The Summer Of Quiet

In terms of having a summer that is chock full of camps, field trips and vacations, summer for my kids has been a total bust. In my defense, it is not like I haven't tried. Back in the spring I brought out lists, schedules, and camps for the kids to peruse in hopes they would select a summer activity that would provide both fun and learning. No such luck. Oh wait, there was an art class Jaimey wanted to do however upon arrival to 'check it out, no pressure' she bailed. The kids keep telling me they want a 'quiet' summer which in my mind translates to being lazy and wasting time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not arguing the fact that I don't have to schlepp my kids across the greater Portland metro area in order for them to have a fun summer but the feeling of passing up opportunities for the kids to engage more, bugs me. But is the whole idea of a "quiet summer" such a bad thing? I know people who would kill for that opportunity and I'm starting to rethink my whole opinion on the matter. Is it such a bummer to eat popsicles for breakfast (mind you they are 100% fruit so in essence my kids are having fruit salad for breakfast, at least that's what I tell myself), pick blueberries, go out for ice cream, visit the library, go to art stores, explore some cool Portland neigborhoods, pet our chickens, make homemade pasta, ride bikes, read, make some crafts, rough house with the dogs, catch up on some Netflix series, sleep in, make cookies, swim at the lake a few blocks away, visit some local farms and make jam? Apparently my kids don't think so. I guess when I look at it that way I can relax in the thought of knowing it is OK to slow down in the summer. Heck they are only kids once and there will be plenty of time for crazy busy schedules. That's a given as they get older and sadly, September is coming sooner than later. I actually appreciate the fact they want to hang out and just be. Although in all honesty? I think Will uses staying home for 'a quiet summer' as his excuse to be able to play computer games...