On the second week of summer, my kid went to a Wednesday afternoon "party". They grilled, played volleyball, baked a cake, hung out. I gutted the basement and cleaned every last cobweb, bagged garbage, bagged and delivered donations, and reorganized some stuff. It was wonderful. When I was finished, I drove to grab her and didn't even have to get out of the car.
Now let's not overlook camps. When she was younger, we would sit and discuss all the fun opportunities she had in this area. STEM camp was a hit 2 years in a row. Art camp and painting camp also scored big. We have never really done sports camps until this year. Free day camp was great when she was younger. All I needed was 8am-12pm to run errands or go to some trainings.
Now she goes to camp at her gym. She will randomly pick a day and I drop her off with snacks and a smile from 10-3. This is also a great plan because it's just down the road. She comes home sweaty, sore, exhilarated from running, bouncing, jumping, and playing. BUT... last Friday, she went to camp and I went to get a pedicure. She acted like it was the end of the world! 🤣
I use my time wisely while she is gone. I try not to just clean or organize. I make simple plans, read, nap, swim, whatever. Now I know NOT to tell her what I did while she was gone, though. Who knew?? As sad as I get knowing my little baby face is growing up, every time we unlock a new chapter it goes great. And I must say, there is nothing better for my sanity than her coordinating her own social life!