Well, here we are again, on the cusp of the long, long, long summer break. Surely it wasn't a year since the last one – it certainly doesn't seem like it!
We're staying at home again for the duration, as a holiday away with Toby
is just out of the question. So poor old Amy is feeling a bit hard done
by, as all of her friends are chatting about holidays abroad. I've been making plans to keep the children occupied, Toby will be content with a new box of lego (he chews it and then gets cross that it doesn't fit together properly so some new bits will make him a happy boy) and some dry weather so he can play in the garden. It's a little harder trying to keep Amy busy but, like last year I've put together a summer holiday kit with colouring books, a
dvd and a new game for the Wii and some summer holiday vouchers for activities that we can do together.
I've filled out my vouchers with a cinema trip, shopping trip with some spending money, a day at Legoland, strawberry picking & jam making, a camp-out in the garden, lunch at a restaurant, a trip to a London Museum (probably the Science Museum), a picnic at the park, a sweetie making session and a fish & chip supper.
Hopefully the holiday kit will make up a little for not going away and we can have some fun days and make her some happy memories. If you wanted to print out some summer holiday vouchers for your children I've uploaded a pdf file. This year I've designed a blank version so that you can write in your own ideas for treats.
Download Vouchers
I'm feeling rather unprepared for the school break – not helped by the fact the camera broke this morning (which is why I have no pictures to share today). Anyway, I'll pop in here from time to time when I have the chance but it may not be very frequently so for now, here's wishing you and yours a good summer!
little cotton rabbits 
Hi Julie, do you have a voucher for you to have your knit fix every other day????
Enjoy your break with the children. They all grown much too quickly.
Regards
Faye
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Have a lovely summer with your children and enjoy all the precious moments!
I’m sure when Amy starts ‘spending’ her vouchers she’ll realise that she is having just as much fun as her friends!
Don’t forget some ‘me’ time for yourself. 🙂
Vivienne x
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I don’t really remember ever going away on summer vacation as a kid. Being home can be just as much fun, especially when you have a fun mom like you!
I agree with the others, you definitely need to make a certificate for some “me” time.
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We often vacation close to home. I live in the western part of the U.S. and it’s quite a long way to any city. My best memories are of spending time camping and visiting places in my own backyard. What’s important is that your children know that you love them. That’s what they will remember…time together as a family, not necessarily the places you went.
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When I look back on the long hot summers of the seventies the things that I recall are when we played at home – obstacle courses in the gardens, picnic lunches at the park, building a dam in the stream, paddling in the river…it sounds as though you are all going to have a lovely holiday! I hope you all enjoy it.
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I.m sure it’s only about 3 months since last years summer hols!
Sounds like you are going to be having fun this summer.xx
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I’m sure Amy will enjoy using her vouchers far more than her friends will enjoy being stuck on a hot aeroplane and fighting for a seat by the pool!
We’re doing something similar – I’m making (well that’s a the theory) a list of possible activities and putting them in a jar to be pulled out on days when we get the inevitable cries of “I’m bored!”
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Have a great summer Julie. We never went away when I was a child, and for different reasons we never took our daughter away either. I loved being at home and pottering about doing the sorts of things you mention and daughter enjoyed going to friends, doing the odd day course at the sports centre and just chiling out. I’m sure you’ll have a great time.
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Hi Julie,
What a great mom you are! Your kids will have a fantastic summer break. I just love your idea of the vouchers for Amy. Being together and having fun is what is truly important.
Enjoy every minute.
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Hiya Julie. I am sure that the summer will be just fine. It is hard to entertain the children specially when one is an ausist..
Lucky for me I live by the beach and a bigger bonus is my boy (who is autistic)loves the beach, so most of the summer is spent down there. Charlie also doesn’t mind going away (though we did have to start preparing him since last summer lol)
Good Luck with the holidays, the vouchers are certainly a fabulous idea for Amy I am sure she will love them dearly.. xx
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I could do with some of Amy’s vouchers – sounds like you have some fun things planned. And spending time together is the best thing about the holidays anyway.
New Lego always guarantees a bit of peace round these parts too.
Enjoy summer, Julie.
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What a lovely idea.
We never went on holiday when I was young but then nobody else did either. You can have a lot of great times together especially if the weather’s good. Our local country park has masses of activities apart from the lake, the wildlife and the fun park. The beach is my favourite though. Used to spend most of our time there when I was little. Bliss!
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I’m sure Amy will enjoy all you have lined up for her , our 2 never got to go abroad when they were young but they talk very fondly now of the fun we had and the things we did. They weren’t very dis-similar to what you have in mind
Enjoy the summer and I hope the weather is kind
Jackie x
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This is the kind of thing we do too Julie but without the funky Mama plc vouchers. Again, similar to Dottycookie we have a jar of things although even after all these years ours is still a conceptual jar in the head of the Mama del’Casa.
