photo credit: MooreALX

Today is the first day of summer vacation and I am determined to make it a lazy one for us. I need the vacation as much as my kids do. I never realized how much work parenting is when the kids are in school. Making lunches, ensuring that homework is done, shuttling to and from after school activities. It can wear you down. But too many lazy days can also have the same effect.

I am not a big fan of sleep away camps. I know - kids love them. But I like having my kids home with me over the summer months. And I never went to sleep away camp as a kid. As parents we cannot help but to draw upon our own childhood experiences as a foundation for how we raise our own kids. So, my kids will be home with me all summer.

To keep the summer from turning into a video game extravaganza at our house I did MY homework many months ago and looked into summer kids camps that are local. My kids are now registered for the few kids summer camps that they really wanted to do. But there are still large blocks of free time in between.

In a technology loving family like mine, it would be easy for the kids to wile away the days on the computer, playing video games, and watching tv. I, of course, would love to spend the time building and growing my business. We would blink and summer would be over.

To make sure that we don’t waste the summer, I took a look at the blocks of time that we have available and pulled out my folder of local summer kids camps. I asked each of the kids if there was anything that they really wanted to do this summer that we haven’t yet looked into. For the most part they were pretty happy with what we already have scheduled. Aside from adding in a little tennis and golf instruction we were set.

But there was one surprise in the package that parents can overlook. One of my children had a little trouble with math over the past school year. He did fine overall but the concepts did not come easily. His request: summer school. I am very proud of him.

As parents, we want summer to be fun and relaxing for our kids - so they can re-energize and be ready to go back in the fall. But summer can also be a great time for kids to put in a little work on the academics so they don’t struggle in the fall. So, here is my parenting advice for today: if your child needs it, consider a little tutoring or summer school now before the summer gets away from you.

Yipee! Apple is offering their Camp Apple again this summer. You can find the details here.

The Apple Camp is basically a free 3 hour workshop for kids ages 8 to 12 on iPhoto, GarageBand, iMovie, or iWork. Did I mention one of my best parenting tips: Free? The workshops are offered at your local Apple Store and you must preregister.

I signed my kids up last year but for some reason our session was canceled. We could not fit an alternate session date into our schedule but Apple was very accommodating and sent the kids some T-shirts and patches anyway.

I will be signing them up again this year.

Now that summer is here, every conscientious parent is slathering their beloved children with sunscreen. Why? Because we live in fear of those dangerous UVA and UVB rays that could potentially cause skin cancer. We think that we are doing the right thing and protecting our little darlings.

So, imagine my surprise when I read Our first tests: Nanoparticles found in many sunscreens - in the July 2007 issue of Consumer Reports. This article was written as part of a larger article about Nanotechnology.

Apparently, there are nanoparticles of zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide in many sunscreens - although this may not be listed on the label (the ingredients of zinc oxide or titanium dioxide will be listed but the form of the ingredient ie: nanoparticles may not). The benefits of using nanoparticles is cosmetic - the sunscreen does not look as white when you smear it on if the particles are smaller.

The problem is that it has not been determined if slathering yourself (or your kids) with nanoparticles of zinc oxide or titanium dioxide is bad for your health. Lab studies show that, yes, they are harmful but only if they get through all that outer skin which is unlikely. But what if your skin is cut or damaged?

I guess the good news is that there are sunscreens that don’t contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide - you just need to read the labels. And the dangers of sun exposure probably outweighs the dangers of sunscreen.

But isn’t that the paradox of life - you think you are doing good when in reality it just might be the opposite.

Dear Children,

With summer fast approaching we are all ready for a little relaxation - that includes ME.

I love having you all to myself during the summer months but this summer, I am not signing up for the four C’s - chauffeur, cook, cleaning lady, and cruise director.

Please understand that if we all pitch in, summer will be a lot more fun.

Don’t complain if I don’t allow all four of you to have friends over all day, every day. I know - we may not be busy, but my energy is limited and so is my patience.
Don’t sulk if I don’t drive you everywhere you want to go, whenever you want to go. Same reason.

Enjoy this time with your siblings and, yes, your mother. You don’t realize how fleeting this carefree time together is.

And, above all, remember that a happy mommy is the key to the best summer ever!

Love,
Mom

This “Dear Children” post was written as part of the MamaBlogga Group Writing Project.

Apple, Inc. is offering free summer learning sessions (Apple Camp) for kids aged 8 to 12 at Apple stores around the country. My kids are technology and computer buffs and they jumped at the chance to spend a morning or two learning about things they can do with an Apple computer.

The four topics being offered are podcasting, iPhoto and iWeb, Music (including iTunes and GarageBand), and iMovie. You need to register online and apparently the space fills up quickly. The sessions are 2.5 hours and a parent is required to stay on premises during that time (this is a great Apple gadget shopping /wish list building opportunity!)

As the summer vacation fast approaches, I realize that there are large blocks of time during which we will have nothing to do. I know that is what summer is all about, but there is a fine line between relaxation and boredom. So, it is nice to find a few things to add variety to a lazy week.

It seems that I am not alone in running “Camp Mommy” this summer. Sherri at The Rebel Housewife is running a “Camp Mommy” of her own and she offers some links on finding some Free Summer Movies for kids.

If you have any suggestions for summer boredom busters, please leave a comment!