Ten Reasons to Love Summer

1. Homemade Popsicles. Remember how Mom used to freeze juice in those cute little plastic thingies and we'd sit outside and eat them till our clothes were drenched, then get hosed off in the backyard? My kids still find them much more exciting than the storebought ones.

2. The ice cream man! He finally made his rounds on our block yesterday. I still remember waiting with my two quarters by the front door all afternoon, anticipating the familiar jingle as he barreled down the road. Course, two quarters doesn't get you much anymore, but it's still pretty thrilling to chase him down for a Fudgsicle, or better yet, an Astropop.

3. Flip flops and shorts. Course, in CA, we pretty much wear these year round.

4. No bad hair days. Since we spend most of our summer between the pools and the beach, no one expects us to perfect our hairdo. A sopping wet ponytail does the trick for me, and saves 30 minutes in the bathroom every morning laboring over the flat iron!

5. Good books. Something about summer makes me want to pop open a good book. Anyone read a good one lately? I read by recommendation. With limited time on my hands, I've become somewhat of a book snob. If I'm gonna forgo the household chores to lay around reading, it better be a juicy one!

6. No early mornings. Ahhh, the sweetest part of summer, not having to run the carpool and race around like a mad woman slapping PB n Js together for lunches! Though the days of sleeping in till ten have been left behind in the crazy college days, I'm still thrilled if I get to sleep in till 8.

7. Trips. This year, due to insane gas prices, the only trip we'll be taking is up north to see my mom. Nonetheless, it should be a good time. We plan to camp in Tahoe for the first time with all four kids (wish me luck!!) Getting away is wonderful...a step out of reality and the day to day bustle is always a blessing. Just sitting on someone else's couch eating someone else's food and watching someone else's TV is a treat for me!

8. Summer movies. It seems summer time brings a plethera of good family movies to the big screen. I'm itching to see Get Smart, among others. Anyone seen it yet? I was a big fan back when it was on TV. And Steve Carrell..well, you dont get any funnier than that.

9. Bonfires at the beach. I admit, we're spoiled rotten here in southern CA. Nothing like the smell of campfire smoke mixed with the salty ocean breeze.

10. No agenda! I used to pack my summers chock full of events, never leaving a dull moment for my children to possibly become bored and inflict fights among each other. Now, I'm perfectly happy waking up and answering "Nothing!" when they ask me what the plan is for the day. Sometimes nothing is the best something you can do!!

What about you? Why do you love summer? Or are you already counting the days till your kids go back to school? :) What are your favorite summer memories?

Happy Summer!