Summer is quite different now that my children are mostly grown and NOT HERE for most of the summer. My 2 youngest are working at an overnight summer camp, so they come home late Friday and go back on Sunday. So I am kidless for most of the summer. This is the 3rd summer like this - a new season of life for this mama of five used to the bustle and chaos of a house full.
So why is it that I still have a hard time getting my TO DO list done? Probably because my list hasn't gotten shorter, it is just different! In addition to the normal summer activities of "find the floor in my bedroom", "organize the piles", and "make plans for the coming school year that we may or may not follow", I have added "Camp Cook" to my schedule one day a week. In the 16 years that my kids have been going to New Life Camp, this is the first summer that I have set foot in the dining hall! My friend, Sharon, convinced me that getting up at 5:00am to drive down to camp and make 400-600 chocolate chip pancakes would be fun! You know, she was a psychology major in college, and I think they might teach some kind of mind-bending hypnosis techniques. Ha! So, it is a little earlier than I would normally get up, but not too bad. And my hubby has jumped on board as well, much to my surprise! He normally avoids kitchens unless it is to pick up a plate of already prepared food. He has been a trooper - last week he flipped pancakes and this week he was on sausage link duty!
They have always had pancakes on the menu once a week at camp, but since my kids have always enjoyed the chocolate chip version, I suggested that addition this summer, and it has been a definite hit! So much so, that last week's campers voted Chocolate Chip Pancakes their favorite meal of the week!
