Summer

Every summer my children know it is "life school" time. I do not give my kids hours of chores during the school year because I feel that homework, extra projects, sports, piano, and chores should not take up all of their time. Some time really should be open and free for creativity and play. In the summer I "dump" more chores on them and spend this time teaching new life skills. 
Here is our recipe for a good summer that does not take too long to recover from when school starts back up:

We pull weeds in the garden and flower beds every morning. If we all help for just 15 minutes a day, every day, things stay under control, more or less. 

Next are chores - old ones they are good at now and new ones that I spend the first week or two teaching them how to do correctly. Since Mondays and Thursdays are the days I focus on cleaning, the children's heavier chores also fall on those days. 

Finally, we have some mental work to keep our brains active: math, piano, memorizing, learning a language, reading, and computer skills are all things we have done through the years. 

My main goal in life is to turn my children into fish, so I must take them to the pool as often as possible in the summer. So, while we have things I want them to do (and cleaning up after themselves is definitely some of that), we only spend certain days and times focusing on the "have-tos" and then we play and play. Knowing that there will be something for us to eat at home takes away any guilt at not having fixed a meal all week and allows me to relax the same as the kids during any fun-filled adventure we embark on. 

Having a balance of learning and playing is the perfect way to make summer memorable and happy for mom and the kids.