Since I’ve addressed some of the fun ideas for summer week ends, I guess it’s only fair that I address what happens when our carefully planned week end doesn’t turn out so great. This past week end, I had planned to accomplish a series of necessary end-of-summer household chores.   I was literally knee deep in the first chore on my list (weeding the garden)  on Saturday morning, when I pulled up a wasp nest along with the handful of weeds. A mad dash for the house and a thousand screams later, I hopped in a cold shower to drown any remaining wasps clinging to me with their stingers. Since that helped only a little, I went scrambling to the Internet for help to stop the pain. A quick review of my favorite medical sites gave me the info I needed: best bet — ice and lots of it, applied with a layer of cloth in between to prevent damaging the skin. Best home remedy for after the ice: dab on some Crest or other extra-whitening toothpaste.  A close second:  a paste of vinegar, baking soda, and meat tenderizer.  Best drugstore: Caladryl, a combination of calamine lotion and Benadryl. My choice: use what you have — calamine lotion, wrap up in Saran wrap, and apply ice on top! So much for my week end of accomplishing home chores! By Sunday I was still elbow-deep in  Crest toothpaste (cinnamon version smells really good), Calamine lotion and ice and stuck on the couch with the TV!

So what do we do when something unexpected changes our best laid plans? How do we cope with life’s little disappointments and pains? The answer is to do what works for YOU. Some folks feel better with a good old fashioned cry, some call a friend to commiserate with them, still others try to reward themselves in a different way when a disappointing situation comes to their door. It might be a good time to review the gratitude journal that you’ve been keeping to remind yourself of  all those things for which you are already grateful or it can even be a chance to “re-frame” your bad situation into something not so disappointing. For me, well, I like to do them all: have a good cry, call a friend, have them pick up some ice cream to bring over, and re-frame it all by catching up on all those movies I’ve missed on TV. And the most important part — putting it all into perspective since there will still be time to get all those chores done before Fall is in full swing.
And we can’t forget HOPE that things will look a whole lot better tomorrow!

Thank you to those who responded with your ideas for Last Minute Summer Fun! Several of you suggested taking the family to the County Fairs. This past week end our local County Fair was in town, so we loaded up and we were off on an old fashioned County Fair adventure. The $10 per person entrance fees can add up for a large family, but where else can you enjoy a whole day of fun for just ten bucks?   (That is, if you can avoid the pricey but yummy fair food).  One of the big treats for me was visiting all the animal barns to see where the 4-H Club kids were showing the animals that they had raised, washed and groomed to show at the Fair. We talked with many of these young boys and girls and they told us all about their animals.   We even got to pet them, too. The little ones especially loved the many kinds of rabbits, while I enjoyed the beautiful horses.  The entrance fee gave us unlimited rides which thrilled the kids of all ages!  The air was filled with music from a local country band and this year they had the added  feature  of a trained tiger act, too.  Something fun for everyone at the Fair!

With only one week end until school starts and then the Labor day weekend, you still have some time to get those suggestions in for ways to have inexpensive Summer Fun!! Let’s make some family memories!

With school starting just a week or so away, many of us are thinking,  ”How can I give my family or even just myself one more summer memory to last throughout the cold winter until it’s time for next year’s summer fun”.  Budget crunches, the need to purchase school clothes and supplies and only two more week ends of summer may limit our choices, but I am betting that many of you out there have some good ideas for us to use with our own families.  This blog is meant to be a sense of community where we can all share our ideas, problems, and solutions.  I invite all of you to send us YOUR ideas for gearing up for some last minute fun for the two remaining “Week ends of Summer”!  The cheaper the better — many of our best memories of childhood were free.  So go out there and make some memories — have some LAST MINUTE SUMMER FUN!

Today is the first day that our new website “goes live” and we are all very excited (and nervous) about it! The Blog will be the location for us to offer up-to-the-minute information, tips and ideas about handling common relationship problems, parenting ideas, or just a story to make you smile. This blog is not intended to replace counseling and any content offered is general and meant for information only, not advice or recommendations for your particular situation.

GETTING READY TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL

All the Moms out there, and many of the Dads, are busy right now getting all the school supplies, shopping for school clothes and shoes, and preparing to “change gears” from the slower pace of summer to the hectic one of fall. Back to school means getting the kids ready for school year bedtime hours as well as setting up time to deal with homework. Kids don’t usually make these changes on their own, so it becomes one more thing to add to our already full to-do lists.

I’d like to take a moment to remind all of us parents to not forget to take care of ourselves these next two weeks before school starts, too. If we are stressed and exhausted when school starts, our children will be, too. Divide up the to-do list with Dad/Mom, older sibs, grandma, anyone who can assist in the preparations for school. Start the kids on their “school year” sleep routine a week early to help you all adjust to the changes in the time schedule. Make checklists that your kids can use to make sure they have what they need and most important for little kids, don’t let them play with the school supplies you’ve purchased!!! Now THAT is easier said than done, right? Buying an extra cheap notebook and a box of crayons, glue sticks and some colored paper for them to “practice school” with can sometimes save your supplies stash from being prematurely invaded.

If you have any gift certificates for a massage, manicure, or special treat left over from Christmas or birthday, NOW may be the time to use it! That little extra bit of pampering may be just what you need to slow everything down a bit before the Big Event — the first day of school. And, most important of all, don’t forget to BREATHE and enjoy these last few days of summer.