Let’s be honest. We like the break from homework and school plays and science projects. But, being home all summer can get really hard. Once you’ve done the local parks and pool, maybe a visit with Grandma, and a week of soccer camp, the kids can get . . . bored. Ugghhh. And trying to entertain them for another month sucks. There I said it. And our featured article is an honest (and funny) Mom summer moment too. Scroll down to Just Sayin’ for my two cents on this whole summer thing.
And yes, we’ve got your RECIPES OF THE WEEK! Enjoy these easy, super yummy meals for the family. No stress, just five delicious dinners.
Have a great week! You’ve got this.
I’m A Teacher, And Summer With My Kids Makes Me A Terrible Mom
By Nicole Correia
I am a teacher, so yes, that means I get summer vacation. In my pre-parenthood days I can’t honestly remember what I even did with my summer.
Oh, wait, yes I can, I went to Europe. Barcelona, Nice, Santorini.
The extent of my summer vacations now is the local neighborhood splash pad, and on a particularly eventful day we make it to the nearest theme park.
Yes, I understand the privilege of being home with my children in the summer.
I don’t have to schedule my vacation time to be with them (although this is my vacation from a horrifyingly draining job).
I don’t have to worry about tagging in Grandma or Grandpa to provide childcare.
Nor do I have to sign them up for a multitude of expensive camps (seriously, who can afford those?).
In the camp of Glinda mothers who love to remind me that I “only get 18 summers with my children” I have to forcefully ask you to please stop talking.
Being home with young children is not the glorified summer Glinda, who brings homemade lemonade and gluten-free muffins to the park, would lead you to believe.
I am a terrible mother when I am with my children all day, every day in the summer.
Like awful. When my husband also takes vacation, it’s great. We can go out as a family, but when I’m alone with them, they drain the very soul out of me, and I can assure you they have whittled so much of it away already that they are at the point of destroying the very last horcruxes I had created.
I also made seven of them like Voldemort to desperately hold on to being a human.
Everything feels like a struggle.
It’s not just the incessant monotony of making three meals a day (that they probably won’t eat) followed by an endless pursuit of snacks.
Nor is it the lack of routine which makes everything a little bit more difficult to do, even ordinary things, like basic hygiene (still have to brush your teeth, even when you are not in school).
God forbid we want to go outside so I don’t end up as the subject of a true crime podcast. This, of course, only happens after a life-sucking discussion about why sunscreen is a necessity.
I then manage to proceed applying the sunscreen to children who shriek like banshees. It is so deafening that my neighbors must think I’m waterboarding them.
When we do manage to make it out the door we inevitably must turn back because I forgot to grab water bottles and Goldfish.
Glinda will inevitably judge me for this snack while I sit under a tree alone at the park while she frantically follows her sweet darling around the playground.
Being home with my kids in the summer makes me think of my maternity leave.
The fact that I revert to feeling like I am on maternity leave, where the entire course of my existence is geared toward preserving the lives of the vampires I created, is numbing.
Yes, it’s great to not have to rush through the morning disaster that is being on time for literally anything, but returning to being the primary coach, nurse, playmate, and referee to my children takes its toll.
I yell too much when I’m with them all day. I snap after asking them to do the same thing for the eighth time.
Sometimes when they are playing I sit and scroll through my phone because feigning interest in yet another fire truck is just not in me that day.
I look like a slob, because I know I’m just going to be cried on, snotted on, or end up covered in sidewalk chalk.
I survive my summer in a collective capsule containing nine articles of clothing, including a bathing suit that doesn’t fit anymore but I don’t have time to replace.
The fact that my job is so draining doesn't help.
Yet, I spend my summer having absolutely no chance to recover and restore myself for the following year. This fact is starting to weigh on me year after year.
My children are still young, and maybe as they get older I will see my summers with them differently. Maybe when I’m not held hostage by naps we can actually venture further than the local zoo, which is really quite depressing.
Maybe as they need me less I can hit the promised land where they are still with me, but independent, but before they work and want nothing to do with me.
For now, I will hold on to hope that one day when my children are old enough I can scatter some Cheerios across the kitchen island for them to navigate in the morning while I stay asleep in my bedroom that is as bleak as my swimsuit by this point.
Or even better, maybe one day I will rise to a quiet house while they are still asleep, only to frantically run into their room and tell them something that is so absolutely unnecessary at 6 a.m. that they will tell me to get out.
And stop reminding me about the 18 summers!
Yes, cut the “You only have 18 summers with your kid” crap. You know how I know that’s bullshit? Now that I have kids, I beg to spend my summers with my parents. Grandma’s house is a weekly fixture in our summer rotation.
So yeah, maybe I struggle with spending summers with my kids now, but eventually they will want to spend summers with me again when they have their own little vampires.
Maybe then I’ll enjoy them more too.
Until then, I will hold on for dear life like the back strap of my bathing suit.
RECIPES OF THE WEEK:
If you need some summer dinner ideas, we got you. From Lemon Garlic Pasta Salad to Mama’s Summer Veggies and Beef to Chicken Watermelon Tacos, enjoy your evenings with some fresh summertime family meals.
Grilled Hawaiian Pork Chops
Ingredients:
4 bone-in or boneless pork chops
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, grated
1/4 tsp black pepper
Pineapple slices (fresh or canned)
Optional: Chopped green onions and sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions:
Marinate the Pork Chops:
In a bowl, mix together pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, grated ginger, and black pepper.
Place the pork chops in a resealable plastic bag or a shallow dish.
Pour the marinade over the pork chops, ensuring they are well-coated.
Seal the bag or cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably 3-4 hours or overnight for maximum flavor.
Prepare the Grill:
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
Lightly oil the grill grates to prevent sticking.
Grill the Pork Chops:
Remove the pork chops from the marinade, allowing excess to drip off (you can discard the marinade or boil it to use as a sauce).
Place the pork chops on the grill and cook for about 4-5 minutes per side, or until they reach an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C). Cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of the chops.
Grill the Pineapple Slices:
During the last few minutes of grilling, add the pineapple slices to the grill. Grill for about 2-3 minutes per side, until they are caramelized and have nice grill marks.
Serve:
Remove the pork chops and pineapple slices from the grill. Let the pork chops rest for a few minutes before serving. Serve the grilled pork chops topped with the grilled pineapple slices. Optionally, garnish with chopped green onions and sesame seeds.
Chicken Watermelon Tacos
Ingredients: