After a long weekend, it feels good to be 100% sure what today’s date is.  With 4th of July on Thursday and a semi-workday on Friday, I have needed to consider carefully the day of the week.  Today, however, I was sure that it was Monday. While the relaxed schedule over the last four days was nice, it also is nice to know exactly what day it is.

Over this long weekend we filled our days with a number of different activities.  One of those was a family cookout, at which I made a few observations.

1. You never can estimate how much food 17 year old boys will eat.  Our older son invited 5 friends to the cookout.  Thus, we prepared many burgers and hot dogs and had plenty of soda and chips.  Currently, we have many cans of soda and a couple bags of chips in the pantry and a freezer with a good number of hot dogs and hamburgers.
2. A football will unify boys of all ages.  Recently I have noticed that our 17 and 12 year old sons don’t spend as much time together.  There isn’t any fighting, but the age gap has begun to show.  However, if a football is produced, a pick-up game will allow all to participate.
3. A deck of cards works well with teenage girls.  Our 15 year old loves to spend time in her bedroom (on the third floor, far from the world).  With a few family friends and a deck of cards, she is more than glad to spend an hour or more playing a silly, yet aggressive, game of spoons. Alternately, a closet of dance costumes for girls can lead to much fun and giggles.
4. This one I already knew, but it is worth repeating.  There is nothing quite like having your kids all together.

Our summer is off to a great start.  Here’s hoping yours is also!