Your Kids Are Ready For Summer . . . But Are YOU?

No more pencils

No more books

No more teacher's dirty looks!

School's out for summer!

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Congrats to all our kids for making it through yet another year of school. It's finally time to leave all the studying behind!

And congrats to all the mamas and daddys who helped with homework, were full-time taxis and counseled their kids though the land-mines of studying, heart-break, social media, after school activities and hard work. 

I have a son graduating from preschool and a daughter graduating from high school with two girls between them, so things are crazy for us over here this week. I thought it would be fun to give you a few fun suggestions for how to make their last days of school meaningful.

BEFORE THEY LEAVE FOR THEIR LAST DAY . . . 

I found these fun printables over at Inkhappi.com where you can create your own photo prop signs to be in pictures with your kids. They end up looking like this:

So cute, right? 

HOW TO SNAP YOUR LAST DAY OF SCHOOL 

PICS LIKE A PRO! 

1) "My Teacher Rocks" shot- This is more for the younger kids, but make sure to get a picture of them with their teacher. My mother was great at this one. I think I have a picture of me with all my elementary teachers and *embarrassingly* some of my junior high and high school teachers. Try to get this one at the beginning of the day to save yourself the crowds after school's out.

2) "BFF" shot- Be sure to snap a few pics of you kid with their friends. These are the ones you kids will want later in life. Even your teenage can't resist pics with their buddies on the last day of school, so take advantage!

3) "You're Outta Here" shot- Capture that look of celebration on their face as they realize they are DONE and SUMMER IS HERE! Have them throw their backpacks or jump of the school stairs or throw their hats in the air. Just something celebrate-y. Everyone loves that feeling of knowing they don't have to go back to school the next day.

HAVE A SCHOOL'S OUT CELEBRATION DINNER!

In years past we've done fun themed dinners at our house but this year since my oldest is graduating from high school, she's requested dinner out at her favorite sushi restaurant. I found this really fun post about a 6th grade themed graduation dinner that would be fun to duplicate.

 You can check out all the details here.

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HAVE YOUR SUMMER BUCKET LIST READY!

Once graduation is over and summer hits, it seems like my kids go from loving their new found freedom to bored out of their minds in about seven seconds. Here's a printable you can have at the ready to help combat this very common problem. ;)

It's also really fun to sit down with your kids and encourage them to come up with ideas of their own to put on your Family Summer Bucket List. I like to keep ours on the fridge and then when we check one off, we put the date by it. It's kind of a fun way to make sure we're cramming all the fun we can into our summer. 

Here's a more teenager-y version:

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Also, in case you missed it, here's our Books for Summer for the WHOLE FAMILY!

Hopefully this gets you excited to celebrate your kiddos as they finish up a grade or graduate! There's nothing better than knowing summer is just around the corner!

Your Writerly Ranter,