August is approaching, and it’s still summertime. I know this because when I take the kids to school in the morning, the doors are locked.
We are enjoying summer. It’s pretty relaxing. We’ve picked our strawberries and our raspberries; we’ve made forts outside under the trees. We’ve read a ton of books, as our friends at the library could testify. We have swam, and walked in the woods, and ran, and some of us have ridden bikes. We’ve gotten nice and brown and healthy. Okay, maybe not brown, we are not much of a browning family; but we are getting nice and pink, and freckly.
I think our summer has mostly qualified as a staycation. This is a trendy word for saying you‘re not going anywhere. I like it. Saying “staycation” means that staying at home is hip — right on — and economically smart. I guess we are normally hip and smart because we have done a lot of staycationing in our time.
Many of you are already doing some great home vacation stuff, I hear. Like… going to the beach, going on picnics, flying kites at Point No Point, attending free movies at Poulsbo Cinemas (10 a.m., Tues-Thurs). And other inexpensive local stuff like hiking and camping. Very smart of you. We have done a few of those too. It’s fun to approach your home turf as a visitor would.
Some other activities we have done without actually leaving the house: played board games, had a Star Trek Next Generation marathon, and conducted various science experiments on the picnic table. (At least I am told they are science experiments, and that I am not to touch them.) And, as of yesterday, some of the kids have created a restaurant in our kitchen, complete with menus, fake money, and signs to the restrooms. All fine, as long as nothing smokes and they clean up. My participation in these events is often as a follower — they are in charge.
Part of the whole staycation idea is sticking with regular vacation goals: spending time with family, and leaving work and other stressers behind for awhile. No, the children can’t count as some of the stressors you leave behind. Your kids are fun to be around, remember? Yeah, you remember. Look at the freckles, look at the barefoot toes. They’re cute, they’re fun.
I haven’t done this part yet, but staycation experts suggest you turn off your phones, stay away from the computer, and don’t try to combine a to-do list with your staycation activities. So apparently I’m still doing it wrong, but no one’s complaining yet.
In June, I encouraged the kids to make a list of things they would like to do this summer. As the warm days are progressing, I’m also encouraging them to write down the things we are actually doing. This covers me, so that when summer ends and I hear, “We didn’t do anything this summer.” I can refer them back to their lists. “See? Picnics, movies, camping trip… look at all the fun things we did.” You have to document everything.
There are a few things still on my own summer fun list: Go down to the Rodeo Drive-in theater near Belfair; more visits to the awesome renovated Kingston Firehouse Theater; do at least one adult-directed craft with the kids (one year we threw paint at sheets); and invite friends over for a dance in our back yard. Okay, we’ve never done that one before, but wouldn’t it be great?
These are my plans for the rest of our summer staycation, accompanied by picking August’s blueberries and blackberries. Besides the economic savings, the biggest benefit of a staycation: no need for a vacation after the vacation to recover from the stresses of a big trip. Right on.
No summer vacations were ruined in the writing of this column.
