There’s a point every summer where I look up from my own very distracting laptop and phone screens and realize these days, the longest of the year, are actually short and they’re numbered. Before we know it, back-to-school season will overtake our preoccupied minds as the parents responsible for making it all come together. We’ve been busy all summer with camps and daytrips and it’ll soon be new shoes, new jeans, backpacks and left-handed scissors that we think about before we go to sleep.
My back door slams and it takes a second to tell if that’s my husband coming inside or my oldest son, who’s now as tall as I am and has recently adopted the gait of a man. It reminds me that these years pass so quickly even when the summer days can seem long with their heat and the messes children make.
I wasn’t going to make a summer bucket list because we needed a break from a school year filled with goals and structure but I see it all drawing to a close. There are still some things I want to do before our summer is out.
Here are three things to check off before summer draws to a close:
Finish some good books: I want to read “Stuart Little” by E.B. White with my middle sons, ages 4 and 7. The Metropolitan Library’s Summer Reading Program ends July 31. That’s a good reason to take in a few extra reading sessions and enjoy that time together before reading is for school again.
Visit the Toy and Action Figure Museum: We’re headed out to visit the Toy and Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley this weekend. We’ve never been and all four of sons and even my husband are excited to see what they have. The less-than-two-hour car trip is about right for our family to be in the car.
See the Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s newest exhibition: Van Gogh, Monet and Degas are the featured artists in the art on loan from the Mellon Collection of Fine Art. We haven’t been yet and I want to see it before the exhibition ends Sept. 22. Find more info here.
Summer is fleeting. Childhood too. I hope this season’s last days bring the best memories to you and your family.
