Or I'd head to the school playground on my roller skates or bike to survey the field for great hiding spots. Days stretched out into dusk, with maybe one return trip home during the day to refuel. Well, that's how I remember it at least. My mum could probably tell another story. You see, I don't remember being bored all that much, or wasting my summer days inside in front of the TV (though I probably did).

So this summer, as I was preparing myself for 81 days of me and my much-more independent kids (who just learned to ride two-wheelers this spring) ... I realized that I didn't want them to just lounge around. I didn't want to hear 10 times a day: "There's nothing to do ..."

And, truth be told, I didn't want to have to play Chutes & Ladders or Polly Pockets until I was blue in the face either. What I wanted was this - some order, some structure, imaginations flourishing, bodies being moved, schedules looser than the demands of the school year, minds being stretched, a brother-sister bond being developed, and a little peace. Was I nuts? Was I hoping for the impossible? I don't think so.

I started by simply acknowledging that I wasn't going to let a few things happen. I would have them play outside every day, even if for a little while. I would not tolerate "I'm bored", by simply pointing out all the things they could choose from to do inside and out (including a chore or two if they got desperate).

I would be proactive with not letting their brains soften before school starts up again, which I chose to do by buying them a basketful of books from the kids' secondhand store, with an incentive of earning a star for every 10 minutes of reading (and prizes at the end of the month based on their number of stars).

And you know what? It's going OK so far. Really. They've played outside pretty much each day. They've played together - and are learning to work together really well - as our neighbourhood is pretty kid-free. I've seen both of them move from one activity to another instead of coming to me for ideas. They've earned some cool prizes. And I've only had to play Chutes & Ladders and Polly Pockets once ... not bad.

Happy Summer, mums and kids!

• Elisabeth K Corcoran is the author of In Search of Calm: Renewal for a Mother's Heart (2005) and Calm in My Chaos: Encouragement for a Mom's Weary Soul. She is wife to Kevin, and mum to Sara, 8, and Jack, 7. Her passion is encouraging women and she fulfils that through heading up the Women's Ministries on staff at Blackberry Creek Community Church in Aurora, Illinois and writing and speaking as much as she can. Both books are available at www.amazon.com and you can visit her website at www.elisabethcorcoran.com