Summer 2007 Update

In May, I shared the goals we wanted to accomplish as a family this summer. To help us meet those, I decided to do regular "checks" to see where we are. Below is a list of goals and where we are on meeting them.

1. Read books together. We are currently reading Traitor in the Tower together. Two of the three children can hardly bear to wait for the next chapter to see if Richard's father will be released from prison and what John Bunyan will share with Richard.

2. Work on math skills. We have been very successful in doing this with our older son, but I have been less successful at including the younger kids in working on this.

3. Physical Exercise. The kids are doing great in this area. Mom and Dad are not doing so well. :(

4. Household Chores/Projects. We are doing okay in this area. We have cleaned out some things, but have a long way to go in decluttering and deep cleaning. Still, I think it would be unreasonable to expect much more than what we have accomplished at this point, given our schedules and the fact that it is summer, after all!

5. Cooking. I am doing terrible in involving the children in this area. My oldest has helped once or twice, but the youngest two are often napping when I prepare dinner. I have decided to table (pardon the pun) any real effort in this area until July, when our schedule slows way down from the busy rush of sports camps and VBS.

6. Scripture Memory. Horrendous. Only one child has memorized a verse, and it wasn't in Philippians as planned. It simply had to do with his heart attitude and what God says about it. I have got to get better in this area.

7. Time with extended family/fun. We're doing well here. We have spent time with grandparents and extended family already, have played with friends, have been to the pool, have watched together the only TV show the kids really watch (Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?), etc. One area we need to work on is father/children time.

8. Catechism/Daily Bible Reading. We are doing so well in this area! We have worked a lot on learning a catechism together. So far, we have memorized just over 30 questions and answers, and the kids love to quiz each other and especially their parents. :) Also, we have made it a point to have the kids start reading their Bibles daily as Mom and Dad do. I can't say we've made it every day, but they are reading their Bibles most days. It has been so exciting to hear what they are learning.

So there you have it. My grand ideas for the summer and the reality of where we are with those ideas. To see the original goals and descriptions, click here. If you have any tips on accomplishing these goals, please let me know.

Friday Photo(s)

My babies are growing up. We are now officially in the flip-flop wearing, running-thru-the-sprinkler-playing, sleeping-in-late (I can dream, can't I?) and relaxing days of summer!

A huge "Thanks a Million" goes out to the incredible team of teachers who worked with my children this year! We will miss you all! You have been a blessing to our family.

Friday Photo

These pictures were taken in May of 2002. Sweet Pea was wearing her great-grandfather's christening gown for the child dedication service at our church. She was not quite a year old, and the cutest little bundle of joy I had ever seen. Now, she is finishing kindergarten.

Those of you who know me well know that I become on occasion, sentimental teary-eyed a basket case of emotions over Hallmark commercials, sad stories, happy stories, anything sentimental, and most of all, my family. So you can imagine what I am going through now that my baby is finishing kindergarten! I actually have two children finishing kindergarten, but somehow it is knowing that my youngest is getting this big that has me so emotional. I know I should be happy, but it seems time is flying by so quickly, and I wonder if I have made the best use of it.

I know that we read and played and learned and laughed a lot together, but I'll be honest. I regret every moment spent reading my own books, every moment she was awake that I watched TV, every moment that I wasted on the computer, because those days will never be back. Even though most of our friends and family would probably say I did more than enough with her in those years, it doesn't change the fact that those years are now gone, in the twinkling of an eye.

So, I am renewed in my determination to make the most of this summer...spending both quality and quantity time with my children. I want our home to be a place where they want to be, a place where they want to bring their friends, a place where they feel loved and secure and cherished, a place where their mom and dad teach them about what is truly important in life (and folks, contrary to the "I Love Money" song they learned at school, that ain't it).

Moms and dads, let us all remember that we have them but for a short season. Let's enjoy those moments.

Summer 2007

The summer of 2006, with the exception of our family trip to the beach, was a complete disaster. I was new to being a mom of three. My sons were new to almost every experience they had. They needed more structure, something I don't particularly enjoy in the summer and didn't implement as needed. They couldn't understand that because we didn't go to the pool one day did not mean they would never go again. Their responses to not getting their way (as well as my response to their responses) made a house full of noise, disorder, and unhappiness. A lot of cleaning was left undone. We had to do a lot of fixing things they broke normal repairs.

We lived in chaos, trying to have fun together, but disappointingly, in the end , we were all overjoyed about school starting, except for my daughter who was content, even happy, to be at home by my side.

This school year, we have come a long way. We understand each other better. We have learned about ourselves. God has taught us about Himself. I do not want to go back to last summer.

This summer, I am determined to have a game plan. A friend wisely recommended that I make a few goals for the summer, and then order my summer around accomplishing those goals. She also suggested that I give more structure to my son who needs it, and more freedom to the ones who don't, while still accomplishing those goals. For example, one son may need a schedule for his day. My other son may need to know what must be accomplished by week's end, but I can leave him to figure out how to accomplish that.

With this in mind, here are my goals for the summer, in no particular order:

1. Read some books together. My goal is to read seven or eight books together, and then the children will have some reading to do on their own. Our current book list includes Shanghaied to China (a Trailblazer fictional story that shares part of the true story of Hudson Taylor), Spy for the Night Riders (another Trailblazer book, this time involving Martin Luther), Traitor in the Tower (A Trailblazer book involving about John Bunyan), a biography about Walt Disney, a biography about Betsy Ross, The Call of the Wild, and Little House on the Prairie.

2. Work on math skills. There are a number of reasons for this, but the main one is that my son will hopefully be in a different school next year with a tougher math curriculum, and thus he needs some help catching up to others in his grade.

3. Physical Exercise. My boys NEED this, my daughter loves it, and I could certainly do with some as well. To this end, we will be spending time outdoors and participating in some summer half day camps as well as swimming.

4. Household Chores/Projects. Being part of a family means pitching in to be good stewards of what God has given us. Also, we need to teach our children how to do certain jobs for the time when they eventually move out of our homes. Thus, this summer, we'll be doing some regular chores and some special projects around the house.

5. Cooking. My children all want to help in the kitchen. Honestly, this is often difficult during the school year. I want to take the time to teach them how to cook some things this summer. I haven't decided if this will mean one night a week per child or several nights a week with all the kids.

6. Scripture Memory. I will be memorizing trying to memorize the book of Philippians this summer. I would like my kids to memorize part of it. I am still trying to decide which part, but it will probably be the second chapter. In any case, their minds soak up so much information it should be a piece of cake to them, right?

7. Time with extended family/Fun. Summer also provides us with extra time to spend with out of town grandparents and other family members, and we would like to do some of that as well as create some fun family memories.

8. Catechism/Daily Bible reading. Last summer, we worked on a catechism but once school and thus, AWANA started, we fell out of that habit. We will be picking that up again. Also, now that all the kids can read independently to some degree, I want them to be in that habit of daily spending time in the Word.

Given camps, VBS, time away with relatives, etc., it will be hard to have a firm schedule for the summer, so at the moment I am thinking a weekly one will work better.

What are some things that have worked for your family during the summer? I would love to read your ideas on this subject.