Summer Days
I'm way overdue for an update, but it's been hard to find the time this summer.
The week after our South Dakota Adventure was busy. John had Cub Scout Day Camp that week. I was busy unpacking, cleaning, doing laundry, enjoying Kristy and Family's visit, and on Friday of that week I got to leave the other three kids with a friend while I went to help out with the day camp. That was fun. Since it was the last day, the boys got to shoot off rockets that they had made earlier in the week. They pounded stamps into leather, learned about putting up and taking down tents, learned how to play some volley ball, and played dodge ball. The challenge was keeping track of the boys' water bottles and making sure they were all drinking enough in the hot sun. John and I ended up leaving a little early, and I'm glad we did: at the time that they were supposed to let out, a summer storm had arrived and it was pouring rain and hailing!
The following week we were finally able to settle into a regular summer schedule. We get the kids up around 7am for family prayer and scripture reading. Then we have breakfast and Steven leaves for work. Then we figure out how to get the chores done for the day. Lately we've been listing what fun things we want to do that day, and then listing the work that needs to be done before we can do those fun things, and then we set the timer and see how fast we can do what we need to do. Some days this has worked out better than others. We have been to the park several times, and we've been to the pool almost every day.
The kids are getting really good at swimming. Hannah, John and Joshua are all good enough swimmers that they can retrieve diving rings from the bottom of the deep end of the pool (9 feet). They frequently have contests to see who can make the biggest/smallest/funniest splash. Peter is proficient with his floaties, but doesn't have the courage to take them off yet.
Last Thursday we got our chores done and hopped into the car to go to the library, but when I turned the key in the ignition, nothing happened. I ended up renewing the things that were due at the library. We walked to the pool instead. Steven tried to jump start the car when he got home from work, but ended up buying a new battery so we could get to John's Rain gutter Regatta Pack Meeting that evening. We made it on time and had fun.
Another day the kids discovered a box of Steven's old Legos and pulled them out. We spent several hours playing with them, sorting them, building the train set and setting it up on the kitchen floor. The kids had fun watching the train go around the track, and seeing what happened to the little Lego people they stuck on the cars. One of the cars (the caboose) had sliding doors, and the kids loaded it up with Lego men, then made the train go fast, trying to make the people fly out of it. The kids also discovered that leaning off the front of the train can be a safer place to be than inside the caboose when the train is moving.
So we're having fun, getting exercise and tans, reading books and enjoying our summer.
The week after our South Dakota Adventure was busy. John had Cub Scout Day Camp that week. I was busy unpacking, cleaning, doing laundry, enjoying Kristy and Family's visit, and on Friday of that week I got to leave the other three kids with a friend while I went to help out with the day camp. That was fun. Since it was the last day, the boys got to shoot off rockets that they had made earlier in the week. They pounded stamps into leather, learned about putting up and taking down tents, learned how to play some volley ball, and played dodge ball. The challenge was keeping track of the boys' water bottles and making sure they were all drinking enough in the hot sun. John and I ended up leaving a little early, and I'm glad we did: at the time that they were supposed to let out, a summer storm had arrived and it was pouring rain and hailing!
The following week we were finally able to settle into a regular summer schedule. We get the kids up around 7am for family prayer and scripture reading. Then we have breakfast and Steven leaves for work. Then we figure out how to get the chores done for the day. Lately we've been listing what fun things we want to do that day, and then listing the work that needs to be done before we can do those fun things, and then we set the timer and see how fast we can do what we need to do. Some days this has worked out better than others. We have been to the park several times, and we've been to the pool almost every day.
The kids are getting really good at swimming. Hannah, John and Joshua are all good enough swimmers that they can retrieve diving rings from the bottom of the deep end of the pool (9 feet). They frequently have contests to see who can make the biggest/smallest/funniest splash. Peter is proficient with his floaties, but doesn't have the courage to take them off yet.
Last Thursday we got our chores done and hopped into the car to go to the library, but when I turned the key in the ignition, nothing happened. I ended up renewing the things that were due at the library. We walked to the pool instead. Steven tried to jump start the car when he got home from work, but ended up buying a new battery so we could get to John's Rain gutter Regatta Pack Meeting that evening. We made it on time and had fun.
Another day the kids discovered a box of Steven's old Legos and pulled them out. We spent several hours playing with them, sorting them, building the train set and setting it up on the kitchen floor. The kids had fun watching the train go around the track, and seeing what happened to the little Lego people they stuck on the cars. One of the cars (the caboose) had sliding doors, and the kids loaded it up with Lego men, then made the train go fast, trying to make the people fly out of it. The kids also discovered that leaning off the front of the train can be a safer place to be than inside the caboose when the train is moving.
So we're having fun, getting exercise and tans, reading books and enjoying our summer.
Comments
Post a Comment