Monday, June 27, 2011

Confessions about Summer List 2011

The 2011 Summer List is here!


Here is my post from last year, the first year we made a summer list. And while I feel like I've really grown as a person (wow! last year, I had a LOT of words and apparently anxiety about balancing plans with no plans. what a stress case.), this year, the Summer List brought forth another unlovely, fatal flaw about me as a mother:

I hate when my kids mess up my art, especially in Sharpie.

I decided that since the kids get to do so much art all the flippin' time while I get to do their dishes and laundry, that I got to be the one to make the poster itself. Fun colors. Puffy clouds. We all brainstormed the ideas, but I got full control of all Sharpies.

And here's what you must know. In Junior High, I was on the poster-making committee. For all of 7th and 8th grade, I made posters and painted giant banners for every single event or special day our school had. I rocked at posters. So yeah, I think I was reliving that special season in a teen's life known as junior high, where nothing goes well except perhaps poster-making.

Two-thirds of the way through my "art", they wore me down. I reluctantly let the kids write a couple of the bullet points and nearly bit their heads off when the words got too close or too far away from the previous line. One bullet circle got drawn with a color I WASN'T EVEN USING - (deep breaths) I have no idea how that marker slipped past me - and the circle was not uniform in size and shape, so from then on, I drew all the circles. I mean, after I traced over the erroneous one in the right color. Then, once the list was all finished and I was starting to breathe a sigh of relief, I nearly went into cardiac arrest when my son picked up the blue Sharpie and quickly started to draw a line connecting bullet points of activities he thought we could do on the same day. NO! We do NOT connect them with giant permanent lines! My husband gave me "big eyes." He thinks I'm sorta psycho. Minus the sorta.



Yeah. You thought I was oh-so-spiritual. I'm a total basket case in certain things. I'm not ashamed to admit it because, frankly, so are you.

Anyhoo. It was not a proud time for me. I'm sorry kids, I wish I was more mellow about certain things. I'll testify on your behalf when you're in counseling for the many ways I ruined you. Let's look at the bright side. The Summer List exists, and I'm going to work hard to make summer memorable and magical for you. That I promise.

Just...hands off the Sharpies. For both our sakes.


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{aaaaand....the winner of the Sheri Rose Shepherd message is JAMI! Hooray for you, friend!!}

If you missed out on that one, check out the "i heart summer" giveaway happening on my other blog, cake & cotton, over here


14 comments:

  1. I really need to get cracking on our list. So far we've done VBS and we're about to head off for camping. I am usually a big time list maker. I guess I'm a slacker during summer. : )

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  2. The "Summer List" is a wonderful idea! And I totally understand about being OCD about the poster... ^^

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  3. I love having the list for our inspiration. I have had one summer where it was 2 weeks before school started and we didn't get to any of the "dreamy" stuff. This is a little reminder of some of the things to squeeze in. Speaking of squeezing in, like me in my jeans, Nacho Night! Hello. Love it! Just might sneak it on to my list. :)

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  4. This? Cracked me up. I am the same way with my beloved Sharpies. My daughter actually labeled the bag 'Sharpies' (in sharpie, of course) in her darling, albeit messy, 4-yr old font and I cringed a little bit every time I see it. At least she didn't get it on the table!!

    Great job on The List!! Sounds like a great upcoming summer!! :)

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  5. Yet another reason I love you. We all have our vices. For some its sharpies; others, playdoh. We should start a support group:)
    xo

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  6. i can't wait to make a summer list with miles. or myself. whatevs.

    in other news, i had the CRAZIEST week of my life last week and didn't get a chance to enter the giveaway. i was SO interested in that book too! bummer. i'll have to check it out anyway!

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  7. Hahahaha oh man I am totally the same way. Total perfectionist. Like would have FREAKED OUT when I found the wrong color being used. And drawing to connect the circles? Would have no doubt yelled at the kid from purely gut instinct. Then I would have felt bad, of course, and apologized, and reminded myself that it's JUST a poster. Although, no lie, I would have been tempted to start all over. (And all this over a mismatched color and a line I never noticed until you pointed them out!)

    Btw, how's your morning reading coming? :)

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  8. This is hysterical. I don't have kids yet, but I have the idea I am going to feel very much the same way as you!!

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  9. oh, i'd be sweating the whole time too. and so tempted to redo the whole thing... did it bother you that "wrestling" was spelled "rustling" :) just curious. looks like lots of fun plans either way!

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  10. oh my gosh Leslie I am literally laughing out loud at this entire post. Art just asked me from the other room "what are you laughing at?" You should try your hand at dry, comedic writing more often, you're quite good at it. Funny that you should write all this today though. I hosted an all out crafting extravaganza for the kids and their friends today, and after all the kids had left I sat down to do some of my own crafting. Well of course not 10 minutes in they want to help. I said "no, this is mom's craft just for me" and they complained and moaned. I finally gave in and let Syd do one of the mason jars and funny thing is, I really like how his came out. That's not to say you should like the crazy sharpie marks all over your work of art. I would SO get all psycho over that too ;)

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  11. Oh my Gosh! Thank you for this post. I am so glad that you "lose it" a little. I love your blog!

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  12. I LOVE this post and have already started making our "summer list" for my husband and I. And I am 100% the same way and am not letting his writing anywhere near our list! haha. Thanks again for sharing this wonderful idea.

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  13. If this post had a fb "like" button, I'd push it. We just moved to PA and the kids discovered fireflies last night. Definitely a check in my mental summer in PA list. The kids were thrilled but I felt the moment was a little wasted because I didn't have those pretty mason jars to put them in. :) My perfection tendencies, as well, I suppose.

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  14. Hey Leslie! I LOOOOOVVE this idea. My husband is bringing home a posterboard tonight so we can make one at dinnertime!!!
    Let the planning begin!

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