Taking Time to Smell the Cookies

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 I never thought that homeschool parents would suffer from "my kids are home from school all summer and I don't know what to do" syndrome, but it has arrived at our house.  Boredom has set in and hours of unfettered play turn into aimless wandering about the house and the occasional childish squabble.  In the meantime, I am working through my to do list, trying to make the most of my free mornings before we start school again, wondering why the kids can't just go play. 
  My husband remarked the other day that it must be nice to have a chance to relax my schedule a little now that school was over.  I laughed - I had been busy considering whether I could sort out my closet and still have time to clean the basement (no).  I have taken my school time and jammed it full of housework and other tasks, leaving the kids free to play or be bored.
  But I'm beginning to think he might have a point.  Maybe I haven't managed our free time too well (and yes, I do realize that managing free time is an oxymoron...).
  I can see that the structure of school each morning has kept boredom at bay for the kids.  By the time we finish school, they still have plenty of time to play, but not enough to exhaust their own creativity.  I can see too that turning my attention to other tasks, however necessary they might be has contributed to this.  I expect the kids to play on their own while I work without providing a good outlet for their energy.  But I still have things that need to get done, so what to do?
    Thinking over my little dilemma - how to provide enriching activities this summer and still get something done - I remembered a suggestion I had come across a few years ago.  The mom mentioned that she often read to her children for half an hour or so right after breakfast, and then they were content to play on their own for a good portion of the morning.
  While I have used this idea with my younger child during the school day - it really does work - applying the same principle to our summer days was a bit of a novelty.  Instead of starting my day focused on all that I want to accomplish it would be better to take time to do something creative with them before I get down to my own work. 
  And for the couple of days that I have tried it, things have gone well.  By the time we have finished whatever little project I pick for the day, the kids have used up enough creative energy to be content playing on their own for a couple of hours.  I still field questions and find the occasional LEGO piece for my four year old, but he is pretty content when I tell him that he has had his time and now I need to do a little work. 
  And I'm a lot happier too.  I enjoy taking advantage of the time I have set aside just to spend with them - letting the household cares wait for a few minutes, knowing that I can get back to them at a better time.  Plus, care of this morning's activity, we have fresh cookies!

What about you?  How are you managing summer boredom?