Today was the last day of school for my daughter Emily. Seventh grade is now in the rear view mirror.

 I remember as a kid what a great feeling it was to know that I would not be dealing with an alarm clock, homework and cold, wet walks to school for months.

 No school however, means there are lots of empty hours to fill in the day and hopefully they are filled doing things that are fun yet still healthy and educational.

 Emily is thirteen now so she's too old for daycare and too young to crank up the convertible and drive herself to the beach.

 We plan on spending many afternoons at the community pool and she is also participating in a theater production that will keep her busy but there is still lots of spare time. I am hoping not too much of it gets spent in front of the TV or a Computer screen.

 Do you have kids? What are your summer plans? What do you think is the right amount of free time and how much should be spent being somewhat productive? What do you remember from your summer vacations when you were a kid? If you have some great ideas for kids summer activities or have memories of summers gone by I would love to hear about them.

 Also, check out Emily's summertime haircut. She has not had her hair this short since she was a baby and I think it looks GREAT ! Here is a before shot from Fathers Day at the Storm game and an after shot from the dinner table last night.

    Cheers and Happy Summer ! Joe