Tales From A Home Summer Camp - (By A Working Mom Who Has No Clue What's She's Doing)
So my husband and I decided that since yesterday's camp price is not today's camp price - and because we are also planning an international trip - we were going to have to keep our kids home this summer and figure out what the hell to do with them.
And boom - just like that I got the idea to make my own Hot Mama Summer Camp! Shoot…this is going to be brilliant or a disaster. Either way, I am determined to make it fun!
Now a little about me. I'm the type of mom who thought I was killing the game until the pandemic hit and I swiftly realized I had been a low-key weekend mom all along. Those initial weeks of remote learning were rough once it became clear I was responsible for 3 square meals a day, and that my younger son was the clingy type who had a million questions about his schoolwork and when the next snack break was. Needless to say, I (and the entire collective of parents everywhere) was totally overwhelmed, but hey we made it! Am I right or is it still TBD on that one? *shrugs*
So all that is to say….the thought of having to figure out what to do with my kids for the entire summer is similarly overwhelming. Oh and did I mention that I’m also a full-time attorney currently working at a non-profit in the city? Now I'm blessed because my company is still mostly remote, but I do have to go into the office once a week (for now).
But with work and now Hot Mama Summer Camp up on the docket (hehe - I couldn’t resist), I figured I’d just had to come up with a plan to get myself organized. So me and myself had a little quick convo, it went something like this:
Me: Hey Self
Self: Hmm
Me: Self, what the hell we gonna do with these kids?
Self: I don't know but why don't you check out what miss Google talking ‘bout. You know she always has the answers.
Me: *jumps on Google and types in “how to make an at home summer camp” and immediately the homeschool corner of the internet came to my rescue!*
It really didn't take long and I found tons of resources and blogs available from other moms out there who were way more equipped than me in this sort of thing. A huge Shout out to Teresa from The Happy Mom Hacks Blog for all the amazing ideas, schedules, themes, etc. Her DIY Summer Camp Planner is literally the only thing that has given me the confidence I need to feel like I might actually be able to pull this off and we are about to turn up! Plus I now actually have a plan and schedule!
Now y’all already know it takes a village, so I invite you all to come along this summer as me and these kids work it on out. I plan to blog each week about my camp’s weekly theme and how it all turned out. The theme for Hot Mama Summer Camp Week 1 is Cooking and I already plan to go grocery shopping tomorrow to get all the ingredients for our recipes. So definitely stop by next week to see how it all went. Plus as much as my younger son loves to eat, I feel like its high time he start getting his ass in the kitchen and leave me alone sometimes.
So there you have it folks! That’s what me and the boys will be up to this summer. What are some of your summer plans? Please drop any suggestions, comments, or tips on how I can make my Hot Mama camp pop. And as always, Let’s get LIT!!
