We made it through our very last week of Summer Vacation (just me with the kids at home while Dave was already back in school).
It’s always a bit of a bummer for him to miss out on the kid’s last week of summer break, and it’s definitely a transition for me too as I’m back to being the only parent around all day! Yes, I’m spoiled over the summer!
I do think the kids and I made the most of our week together though — we crammed so many fun things into the last few days of summer!
We…
- visited a local splash pad (twice)
- went to the county fair (twice)
- went out for pizza
- got apples and peaches (and donuts) from our favorite local orchard
- played at 2 different parks
- went to a local nature center
- worked on various craft projects at home
- went bowling (and got ice cream)
- went to Rebounderz
- went to the library (twice)
- did face paint at home with neighbor friends
- made a Costco run (with samples)
- went through the car wash (always a BIG hit with the kiddos!)
- visited school, met teachers, found lockers, played on the playground, etc. etc.
We had a great week together… but there were just enough fights and tears and whining and complaining to make me very grateful that school starts for the older kiddos TOMORROW!
I can’t believe I’m going to admit this… but I’m quite eager for everyone to get back into the school routine again.
Our summer was fantastic, but I’m ready for a little more structure to our days, I’m ready to get back to my to-do lists, I’m ready for a few less kids at home all day, and I’m ready to have the weekends feel like more of a “break” versus just an extension of our lackadaisical weeks.
I KNOW I’ll be back here in May saying how excited I am for summer to arrive — but I’m pretty sure any of you who’ve ever had children living in your house can relate to the changes in season and how timely those seasons seem to be! 🙂
Nora will be in 2nd grade this year.
She absolutely LOVES school (just like her momma) and is eagerly anticipating seeing her friends and teachers again — all of whom she missed over the summer. I am the “room mom” for Nora’s class so I’m excited to be more involved this year!
Nora read over 60 chapter books this summer and we have a long list of books saved online to request from the library over the next several weeks!
Simon will be in Kindergarten 3 days a week.
Our school has several options for preschool and kindergarten and I’m so grateful he doesn’t have to go 5 full days just yet. He is SO excited to ride the bus, play on the “big kid playground”, and eat lunch at school. I know he’ll be TIRED the first couple of weeks, but I have no doubt he’s ready for school!
Simon FINALLY learned how to ride his bike without training wheels over the weekend — one of his big summer goals and he achieved it JUST in time! 🙂
James will be in preschool 2 mornings a week.
He won’t start for another few weeks yet, so he’ll just be hanging out at home with mom and Clara!
I’ve never really gotten much of a chance to spend lots of one-on-one time with James because he and Simon always travel together, so this will really be the first time they are apart for more than a couple hours. I’m pretty sure they’ll do just fine without their bestie around, and I think it will be nice for both of them to do their own thing for a bit!
Clara will be 2 in less than a month!
Yes, you read that correctly! My baby will be 2 in less than a month!
I’ve never had a 2 year old without having another younger sibling (or being hugely pregnant) so this is all new territory for me — I think I like it!
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My Projects:
I’m sure it’s no big surprise, but I didn’t really accomplish much of anything last week!
I did no “extra” house projects or yard work — just basic cleaning, picking the garden, getting groceries, keeping up with laundry etc.
I didn’t make meals for anyone, we didn’t have any guests over to our house, and we ate leftovers (or went out to eat) 3 of the nights.
I hardly did any blog work at all — in fact, I planned ahead and decided to share 4 updated version of older posts the rest of this week (they are all very updated though with new links, new photos, updated information, etc.)
Between Dave being gone all day at school (and all weekend for a Senior Retreat) and all the other fun things I did with the kids, I knew there was no way I’d do much else — and that was OK.
Obviously I wouldn’t be able to work with this type of schedule every week, but it was a nice way to end our summer vacation and I hope the kids enjoyed our week of fun!
Our schedule will continue to get busier as all the church and school programs start up throughout the month of September… and things will stay busier through the holiday season.
