Ahhhh. Summer....

With Independence Day just around the corner, the shock of the speed of summer hits me once again.

Really? Are we really this far into the season? But, I've only just begun to get used to the green leaves on the trees! I am finally not surprised to see green grass instead of brown!

The seasons in Illinois are fast and furious. You have to pay attention or you just might miss the beauty of each moment. Before we know it, the air will be cooler (even though it IS cool right now! Weird, freaky global climate change!) and these heady, infinite days of summer will become a packaged memory: "The Summer of 2009". We'll remember the events in a cut and dried time frame, something I believe can't be completely comprehended by folks who live in 1-2 season climates.

In Illinois? You swim when it's hot. Because tomorrow, who knows what the weather will be?

In illinois? You chase those lightning bugs on the perfect summer nights. You grab the sparklers and cameras and document all of this sun-kissed perfection. You'll be pulling the pictures out again in the dark hours of February and March, when it feels as though winter will never break.

It's hard to not look forward to BlogHer, field trips and weddings that are peppered on my calendar for the rest of the summer. But I try!  For though those events are exciting, nothing thrills me more than these lazy, LAZY unplanned days. These days of Absolutely Nothing Planned. No camp, no school, no vacations, no PLANS. Just kicking the kids out the front door and only seeing them when a roller skate needs tightening or a lunch is waaaaay past due. Just living and being and breathing the freedom that comes with summertime...

An original Chicago Moms Blog Post

Tracey writes at Just Another Mommy Blog and contributes to Root & Sprout