This is a very different summer for us this year. Katrina (12) will be going to her first away camp. Last year we tried to get her to go to a lacrosse camp in Milton (MA) that involved a 2-night stay ... should would have NOTHING to do with it. This year, along with 3 of her friends, she is going on a 16-day camping/outdoor adventure to WYOMING - what a difference a year makes! It was a very difficult decision for her to make, and an even more difficult one for us to accept. But as a wise friend said to me: This is about her, not you. And so it is. We'll join her at the end and stay another 10 days to explore the area, which I've been told is stunning. Ava (5 1/2) will do some town camp and Dante (10) .... we're still thinking. He probably has the biggest "summer slide" when it comes to academics so we're trying to combine some schooling with lots of fun and high energy sports.

Land's Sake in Weston offers two great summer education programs on the farm for students 10 through 15. If you have a kid interested in being out in the garden growing food, playing with bugs or picking flowers, you should check out this local opportunity. Here is the link, www.landssake.org/education/summer-programs

We have a busy summer planned here! Every year we head up to Mount Desert Island in Maine, where my family has been spending summers since I was a little girl. It's about a 6 hour drive, but so worth it. MDI is home to Acadia National Park, and full of great hiking mountains, cute towns and gorgeous coastline. We will spend just over 4 weeks up there this summer and the kids will take sailing and tennis lessons every day, and my husband and I will attempt a few more mountain tops (and all of us will eat lots of Lobster and Popovers). When we are home, my two youngest are going to go to Rivers Day Camp for two weeks while my oldest visits with her father in CT. We also will probably do a day trip to Glouster and have our annual weekend planned on the Cape with a group of good friends. And of course, there will be several trips to the Weston Town Pool to hang out with friends. Now, with all of these busy plans, we are praying for a gorgeous, hot (but not too hot) summer! I can't wait!

Summer is still a bit up in the air for us though we know we are going to Montana to celebrate my Mom's 75th birthday. This should be incredible, and the kids are especially excited because they will be spending time with their cousins who live in Delaware. The rest of the summer will likely bring summer camp and weekend getaways to the Cape and Islands. June 21 can't come soon enough.....