As summer approaches and plans start to settle, I find myself trying to prepare for the most obvious of inevitabilities.  The earthquake box is stocked and the shorts and flip flops are ready and waiting however so my attention is turned to camp and summer travel. 

A friend recently called me with the fantastic idea to create our own camp. (Thank you Friend!)  Her general idea is that one to two days a week, we plan activities and crafts at our home and take the children of the other families participating.  This way all the moms get a break at least once to twice a week and the kids interact and play with friends.  It is pure brilliance and reminds me of how I grew up, in the land before playdates, where summer was planned entirely by knocking on neighbors' doors to see who was home. No fuss, no hassle, no camp fees - just fun with friends.  (This is also something several of our GOGOs would LOVE to help with!) Home camp is really what summer should be.  

And then I turn to travel plans.  We are a multi-national family with close relatives abroad who we like to visit every few years.  While this is an extraordinary opportunity for all of us, the thought of entertaining a 5 year old and 2 year old without the close proximity of all their "stuff" or "favorite" foods has literally awoken me in the middle of the night, sweating.  And having lugged books and foods through more airports than I care to remember, I turned to my husband and announced that Operation No Crying had begun.  My eldest and I hit Michael's the next day where we selected 5 art projects of her choosing that were US Customs friendly (and potentially good leave behind gifts for overseas family!) as well as 3 coloring books.  Next we hit Whole Foods and picked up the never fail always winning snacks and quick meals (all non-perishable of course!) to add to the box.  A quick add of 2 extra sippy cups, 5 books carefully selected for oversees relatives to read/enjoy, some toddler cutlery and off to my friendly USPS station I went. 

I like this idea for trips to family anywhere.  Its simple and allows you to ensure you never hear "I'm bored" or "I'm hungry but won't eat that."  Its a simple box to mail domestically - and it should prevent airline luggage overages and backaches as well!  I am actually very excited to pack for our trip, knowing that a huge portion of our needs are already en route.  

I have a memory from my college years of the arrival of Spring.  Everything in the world changed on the day that Spring really arrived. The day the sun was out for what felt like the first time in months, most of my friends had on flip flops and everyone's mood generally improved. It was always my favorite day to sit in our student union and on the lawn and just watch for hours. 

Today feels like that day. 

And so, I got to thinking about GOGO's role in Spring.  How do we fit in?  Well, let's see:  

• We can help get Susie to socceer while Jody goes to Ballet and Jimmy has baseball practice.  
• We can help sort through all of last year's clothes (or an elder siblings clothes) to see what has holes, stains and what can be worn again this summer.  
• We can help clean out the cupboards, garage and help sort the contents.  
• We can visit every camp in the area, collect all the info and turn in forms after a decision has been made. 
• We can come over everyday of Spring Break with a project and a smile and help you ease yourself into summer. 
• We can help you plan and staff your first big Spring Bash. 
• We can make sure your house is safe and sound while you hit the beach. 
• We can do the things you have put off all winter that have grown too big to even consider doing now - for me, personally, this would be my photo albums.  I have a years worth to put in the albums and have not yet printed another 6 months worth.  Mon dieux... 

So let us help you in any way we can.  We'll help out "virtually" as well with cool games and projects for children of many ages as well as ideas to help us grown ups get ourselves out of the duldrums and sitting on the student union lawn, watching the hackeysack players waste the day away.  

And away we go...