Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, everything is booked. But I work ft, so this is an issue of childcare. All camps and vacations are booked.

Op here. One of DS’s friends was asking about putting our kids together in camp. A week passed and she already booked the entire summer.

Yes, of course! The good camps fill up. Not only that, but when you are also planning vacations with other people, their work and school schedules must be factored in.

OP here. I have now 5 weeks of summer camp booked where at least 1-3 children are in camp. I put the kids on a wait list one camp. I left 2 weeks for a trip to Europe that I want to book but waiting due to coranavirus. I think I have enough booked for now. I can fill the rest as we go.

That's all fine, no one was saying anything about you. What we were responding to was that you seemed to be surprised that another mom was moving quickly to do what she needed to do for her family. Stuff books up. Work, school, vacation, and family schedules exist. Don't be surprised that other people need to move at a faster pace than you.

Anonymous wrote:I have 3 kids and I’m a SAHM. I haven’t even planned spring break yet. I feel like all the good camps are getting full.

I’m actually usually a good planner but so much is up in the air.

We have friends who have their entire summers booked with camps and trips and beach houses

I’ve got absolutely nothing planned yet.

Both DH and I work full time, so our summer is planned already. All camps booked, all family vacations planned.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, everything is booked. But I work ft, so this is an issue of childcare. All camps and vacations are booked.

Op here. One of DS’s friends was asking about putting our kids together in camp. A week passed and she already booked the entire summer.

Yes, of course! The good camps fill up. Not only that, but when you are also planning vacations with other people, their work and school schedules must be factored in.

OP here. I have now 5 weeks of summer camp booked where at least 1-3 children are in camp. I put the kids on a wait list one camp. I left 2 weeks for a trip to Europe that I want to book but waiting due to coranavirus. I think I have enough booked for now. I can fill the rest as we go.

I have airfare booked for 2 trips but no lodging yet. I also have 2 weeks of camp booked. But that's it. I'm home during the summer and my DC will just have turned 3, so I don't necessarily need to have her scheduled the whole summer

For several years after the 2008 recession, you could find some good camps still open to new enrollments in March. In good economic times, you need to get your registrations done in January. I have a rising college freshman so I haven’t had to worry about camp signups for a while, but I still remember realizing in March of kindergarten that school was going to end for the year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. When you work, you have to have it booked. There’s no winging it.

+1...also, OP is a SAHM, does it even matter if she can't get her snowflakes into camp every week?

+1

Why do you (OP) need camps planned? I’m a SAHM. Me and my little snowflakes (ha) will be at the pool, beach, museums, plus long lazy boring days of sleeping in, house projects, having friends over, bike riding, watching movies, tending to our veggie garden, etc.

Not OP, but a PP and I SAH too. I'm guessing your snowflakes are all past naps or at least on similar sleep schedules? And it sounds like you live in a house with a yard and garden? It doesn't sound like you're thinking about what it might be like to be stuck in an apartment with a busy, tantrum-y, still wakes at 6am 3yo and an infant who needs to nap twice a day and still can't do 8 hours uninterrupted, at night. Freaking sleep regressions!! I'd love to take my kids to a museum, but the little is going through pretty heavy separation anxiety and tends to scream in the stroller or, God forbid, the car seat. Plus, only so long I can carry him (20lbs) and chase his brother through crowds.

Just pointing out that it doesn't take an enormous amount of imagination to picture conditions that differ from your own life. Try it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, everything is booked. But I work ft, so this is an issue of childcare. All camps and vacations are booked.

Op here. One of DS’s friends was asking about putting our kids together in camp. A week passed and she already booked the entire summer.

Yes, of course! The good camps fill up. Not only that, but when you are also planning vacations with other people, their work and school schedules must be factored in.

Yes, as far as camps go, absolutely. I started looking and planning in January, and knew when all the registration openings were.

We've had a vacation planned with my parents since last August, and a vacation planned with my husband's family planned since November or so. With work schedules and school schedules for most people involved, you have to plan ahead.

Spring break was booked in January.

As someone upthread said, "When you work, you have to have it booked. There’s no winging it."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another SAHM. Our summer is booked. Vacation is an annual even with family that happens every year in the same location and gets booked when we're all together for Thanksgiving (or we lose our preferred AirBnB). Camp booked last week, on the day we became eligible to register. Our preferred camp typically fills two hours after they open for reservations.

We missed all these deadlines last year. Summer at home with a bored toddler and new baby was miserable. Not about to make that mistake again.

Op here. I’m a relatively new SAHM. Last year, I had these ideas of a lazy summer where we would go to the pool and just hang out for most of the summer. It was a bit of a disaster with a napping toddler. Older kids would fight when I was putting toddler down to nap. I remember I scrambled for last minute camps to get at least one kid out of the house at a time.

I think I have 4 weeks planned. Only 6 more to go. I’m on the fence of booking a big European vacation. I have one beach weekend booked so far. 2 of my good friends turn 40 this summer. I’m on hold to see what they want to do. I feel like trying to find a week for 5-6 moms to get away without kids in the summer will be difficult.

PP here. Last summer we went from one to two and I radically misjudged how difficult it would be to entertain a toddler with a sleepy newborn. In hindsight, SO obvious. I just didn't think about it. You can't assume an older kid will be content with the nap schedule of a little.

Definitely recommend setting up back-up plans - even if you book camps and cancel later (watch the refund policies) - soon for anything not already covered.