Olly Olly Oxen Free

Too many kids, the neighbor’s dogs …and the first sticky patch of floor presented itself today. With a goal to break from work mid-afternoon through dinner to embrace the roll of active parent I rolled my eyes wondering if school had let out early for summer this year. The warm weather kept my girls and their friends outdoors, and I thought their moment of “independent play” would actually allow me to sneak in a few emails. “Mom, will you count?” my five year old hollered out. Hmmm, I thought. “Sure, I’ll count to 100.” There back to the email.

“Mom, did you count?” I looked over trying to hide my guilt. “65, 66 …” she dashed away squealing “Everybody hide!” Finishing the email, I closed my laptop and recommitted to my goal of “turning off” so I could tune in to my girls until their bedtime.

Looking from bush-to-bush, behind the trees, and around the house I hollered out everyone’s names and delighted in the giggles coming from kids I pretended not to see. Before I knew it, dinner was upon us and I was thankful my mother had taught me that meatballs are always better the second day. With the bowl of strawberries and blueberries Callie had picked from the front yard, I turned to the table and welcomed the sound of extra feet scrambling to the table with an enthusiastic “yes! I love your mom’s meatballs.” Cones, cups, and a little bit of whip cream solidified my standing as coolest mom for the day.

With the sun setting and the air cooling quickly I know summer is still a few weeks away but this little wink of what the school break will bring made me smile that a few longer nights at the desk are worth time spent hollering out, “olly, olly, oxen, free.”