bored.com

I was going to write a post about the boredom that the month of June brings me, when I scrolled back in the blog to this time last year and realized I could basically just copy and paste from this post... Ouch. Obviously I didn't learn anything from last year, because I seem to have the same exact feelings at the end of term this year...

For the THIRD summer in a row, Nathan unfortunately hasn't got any summer leave. Big booo!
Last year we only overlapped some days in the very last week of the school holidays, and then he had to go travel on his own after we went back to start school.
This year we will have to take the kids out of school later on in November when he's got leave, to be able to have a family holiday. Now that the kids are that much older, this is of course not really optimal as they miss out so much important school work. But what to do?? It's a challenge.

These long summer holidays are also a challenge, for all of us. The kids and I just can't stay here, as it's way too hot to do anything and nobody is here to hang out with, everybody leaves the country. (Apart from the pilots who didn't get leave, who get to stay back and work and hang out, all by themselves.)
Mind you, to be sole responsible for the kids for six weeks isn't exactly a 'holiday' either! We tend to wear each other down pretty quickly spending 24/7 together for that long. I do put a lot of effort every summer in trying to come up with new and different things to do and see, take the kids on exciting adventures and happenings, and make sure they don't just iPad their summer away...
It's actually quite hard work being the constant motor and trying to keep everyone busy for that long, and above all... - happy!

I still do look forward to getting out of here for a while of course. I'm craving the GREEN and the fresh air, and to be ACTIVE! I want to go explore and discover, I'm looking forward to seeing friends and family - and just to get up in the morning and DO things! I've had enough of indoor activities for a while, so the weather better be up for a lot of outdoor fun in Scandinavia!

So what's on the agenda for this summer?
I've signed the kids up for a Sports Camp! I don't know who's actually most excited for that, them or me! They don't quite know what to expect, but they are going to spend a week there on their own, Lucas will do rugby and Linnea dancing. I'm sure they will have tons of fun and make lots of new friends, it'll be great! In the meantime I will be in Stockholm with my friend Erika, doing as much child-UN-friendly things as we can pack in! Win-win!
Back in Skara there will hopefully be a Charlie's Theater performance on this year again. We will meet up with our friends who live in Rome and are back to see their family; and finally my Mum has organized a huge get-together for all the descendants of her Grandma and Granddad. It must be over 30 years since we all last met up, so that should be fun.
We will travel around a bit too. We have planned to go back to Nyköping to visit our friends the Dunlops. It has been a few years now since last time, so we are really looking forward to that. We are also planning a trip to Karlstad, to visit my friend Linda, who recently have moved house and started a new life.
Finally Denmark is on the program this summer too, of course, although this year we will only stay in the Copenhagen area. The big happening this year being our friend Søren's 50th birthday party, hugely anticipated!

Apart from all this, I'm counting on some good shopping opportunities, lush walks and jogs in the forest, enjoying all our favourite food and goodies, going swimming in the lake, riding our bikes, fun at the beach, a last-evening magic show, taking some swimming badges, baking with Mormor, nice dinners on the BBQ, hanging out with my cousins and their kids, playground fun etc etc.

I'm trying hard to keep the boredom at bay as well as I can until we go. It's not far to go, school is nearly out (tomorrow!), and we decided to stay one week here in the sandpit to wind down and hang out with Nathan. But soon - bring on Scandinavian summer!