When our kids were quite a bit younger, that is when four out of five of them (all boys) were still living at home, I gave them a grace period of about a week or two at the beginning of summer, after which those who didn’t have a job outside the home got additional DAILY chores to do. All parents know about the incremental mess explosion that happens when little people who are usually gone for a large chunk of the day at school are now based at home. 15 minutes after they wake up in the morning, everything starts to fall apart.

It would go like this: in early June I would be fuming as I did dishes for the fourth time that day around 11:00 in the morning, when I would suddenly recall: “That Summer Chore List!” Then I would wonder, “Where did I file that?!?” So, I would eventually unearth it or recreate it, get it up on the refrigerator and breathe a sigh of relief as my attempt to keep the chores evenly distributed settled around our household once again, allowing even me some free moments. We could all relax and appreciate the slower pace of summer without it turning me into a screaming meemie.

A few days ago, I was walking into the house after an early a.m. hike with the dog when I flashed on that Summer Chore List. It just hit me that we hadn’t used it for a couple of years. Two of those boys are grown and married, so only two are still in residence in the summer time. All of us work and we’re coming and going at all hours, and everyone seems to pitch in with cleaning and meal prep and shopping and laundry without being asked.

In my present workload, I’ve noticed a number of large projects haven’t moved off square one yet. These are the kinds of things where the client contacted me in February or March, asking to reserve some time in late May or so, when they would be ready to dive into the next phase of a large scale website makeover or something along those lines. As of today I count five of those as still pending. Maybe I should resurrect my Summer Chore List and route it around to my clients, who may themselves be overwhelmed with a houseful of kids or summer guests. Or, maybe they’re just laying low, enjoying the months that were meant for vacationing.