.  That evening Tim and I presented my beautiful creation.

"You want us to exercise and read every day?!"

Yeah, this wasn't your average chore chart.

Aside from their normal chores, we added a few weekly needs to keep the house in order.  But in addition, I typed in things like reading a book and moving their bodies at least faster than a zombie shuffle once a day. They can read anything and do any activity they want - just use your brain and move your booty!  And I put in goals like eating more fruits and veggies, tackling their closets, and (gasp) cleaning out from under their bed!

original source: mycrazygoodlife.com

Each day/task has a small box where they can check it off as they complete.  At the end of the week, there will be incentives for how many and how enthusiastically they were accomplished.  Treats like unique fruits brought in for snacking, trips to the library, and small gift cards for their "allowance" in helping out.

We'd looked into doing prepaid credit cards so they could store up their savings, but so far I haven't found any that don't charge a monthly fee.

By the second day, I saw marked improvement just by my lunchtime visit.

Noah met me at the door, "I read for 45 minutes this morning!"

"I tried yoga today and it wasn't bad," Tina shares.

And each day this week, progress has been made.  Every time I pass the chart on the frig, I smile at the cute little checks they are marking off.

Yesterday, I came home to a surprise of Tina having thoroughly cleaned our master bathroom.  And Noah has regained his love of reading, having nearly completed a small novel this week.

Time will only tell how they'll continue but they're off to a great start.

This week's bonus treat will be a trip to the Drive-In.  Popcorn under the stars.  Barefoot in the grass. Honeysuckle drifting through the air.  Ah, sweet summertime...