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Hope you have a good summer break. Amy will love her vouchers I’m sure. Mum and dad need vouchers too! x
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My dear Rachel has a young son – second to youngest – who has AHC, a rare disorder that affects (effects?- ah to understand) brain function – he’s on the autistic scale. There are six other children who have never been able to go to Disneyland – and whose activities have been determined largely by this situation. And yet the children have grown up so well. They get lost in imagination, have adventures, climb trees, play with friends – and learn huge lessons in service and responsibility through it all. Life hands out hard things. But I’m not sure that Amy, stuck at home with such a mum as you, will not, in the end, have had a richer and more beautiful childhood than I did, for all our vacations. Life – so quick, so short – has its quiet riches. And those are the ones that make us – the love, the talk, the trees, the stories. She will remember being girls together with you. Forever.
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What a fun idea. I’m sure Amy will treasure any time she has with you — and they’ll make great memories. Have a wonderful summer break!
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That is such a wonderful idea – I’m sure Amy will have a lovely summer.
You too, and Toby, of course.
Lattes all round come September?
T x
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Dear Julie, Have you thought of an independant holiday for Amy? Kathryn has been to Sara’s for 7 year now! its WONDERFUL no experience necessary, just a thought, when you have a special needs child you have to think differently ( I know!) love Nina ( http://www.horseholiday.co.uk/ )
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What a kind and thoughtful mummy! We have NINE long weeks to fill here (we’re already on week 4) and luckily have access to the local outdoor pool a few minute’s walk away which the children never seem to tire of. Otherwise, I’d be printing off lots of these!
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I think Amy will have just as many if not more happy memories of her holidays as her friends. It sounds as though you have some lovely time planned. Holidays were always very stressful with Jake so I understand why it is easier to stay at home. Have a lovely time!
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I used your voucher idea last year with my two children for the summer holidays. I work from home and have 4 weeks of juggling children home fulltime and a job, so rather than just a voucher, our ones are ‘chores in exchange for a treat’. They really enjoyed it last year and asked me last week if we’d do them again this year. My eldest (11) sat down on Sunday night and we came up with chores and treat and matched them up, and she designed the vouchers and cut them out. The funny thing is that some of the ‘chores’ are not chores in their eyes at all. One of them was that I make a shopping list and we go to the supermarket and they do my shopping, while I stay in the cafe and knit (so it’s a treat for me too…). The treat will be that we stay there for breakfast, something they’ve wanted to do for a while. But my eldest jumped up and down at the chance to do the shopping without me being there!
Hope you have a good break Julie, with lots of nice weather so you can all go outside.
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Hi Julie,
You are a good Mum, and so inventive. I bet Amy has a brilliant time with all the activities. I hope the weather is kind to you.
I will miss your blogs and hope you can pop in from time to time.
Love from Carole in Rossendale xxxx
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Have a lovely summer. Sounds like you have lots of fun activities planned.
As a mum of two kids on the autistic spectrum I have been thinking long and hard about what to do for the duration of the holidays. Like you we aren’t going away on holiday so thanks for the ideas. My 6 year old is desperate for the fruit picking so following it up with jam making will be perfect.
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The vouchers sound so super. You’ve included all the things that make up a perfect summer!
K x
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what a great voucher idea! … it sounds like a perfect summer 🙂
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Love your use of vouchers – I remember it from last year and I think it’s a really brilliant idea! Hope you have a lovely summer x
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Julie I remember last years vouchers and it seems like only yesterday!! Amy and Toby will have another wonderful summer with you if last year was anything to go by 🙂
Have a great Stress Free Summer 🙂 xx
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I know what you mean. Sometimes I feel bad that my girl has to ‘deal with’ or ‘miss out on’ some things because of her brother. But I don’t think she notices most of the time, and I have to remember that the ‘little things’ we do count. Little things like going out for an ice cream after dance, letting her stay up and watch a movie with us, etc.
Have a great summer break!
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You constantly humble me with your amazing parenting. I know your daughter will look back as an adult and see what a brilliant job you did and how blessed she was to have you.
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Have a wonderful break. This year’s vouchers look great and I’m sure will more than make up for not going away. I’m looking forward to just being at home as well.
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Your vouchers are a lovely idea! We don’t often get to go on holiday (finance-wise) so when the children were younger we used to fly on a magic carpet out to the garden where we could camp in any country we liked! I always had more elaborate plans that never actually came to fruition – like using exotic holiday brochures and learning about the different countries – but we did manage to “fly to France” and ate French food and I spoke franglais to the children which stressed them out as they had no idea what I was saying! ;o)
This year’s over-ambitious plan is that we are going to do a huge History of Britain project with a different period of history each week – we pland to do maps, posters, time-lines, food, costumes, site visits etc!
I hope we actually manage to achieve something good and it’s not just one of my mad plans!
Crumbs this was a long comment – sorry about that! I really should be getting everyone ready for school and work instead!
Lucy xxx
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Yes I know the feeling, its the first day done here and we have had a great day, but I am feeling very unprepared, think I might be downloading the vouchers, what a great thing to do:)
Just wanted to say thank you for welcoming me back to blogland, it means a lot to me, my how life is different for us now… thanks again.
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Wow, your post brought a tear to my eye. You are such a great mom. I am sure Amy relly appreaciates everything you do for her.
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hope you all have a really great summer , I think your vouchers are a great idea …
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Hi there. I just discovered your blog today, and I love it. Thanks for being so inspirational!
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Thanks for the grrrrreat voucher idea! I will definitely use it once the kiddies are a bit older and can actually read :))
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