"Ferb, I know what we're going to do today!"

I am a planner.  I like to know ahead of time what needs to be done so that I have time to figure out a good way to do it.  I have a hard time being spontaneous, especially when it comes to my kids.  I have a friend who frequently calls to ask if we want to meet her family in the park in the early evening and my response (in my head) is always, "Are you crazy?!  It's after 5 o'clock.  What am I?  A Fun Mom?"  That probably wouldn't make any sense to her, but by 5pm, I consider my day over.  I know what I have to do to get my family fed and in bed at a reasonable hour and we just don't have time to slow the train down for a stop at Funland.  I know.  I have issues and I'm working on it. 

For a planner, the summer can be a bit ulcer-inducing.  We've been out of school for a week and already I'm going crazy with all the sleeping in and staying up late and playing video games whenever we want.  I want us to have fun, but I don't think three months of this is going to do us any good.  As my mom used to say "We're NOT gonna do this all summer long!" 

We have a trip to the beach planned for July and we have a lot to do before then.  Of course, the kids keep asking when we're going to the beach.  It reminds me of December and I was thinking about how we're able to not only survive the weeks leading up to Christmas, but fill the month with awesomeness as we count down the days.

So I decided to bring Fun Mom out for the summer.  (Or at least for June.)  I figured out everything that needs to be done and everything we want to get done before we leave for the beach.  Then I wrote one down for each day of our summer countdown.

I found a template for an envelope and made these out of scrapbook paper.  Then I suckered my project group friends into cutting and folding all of them.  It would have taken FOREVER without their help.

Inside each envelope is a picture of us having superfuntimes at the beach.

On the back of each picture I wrote something fun for us to do.

By the end of the countdown, we'll have a string of pictures of us at the beach.  I'm pretty excited about it.

Here are some of the things we're doing this month:

• Sign up for summer reading program at the library.
• Make sidewalk chalk masterpieces.
• Sleep in the living room together.
• Go to the pool.
• Visit the Botanical Gardens.
• Make jam.
• Go to the Dive In Movie at the pool.
• Attend a summer concert.
• Attend an outdoor theater production.
• Take a walk in Forest Park
• Have a picnic at the park.
• Go out for ice cream.
• Wash the car and get it ready for our road trip.
• Visit the zoo.
• Watch a Redbox movie with a babysitter while Mom and Dad go on a date.
• Make a mix CD for the road trip.

There are plenty more activities that we have to participate in, but at least they know that every day they get to do something fun.  See?  Planners can be fun, too!