We just finished up a much-needed slower summer week than usual, so I thought I'd do a post of things I've tried lately that I would recommend!
(1) Kids' YMCA Camp. Last summer was rough on lil' Jack. Too much time at home with us. Not enough active time or social interaction. So I signed him up for a week-long summer day camp at our local YMCA this year. Each week of the summer they do a different theme. Some weeks are focused on crafts, other weeks on animals or water play. I signed Jack up for the week called "Game On," which I figured would be lots of active play, sports, and, well, games. Jack's perfect trifecta. I was initially bummed that it happened to be at the very beginning of summer, but ended up feeling so grateful that the week overlapped with Alice's time in her cast. We can't do much during cast time, so it was good for him to be out having fun, and for me to take a deep breath and regroup after a tough first week of summer.
It was a hit for everyone. He came home so tired and happy every day. The hours were 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., but because many of the kids at YMCA are there primarily as a means of childcare during the summer while parents work full-time jobs outside the home, we could drop him off as early as 7 a.m. and pick him up as late as 6 p.m. At a very reasonable price for full-day summer camp. The first day I dropped him off at 9:00 and picked him up at 4:15. But it seemed like most kids were there earlier and leaving later, and he had so much fun that each day he requested I pick him up later and later, until at the last day we let him stay all the way until 6:00. Apparently the big Jack Fun was all happening after hours in the form of dodgeball and "sharks and minnows." Hooray. YMCA camp will be a new summer tradition as long as we live near a Y. (He was really tired/amped up all weekend so I'm looking forward to giving us both a more relaxed pace at home again next week.)
(2) At-home laser hair removal device. Technically I think it's called an at-home IPL device. This is the one I got for my birthday in May. I've been using it for a month now, and so far it's a big success. No more bumpy, ingrown hairs or constant itchy phase all summer. It does require regular upkeep, but less upkeep than shaving and it's so convenient to be able to use at home. I know it works best on people with pale skin and dark hair (hi). But yes--would absolutely recommend. As long as I get a good shave before using it it's pretty painless.
(3) "Do not disturb" sign for neighbor kids. Lol. I ordered this sign for our front door after last week's neighbor kids debacles. It swaps between "Welcome, Please Knock" and "Do Not Disturb." This week whenever a neighbor kid would knock on our door, I answered and said, "Hi! Jack is at YMCA camp this week. We got this sign so you can see when he's home and available to play. If it's red then that means he's gone or can't play. If it's green, go ahead and knock!" Hopefully this will make next week go better than the first week of summer. It will probably be swapped to the green side in the late afternoons and that's all.
(4) Peach Fresca with a splash of cream. Heard about it on a podcast. Incredible. Would recommend.
And now, some pictures from our week:
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