Then we seem to have a nice lull from January through mid-March… at which point all the end-of-year activities pick up again and make us long for the lazy days of summer once more!
Our Meal Plan:
SUNDAY:
Breakfast = homemade sourdough cinnamon rolls, eggs, sausage, fruit
Dinner =
- Pizza Pasta (with spaghetti squash instead of pasta)
- Roasted veggies
- Salad
- Garlic bread
- Fruit
MONDAY:
Breakfast = Leftover cinnamon rolls, quiche, fruit
Dinner =
- Leftover brats and hot dogs
- Cheesy potatoes (a “from scratch” version of this recipe)
- Baked beans
- Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad
- Fruit
TUESDAY:
Breakfast = Hearty Oat pancakes, eggs, fruit
Dinner =
- Pizza buffet (kids eat free night)
WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast = Leftover pancakes, eggs, sausage, fruit
Dinner =
- Pork chops (in this marinade)
- Oven roasted potato wedges
- Roasted broccoli and cauliflower
- Butternut squash
- Fruit
- Applesauce
THURSDAY:
Breakfast = oatmeal, yogurt, fruit
Dinner =
- Tatertot casserole
- Green Beans
- Sauteed zucchini, onions, and mushrooms
- Homemade bread
- Applesauce
- Pudding cups for a special dessert
FRIDAY:
Breakfast = sourdough waffles, eggs, sausage, fruit
Dinner =
- Southwest Spaghetti Squash Casserole (from the freezer)
- Homemade Refried Beans (from the freezer)
- Guacamole
- Chips & Salsa
SATURDAY:
Breakfast = muffins, eggs, bacon, fruit
Dinner =
- Leftovers for Dave and me
- Pizza sammies for the kids
- Raw veggies
- Fruit
Another summer is “in the books” for our family and we’re moving on to the next phase of our year tomorrow morning!
I keep thinking about the fact that 3 years ago, Nora was just starting preschool for the first time (no bussing or full days) and 3 years from now, I’ll be putting ALL 4 kids on the bus for full-day school!
Crazy how quickly life flies by!
I’d love to know what you’re up to this week (or what you did last week). Did you accomplish more than I did? Are your kids already back in school?
JoDi says
Wow, I can’t believe how tall Nora is and how grown up Clara is getting! Seeing her on a scooter alongside her siblings is so cute!
I work at a school too, and teachers came back last Thursday so things are in full swing already! We don’t work this Friday so I’m looking forward to the last extra long weekend for a while! We’re going to the state fair on Sunday, and I’ve never been before so I’m really looking forward to it!
Andrea says
yes, Nora has been the tallest (or almost the tallest) in her class every year!
Hope you have a relaxing weekend!
Heather says
My daughter is a week or so older than Clara, since the Kindergarten cut off is September 1st for kindergarten. So are you sending her at 4? I just don’t think I can do the waver. Does it not matter at the private school?
Andrea says
I do think private schools are different in terms of the cutoff (I think ours is December 1) but I’ll probably still hold her back.
Marva says
Clara standing with her foot on that scooter – looks like she’s so grown up! You’re going to have fun with her at home this school year!
Andrea says
I know — she’s getting so big!
Dawn Kaestner says
The photo of the kids waving goodbye to Dave is adorable!! And I think Nora grew a foot over the summer:)
Andrea says
yes and yes. I think I’ll get that picture framed for Dave — and I think Nora did grow a TON over the summer!
Jen says
I’m planning to take this week to catch up on a few things and then throw myself back into my business starting next week.
My son moved back into his dorm yesterday (my daughter stayed in NC this summer to work and take classes), so I have the house all to myself again…not gonna lie, I’m thrilled
Andrea says
lucky!!! I’d love just 1 FULL day a week with the house completely to myself. I suppose I’ll get my wish in another few years when Clara and James are both in school full time!
Calliope says
School for the kids start sept 11 here. And for us teachers sept 1st. I will have soooo much work upon going back to school that I seem to be in denial this year!
