Hinky during the summer? a question for sahms.

What on earth does "hinky" mean?

haha..i thought it said, 'hicky'. lol.

I've never heard of hinky before. I'll add that to my list. Can I now claim ADHD as Attention Deficit Hinky Disorder??

Never heardhinky. Yes.

I find that this is a time to see issues (exposed by the lack of schedule/distraction or being ultra-occupied/driven, and the sense of discomfort that arises.) Rather than filling the time or void with tasks or activities or other distractions (even if only personal, not involving the kids/family), my answer would be bringing mindful presence to those moments.
For me, mindfulness brings me into contact with the parts of my experiencing (what is actually going on in me) that are outside of consciousness. In this sense, your regular school-year busyness is a defense that keeps certain aspects of your experiencing outside of conscious awareness. (That's what our defenses do!)
It's really a matter of just noticing, observing, the discomfort that arises when there's not something to "do." Noticing if there is any driven-ness or compulsive activity (getting online, eating) in an attempt avoid an uncomfortable feeling. And engaging.

And yeah, I've heard "hinky"! (but had never specifically defined it. Mostly thought of it as meaning "off." Or maybe off-kilter, at loose ends, feeling off in a not-so-great way. But mild.)

Anyway, I find these are times for (potential) growth.

It can be hard, though. The engaging, part. We generally have a lot of aversion to anything that feels threatening, even if avoidance (either through generating lots of distraction or "busy-ness," or through other coping behaviors) can ultimately hurt more than engaging our feelings & our experience in the moment.

I keep a flexible schedule even in the summer. I think downtime is okay, but I don't think kids should be sitting around doing very little/nothing. I try to plan at least one outing/day in the morning to try and tire the kids out some, then they have the afternoon to do their own thing while I get my stuff done.