Summer Fun

During the summer here in Texas, if we don't get outside early in the morning, we might as well stay indoors until 8pm. Because, the heat, the HEAT scorches the skin.

On a typical summer day, I send the boys outside after breakfast, while I clean up the kitchen. I secretly read a few blogs, too, but the boys don't know that yet. Admit it, you read blogs under the same demise. Don't judge me.

As I was sitting down with Mac the other day, I heard the boys calling me. When I walked outside, this is what I saw...all three boys swinging and singing together.
It was a Kodak moment, because catching them all three in the same activity without fighting.... Well, it doesn't happen very often.

But after a few minutes, that became boring, so I had to quickly come up with a new activity to keep the peace. I grabbed three pails and clean paint brushes. After filling the pails with water, I told the boys that I needed them to "wash" the fence.

Apparently, that was the best idea ever, because they all set out to work immediately and KEPT working for nearly an hour! An hour of play without fighting, screaming, pushing! Amazing.

After a bit, Jack became bored with the manual labor and sat down to study the process of the paint brush soaking up the water. "How does that water get all the way up there, Mommy?" Well, it just does. He's my engineer, always trying to figure out how everything works. More concerned about the tiny details than the overall picture.
Garrett took this job quite seriously. He did not want to miss a square inch, bless his little perfectionist heart. I don't know where he learned this trait. Ahem.
If Garrett took this project seriously, Liam thought an entire week's worth of meals depended upon his task. I think he would have spent all day with his paint brush, except that I wouldn't let him stay in the sun that long.
If you need a long-lasting activity for your kids this summer, give them buckets of water and paint brushes. I would suggest swimsuits and sunscreen for making it last that much longer.