every year i ask myself this question and every year for some reason the answer is always, yes!  how is it possible that an entire year has passed.  that our kids are finished another school year and we are , yes, another year older.  how does this happen and so quickly?  june is that bitter sweet time of year.  that time of year where there is tons of hustle and bustle to finish up the school year, say goodbye to friends and teachers for the summer and again, yes, gear up to have your kids home all summer!!  being a former teacher and now a parent i can say with certainty that summer break is a teachers' dream and a parents' nightmare.  well, maybe not a nightmare entirely, but i love that analogy!  it's that time of year where you don't know how you will survive the summer with kids home everyday.  but, like every year, the summer will fly by and before long, if you're anything like me, you will be slightly saddened that they are heading back to school.  it's a cycle that just goes on and on each and every year!  so here we are....my boys just finished school today and so the summer activities begin.  no more rushing out of the house.  no more morning schedules and best of all jammy days are officially okay!  there are some major perks to summer break, but the key to making summer break for you and your kids a good one is to maintain a balance of being busy and relaxing.  i like to schedule my kids for a few weeks of camp and a bit of family vacation, and a bit of lounging at home, zoo trips, running in sprinklers, play dates, walks and more!  having the time to just be.  to be together.  to chat.  to laugh.  to be!  not often in our busy lives to we get the opportunity to simply be.  as much as we worry about or maybe even dread how we are going to fill our summer days with our little ones, it is important to remember to be thankful to just be!  we are all so lucky to have our families and our kids are such a blessing!   my goal this summer is to be thankful for the time we have together and make the most of it as before i know it, it will be june again.  another year passed.  ourselves and our kids another year older.  in a blink of an eye our kids will be all grown up and i'm positive we will all wonder where did the time go?  i hope all you and your families have a safe, healthy, happy and amazing summer!!!  click here to subscribe to mommy secrets and get all the latest posts direct to your email!!  thanks for reading!