So that the school holidays don't become one endless long lie-in...

[Joshpoodlehamster]

what 'structure' do you suggest? I have managed to enrol one for a 'Gym Zone' that takes youngsters 14 -16 in the afternoon but other ideas welcome.

Well, DD1 (just finished GCSEs) is currently our housekeeper. She is paid a certain amount each week and for that is expected to keep all the 'public' rooms clean & tidy, laundry & ironing every day.

She also has some bridging study guides to work through for preparation for A level.

Not sure yet for DS(14) though I know that DH wants to get his bedroom changed round. I suspect that DS will be roped in to work as chippy's mate for that.

I was thinking on the way into work this morning that DD2 could do an hour a day's music practice. She tends to be a bit feast and famine normally.

Another thought which springs to mind is getting each of the DCs to plan and cook a family meal each week.

DD 14 is volunteering at a special need club for 2 or 3 weeks, then we are going away at the end of august.

DS 16 is going away next week for a week, also has a job at sport centre so hoping he can pick up a few shifts

What's so wrong with days and days of lie-ins.....

I've saved up my leave so will be off for 3 weeks of the summer hols, and so far my only plan is to switch off all alarm clocks :)

I am leaving mine to it...

As I will be off the whole holidays too!

I don't arrange anything for my dd(15). If she wants to lie in bed all morning that is up to her!

Must admit we tend to leave our two to it, though we do insist on at least one family outing a week to a restaurant, cinema or something - and if they want spending money to do things with their friends, they have a few jobs around the house to do.

our gym has supervised sessions 2 mornings a week at 10 am. that will do.

I don't really have a horror of endless lie-ins, more a jealousy I think
tbh, once you take out the time they are on various camps, and the time we are looking after small relative, and the time we are away and the time we are at a wedding,k and the day of collecting the GCSE results, and the odd day where we have to go and get new school shoes, etc at the end of holiday, there's not that many lie ins anyway.

Ds just git home from work , and took a shift for tomorrow at 6am. I think he will need a nap tomorrow afternoon.

DD1 plays her guitar all day and teaches herself songs off the internet. At night she roams around the house playing them to anyone who will sit still for long enough. This is fine except some of the lyrics are only suitable for the fairly broad of mind.

NO NO NO! Enjoy the lie-ins and the time to relax with your children. Mine have now grown up and I no longer have a term time contract and really resent having to work all year round and losing that wonderful time.

Make the time to enjoy it!

Let them have their lie-ins, teenagers need their sleep.
And I have horrible memories of my dad waking me up in the holidays, just because he thought I ought to be up. Why?

I am with the lie inners..although I currently hate my family so should wake them up now just because..

Bit of a mix here. DD(17) has been decorating her bedroom so I have pointed out that I have a lot on at the moment and if she wants my help ( which she does) then she has to get up and get on with it, so usually working on that by 10.00 ish.

Both have a few jobs to do- DD is being paid to do the ironing ( turns out she is way better at it than me) and DS (14) does all the recycling ( we live rurally and no recycling collection so he has to sort it all out, bag it, put it in car and then go with me to recycle point) and keeps the cars tidy.

Oh and dog walking every day. Other days when its been tipping with rain, not much else on, I let them sleep in. Both usually up by 11.00 though so not too bad.

Excluding weekends (& she is working some of those) DD only has 9 days off all summer

I'll let her lie in a bit

The problem with lie ins is that they tend to get longer and longer as the holiday progresses and bedtime ends up moving to ridiculous hours of the morning. DD2 can become completely nocturnal in about 3 days.

It also means that any sort of impromptu outing is completely impossible because someone will still be their pyjamas and need a shower even if it 3 o'clock in the afternoon and anything that involves getting up at a vaguely normal time becomes incredibly stressful and half the time not even worth the hassle. DD1 and I have been invited out for lunch today - you'd think it was a 6am due to the fuss about alarm clocks and wake up calls.

To save my sanity we have a midday rule and anyone who is still in bed after that will have the sound of the hoover outside their bedroom door.

Send them to Torquay with a case of vodka.

Or do I mean Newquay? Or Rock?

webwiz same here.

Let DD lie in til 10am and she won't got bed that night til 10pm. And onwards...

I let it happen after a sleep over or aparty etc, but ohter than that I don't let it become a pattern. This morning I roused the troops and sent them out to walk the dog while I wait in for a package delivery.

If they want to play tennis, swim, go to the ice rink etc, I make it clear that lifts will be available before lunch.

And they also book themselves on courses...so that means getting up.

Maybe I've gone too far the other way but nearly every day of our summer is booked up.

Swimming lessons first week, which means they get up early but have rest of the day to mill around with friends or go to cinema.
Olympic cycling - free to watch.
Second week up North visiting rellies.
Olympic games tickets booked.
3rd week - a couple of day-long workshops they begged to do in their favourite subjects. Plus a mega water-fight capture the flag game with about 320 mall boys on a nearby hill. Free days to see friends, go into London, watch whatever cr*p the Odeon is foisting on us this summer, etc.
4th week in Scotland visiting rellies for some high octane Glaswegian all day and all night festival where kids go feral with laser light guns and live on neat sugar for three days.
5th week - multi-sport camp so I can get some work done.
6th week on holiday in Europe.
Back to school.

I'm shattered just looking at the diary!

Sounds like yours are older than mine Wordfactory, so they can probably sort themselves out. But if not, you could try bunging them a project such as: whatever you earn this summer, I'll match it.

That's 20 small boys not 320 mall boys. I think I'd play dead if 320 mall rats came stomping up the hill.

eacing you sound busy .

Mine are 13, so maybe a little older?

Also they get 8 weeks off, DD almost 9. She's already been off more than a week!!!! Fortunately she went straight off onto a language course that she sorted out at Easter .