Toss Adventure to Summer Fridays

Every Friday through the summer months, I have the good fortune of using my vacation days at my day job (go ME!!!), giving me a four day work week. With this said – there is nothing like having half of your offspring grown and on their own to make a Mom realize how short our time is with our young tribe members before our nest will be empty. So – I decided to switch it up a bit this year to make the best of our memory making Fridays this summer while I still have these ornery boys at home.

After dinner on Tuesday or Wednesday, the resident Grinch, Littlest Man and I pull out a pair of dice, each of us hungry with anticipation. The one rule of our dice game? Whoever get the highest dice role gets to plan what we will do on Friday of that week! I figured the boys would really like that because  hey – who doesn’t like being able to decide what they are going to be able to do once in a while????

So far – we have had two weeks of rolls. The first week, I won – so we went to Richmond before we had to travel to DC (I had to head there for work – I am coercing child #1 – AKA Travel Planner Extraordinaire – to guest blog for me –  “Visiting to DC with kids on a budget” – as they filled their days all week and didn’t even spend $125!!!) and got the boys haircuts and some last minute shopping (I know – pretty uneventful – but I have some GREAT ones planned for my next turn … Fairystone Park, Natural Bridge Safari Park, go cart day …). Littlest man is chomping at the bit to win so he can get us to go to Chuck E. Cheese (I am not looking forward to this one – but a rule is a rule…).

This week, the resident Grinch won (darn!). Now – as a 13 year old boy – we really expected him to say he wanted to stay home and be left alone all day with unlimited time on his computer to “game” (he has his own youtube channel and I think he would move inside his computer if we allowed him — thank God for Circle!!). Much to our surprise — he chose to have us spend the day … with us … (… drum roll please…) …  swimming …

Little Man warming up his skills…

Do my eyes deceive me, or do they look like they are getting along?!

And they are playing without video screens?!?!? Be still my heart!

… AND he agreed to a picnic dinner … with us … before the Stars under the Stars movie event!!! Despite objecting to me singing out loud to the movie, he even excitedly joined me in song (and smiling) on more than one occasion!

Arrive early for a seat …

Belle was the special guest before the show…

Who wouldn’t want a photo with Belle?

..with a special favor for everyone!

…it’s almost show time, and the crowd continues to grow…

… and let the show (and singing) begin!!!

Here is to making wonderful summer memories before all my tribe members leave my nest!

Let summer begin!