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For parents, it's often one of the most feared days on the calendar, the first day of summer vacation. Chills run down our backs. Sweat pours from our brows. Our hearts quiver and quake. We want to run, but we can't. We want to scream, but we know we shouldn't. Then the day comes, there's no turning back. There's nothing left to do. School is out, and we now have 3 months with the kids!  I don't know about you, but summer for me as a kid meant camping, summer camp, sleeping in, summer jobs, and no school work. I loved the summer! And now as a parent, I can honestly say, I still love the summer. But as a parent, the summer brings with it a huge question that we all have to face... "What am I going to do with my kids all summer long?" For years, we have enjoyed the special blessing of being able to have some pretty amazing summers. For starters, Amy has been blessed to be at home, working from inside the home, making it super easy to share time with the kids. I have had a pretty amazing and flexible career in student ministry which has allowed me to set my own hours and plan for activities with the family or working around our family schedule. Together we have been able to create and participate is some wonderful and memorable summer activities. This summer, we hope for the same. But it's not as easy as it used to be. For one, our kids are getting older. A few of them have jobs. Amy is now working part-time outside of the home, and I am still in my first year of our current ministry which makes the summer a learning time instead a of totally fun time. (I'll explain that in an upcoming post on my ministry blog, www.JayHigham.com.) "What am I going to do with my kids all summer long?" Nonetheless, we intend on making the most of the time we have with our kids, after all , they are getting older and it won't be long before the oldest is moving out and moving on. (Insert tear here.) Last year, we posted on the family blog our summer 2015 bucket list. On the list we shared 5 items that we were planning to do with the kids over the course of the summer. We accomplished 4 of the 5. (The Just Ducky Tours was just too expensive for a family our size and summer budget so we decided not to do that one.) As we step into the summer months, we are looking again at what we want to do with our kids. You see, unlike the introduction, we do look forward to the summer. Yes, we know that summer comes with it's unique set of challenges. And more than any other before, we know that this summer will be more challenging as we navigate my full-time job and Amy's part-time job. But we trust God enough to know that it will all work out. So back to our question, "What am I going to do with my kids all summer long?"  Last summer at Kennywood Amusement Park in Pittsburgh with our friend Wanda! (2015) As we think about our summer plans, we thought that this might be a great opportunity to ask other parents what you do with your kids over the summer months? We're looking for specifics here; museums, camps, community events, great parks, amusements, vacation destinations, or zoos. From free to $$$$, local or at a distance. Larger family related activities and reunions or something that you do with just you kids. What are you planning for the summer! Our goal for this website is to offer families encouragement and resources. Ideas, tips, and fun things to help families grow stronger. As we seek to do that, we need to hear from you! Would you take a few minutes and share your top 5 to top 10 things that you are planning to do with your kids this summer. We love to create a list of summer fun for families that we could share with all of our readers! Comment below or send us an email and we will post your list for you. Later this week we will share our summer 2016 family bucket list, along with some of your ideas and suggests. Then next week, and throughout the summer, we will continue to share ideas of great activities you can do with your family. Some of these ideas might even show up on our family vlog, Life in the Higham House! Come on, let's not fear the summer months... Let's embrace them for what the could be, fantastic memories for years to come! - the higham family
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Thanks for taking the time to read The Higham Family Blog. Each week we try to share new content about something we are learning, something we love, or something to offer encouragement to the family. We love to hear from our readers, so please share your thought in the comment section of each post.
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