We go to the sea everyday, watch a movie every night or during afternoon and we meet with friends everyday too.
That’s it!
Andrea says
sounds like a lovely summer break — enjoy your busy back-to-school season!
Nancy says
I love your updates. We took our oldest off to start her first year of college this week. It is bittersweet for sure! She had some butterflies and we miss her so much, but she’s ready and I have a feeling college is going to suit her.
Andrea says
oh wow — that’s a new phase of life for sure. Hope she loves college life!
Siobhan says
Enjoy getting back into your school routine and having less kiddos at home 🙂
Andrea says
thanks I will!
JJ says
They are getting so big!!! What a fun and happy ending to your summer!!! We have been enjoying Pelican’s snoballs–one of their favorite summer treats. We also have enjoyed “hiking” at the local state park. They have rocking chairs overlooking the lake that anyone can sit in at the welcome center. So that’s our reward after the hike. My son was disappointed we didn’t see any foxes. Mom was not.
Andrea says
I had to look up what a “Pelican’s snoball” was — we call them “slushies”!
Glad to know you had a nice summer!!
Jamie says
I don’t think anyone accomplishes more than you do in any given day or week. 🙂 I always tell my husband I wish I could accomplish 1/2 of what Andrea Dekker does in a day. We just did school last week and again this week. 2 more weeks and we take a week off. We homeschool and start back after July 4th so that every 5th week we can take a week off. My oldest (freshman in high school) started dual enrollment at the local college so that has been exciting for the whole family. I can’t believe Clara is almost 2! My youngest is 4 and we feel that we are done and I love it knowing we are done with the baby phase (although I loved having babies). Have a great first week of school, Dekker family!
Andrea says
haha — well it depends on the day! I do sometimes have nightmares about losing a limb or becoming mentally ill — mainly because I know I’d never be able to do everything I have to, want to, and need to do each day.
Wow — dual enrollment as a freshman — that’s amazing!
Casey says
I love reading these sorts of posts–sounds like you def. made the most of your last week of summer! We went back to school last week already, and I have to say–it has been wonderful getting back into routine. We all seem to thrive with a bit more structure to our days (and I was starting to feel unproductive, which drives me a bit crazy). I also can’t believe how much I got done around the house last week with all that “free time.”
Can I ask what orchard you were able to get peaches? We normally go to Crane’s in Fennville but due to the frigid winter they don’t have any to sell/pick this year…so sad!
Andrea says
Thanks Casey — it was a fun week.
We go to Moelkers in Walker/Grandville area — I’ve always gone there since I was a kid myself!
Michelle Bonk says
Our schools start after Labour Day so this is our last week of vacation.
Had a very relaxing low key weekend at our trailer.
This week is letting the kids sleep in a bit (they’ve been at camp most of the summer so getting up at 6:30/7:00); finishing back to school shopping; some house chores; some school transition visits (we have one starting high school!) and then fun!
Teens have a group dinner out tonight, we’re going to Canada’s Wonderland (amusement park) tomorrow, Canadian National Exhibition Wednesday night, concert for some Thursday night and back to the trailer Friday!
Andrea says
enjoy your last low-key week together!!
Meghan says
Wow, you sure packed a lot in last week! Im sure your kids loved it. I’m a teacher and I go back today! My kids start Wednesday. We spent our last week of summer vacation at Disney and it was wonderful. Normally, I’m wrapping up home projects, freezer cooking, doing prep for school, and refereeing the kids who are a little sick of each other. Instead, I worked super hard to get everything ready for the school year transition a few weeks early, and last week’s vacation was stress free and the kids were definitely occupied. I don’t know if we’ll be able to do it again because of my son getting involved in middle school sports, but it was so nice! My kids will be in 7th, 3rd, and one in all-day preschool three days a week. She’s super excited so I hope it lives up to her expectations.
Andrea says
hope your first day back went well!
I’m just about ready to get the kids up for their first day — I still can’t believe Simon is riding the bus!