I will admit it... I have been so desperate for my kids to get outside I have actually locked the door behind them. While I would love to say that I kept that door locked until the street lights came on (a tribute to the summers of my youth); the lock was only engaged until they stopped trying to come back in. less than fifteen minutes later I hear squeals of laughter and new games created on a long forgotten swing set.

The rains and heat have driven us inside and sometimes to the brink of sanity. In June, the kids nearly keeled over with boredom. Good for them I thought, let them get real bored and then they will figure out how to play again, how to be unstructured and entertain themselves. After all, could it take more than a couple of days? By day five I was climbing the walls.

Scratch the open-ended days, I was back to my Calendar of things to do every summer. I worked when Marielle, 9, was little, but after Christian, 7, was born, I started compiling a summer calendar, designed primarily for my friends and I to gather with the kids. The Calendar evolved and now it has events and activities for my kids and handed them out to several friends, inviting them along with us. It is a simple plan, have one big activity a week such as going to a pick your own farm, doing a tour of a local manufacturing facility, or a museum - and a couple of other small things such as lunch at Central Market or seeing a dollar movie. There is always time for boredom, too, on the calendar.

We have been on tours of the Money Factory (www.moneyfactory.com) in Fort Worth, Mrs. Baird's Bread, Vetro Glass Blowing (www.vetroartglass.com) in Grapevine and others. We have explored parks like Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano and Old City Park in downtown Dallas. This city offers amazing entertainment... it just takes a few minutes to explore. The Tubes at Irving Bible Church are open to anyone. Its oversized playland (like a McDonald's) is great, since there are couches and sitting area right outside for us moms to drink our coffee from their café. It is open to anyone.

Make up you own calendar, put it on the fridge so the kids know when something is coming up. Plan for a day to be gone all day, exploring the Stockyards in Fort Worth, or pick your own farms up by Gainesville. Or even just the neighborhood swim parks. You could put one day down to explore a certain area of town. My friend Hilary is an expert at finding the hidden trails of the city. They just pull over to the side of the road when they see an opening.

The best part of where we live is the diversity. There are so many things to do and keep everyone occupied. And all of us have some thing to offer in the age old dilemma of 'what can I do now'. It is just sometimes we run our well dry and can't think of any thing WOW. The best part is, there is someone else out there that thinks your ideas are amazing and her old bag of tricks is new to you. Share with me your ideas for keeping your kids occupied this summer. Let us know what you fill your days with and your secret boredom busters. What is on your Calendar?