Summer Fun with Dad!! ???

What a first official day of summer break! Waking up thirty minutes later than usual, I knew that splurging on the slumber was an event that would lead to a very productive day. Having hand-written a full page checklist of things to accomplish on this first day of leisure, which was readily augmented by my "not on vacation for 3-months," hard-working, beautiful wife, I knew I was going to get a lot of use out of my pen today as I checked all the items off that list.

Drinking my morning coffee one small cup at a time, rather than a full 12-cup super mug at a time, found my curiously wasting time with a carafe in my hand, time that could better be spent hovering over my kids while they attended their mandatory "daddy homework session" from 7:30 to 9:00. Working everything from quadruple digit addition to coloring fruit the correct color, my kids got their first taste of a miserable summer with their dad this morning. While they worked away amidst a totally quiet house, I sipped my java while reading a magazine. Yes, it was almost like I was back at school on "worksheet" day, especially when my son asked to go to the bathroom and I told him to wait until his sister got back with the hall pass.

After that, we all donned our moisture-wicking clothing and heading up to the high school track at the football stadium, where we spent 30 minutes doing cardiovascular exercises. These included, but were not limited to (I'm not going to tell you how "cruel" I actually was) 100 meter sprints, interval training, long distance practice, running bleachers, and "high knee" and "thumbs up" exercises. My kids' faces were beet red after the workout, and they drank their Gatorade like it was liquid chicken nuggets with cheese macaroni after at a children's buffet.

With their sweaty bodies depositing moisture all over my the vinyl seats of my small truck, we immediately headed to the Guadalupe Gas Company to refill a couple of 5 gallon propane tanks. I made some silly analogy about the inability to function without the proper fuel, hoping I would encourage them to eat right throughout the summer, but they were too worn out to appreciate the allegory. It was 10 a.m.

When we got home, we emptied the truck, and buried our little Chihuahua dog that died last night in the back yard from a deer attack (long story), then took showers, played a little Guitar Hero, and spent some time on Nickjr.com. Their mother soon came home for lunch, and the kids begged in not so subtle ways for her to relinquish them from my custody. Instead, she acknowledged what a "good" time they were having, then proceeding to start a load of laundry, empty the dishwasher, get the evening dinner planned, all while getting a bite to eat, and catching up on her soap opera. Wow, she was making me feel as bad as I was making my kids feel.

When she went back to work, we followed her in my truck so that I could get my allergy shots. Then it was off to Target to get some fashionable exercise clothes for my kids. I wanted to get them some running outfits whose colors would complement "beet red." After we got home, I had the kids try on their new outfits, something my wife would say I did at the wrong time, but alas, they fit like a glove, which was actually a shame, because I wanted them to fit like shirts and shorts, but they'll do.

Next on the busy itinerary was swimming lessons for my son at 3:00, to which I successfully got him to in such early fashion that he was able to "mooch" 15 minutes of observatory instruction from the previous class. After sitting under a canopy of oak, cedar, and bamboo for an hour with my daughter at the private residence where the swim lessons were undertaken, it was quickly off into town to drop my daughter off (gently) at her dance lesson. Then it was back home in an air-conditioned cab of my truck with my still-wet-from-the-swimming-pool son (his mother would be picking up our exhausted, danced-out daughter after the dance lesson.) Once home, we conferred with the neighbor about rebuilding a curved piece for an old rocking chair, read some more, and began typing this blog.

There are still a handful of things on my list, including making dinner and walking around the block with the family, etc. but I cannot afford not to get any of them done, because tomorrow's list is looking more busy than today's. In fact, I've got as much planned for me and the kids tomorrow as my wife has planned for her extended lunch break.

I don't think putting my kids to bed early tonight is going to be a problem.

It's going to be a great summer with dad!