What’s a mom to do? We have 3 months approximately to get through!  Why can’t they just have school year round?  It sounds good to me!  So, have you been giving any thought as to what to do this summer with the kids?  The economy is poor, money is tight, and a vacation is not in the budget.  It’s been my experience that “less is more.”  Some of our best memories have been right here in our own town and around the state. Camping doesn’t have to be at Yosemite, how about a state park you’ve never explored.  We are lucky, our town has access to great trails and parks, some of which I did not know were even here.  Check out your local city and state websites for ideas.  The Conservation Departments are always doing fun activities that are free, and the big bonus, educational! (Don’t tell the kids!)  I plan to get my crew to our cool library, which has activities and reading programs for all ages.   If your children are like mine, they’d love to let that reading slip by during the summer!  How about your local humane society, now there’s a way to run them.  Sign up to walk and play with the animals, what a great way to teach community service.  My kids hate math, so we have an annual garage sale that they run from top to bottom with our help of course.  We then put it towards some fun activity (usually the dreaded water park!) My final suggestion is off to GRANDMA’S!  Whatever you choose to do this summer, have fun and make some memories.