As a working mother, my summers are not all that different from the rest of the year.  Still, as the daylight hours wane and the new school year approaches, it’s time to reflect on how I spent the last few months without homework.  Here’s my top ten list of activities for Summer 2010:

10. Having to leave work early and nervously navigating traffic on my way to pick up my eldest daughter because, even though it’s 2010, summer camp schedules still do not acknowledge the needs of families with two working parents.

9. Eating Fudgsicles  – two at a time.

8. Contemplating what to do with the bags full of last year’s schoolwork that are still on the floor of our home office.

7. Trying to decide if it’s appropriate to get the camp counselors gifts at the end of the camp season.

6. Wondering why I bother to send my little one to camp with a water bottle every day when it always comes home full.

5. Lounging in the pool and floating on a water noodle while my kids dip and dive like mermaids.

4. Joyfully running to the garden each evening to see if a new tomato has ripened and planning a big vegetable garden for next summer.

3. Figuring out how to explain to my 4 year old that she has to wear a uniform to Kindergarten rather than cowgirl attire.

2. Learning that my ability to procrastinate on a work project when not given a specific deadline is astonishing, even to me.

1. Looking forward to shopping for locker decorations, field trips, school projects, Kindergarten artwork, and that magical moment when a young child first learns to read.