July Catch Up

Here's what we've been busy doing in July:

  1.  Do anyone else's kids try to make Lego Star Wars stop motion videos? 

2.  Fourth of July got rained out.  We had fireworks on the 3rd though.  So, I'm all good.

 3.  The Great Sand Dunes.  Vacation Day 1!

4.  Mesa Verde National Park.  Toured the cliff dwellings.

5.  Not sure how you "close" a monument, but they did.  B was game enough to at least jump out for a picture of the sign.

6.  The Grand Canyon.  I have done my parental duty:  my kids have now seen it.  And they were done seeing it after about 30 minutes (like every other kid in America.  Crazies).

7.  I don't care if it's 115 degrees in Laughlin, we're getting out of the car to have some In-N-Out.

8.  Lego Store #1 in Downtown Disney.

9.  My favorite place on the planet:  the Hollywood Bowl.  This was how we celebrated 16 years of marriage.

10.  No... No.  THIS is my favorite place on the planet.  The Pacific.

11..  S, perk up.  You're at Legoland for Pete's Sake.  This time we get to go inside instead of just doing the "downtown."

12.  Zion National Park.  More amazing outdoorsy stuff.

13.  "Hey, take a picture of Daddy and me.  It's our anniversary."   And my three year old obliged... in a hotel on our last night on the road with our three kids in tow.   Good thing there was the Hollywood Bowl.

Sad Day in the Homeschooling World

Sono Harris passed away over the weekend.  Wife of Greg Harris, mother of Josh and other really gracious kids that I've chatted with in the vendor hall at conventions.   Joshua Harris gives information about her cancer and passing here.

I remember attending a workshop of Sono's at a convention some years back.  She talked about "God, Our Present Help" and she identified some of the negative feelings homeschool mom's encounter:  lonliness and isolation, weariness, frustration and disappointment.  She said to let our difficulties be opportunities for God to work for and through you.  She said that parent/child relationships are not for ease and happiness but are the context for the change God works in and through us.  God is working in you and you may not be cooperating yet. 

I found much wisdom in this woman, homeschooling's consummate mother.  Her present rest is well deserved, though she'd probably correct me and say it's all really grace.

June Catch Up

Here's what we were busy doing in June.

1.  Making a first (and very short) attempt at a foot race on Hershey Track and Field Day.

2. Hanging out at the Chalk Art Festival in LoDo.

  3.  Chillin'

4.  Earning all those hours for the summer reading programs.

 5.  Swim lessons

6.  Flying Planes

7.  Both of them!

8.  Doing weddings (officiating, I mean)

9.  Hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa.

10.  And just generally hanging out.

11.  Practicing our policing skills.

12.  Some slipping.  And some sliding.

13.  Practicing forms together.

14.  And seeing some of these.

I'm exhausted.  Summer is a crazy time of year for us.  In retrospect I'm really enjoying our homeschooling months when we stick a little closer to home.  But these are the experiences they'll never forget.  So, bring on July. 

Fun Fridays

Because relationships naturally tend toward atrophy, building healthy ones takes intention.  It's not just true in marriage and friendship but also in parenting.  Since we've moved to Denver, DH has begun some special one-on-one times with our older sons.  I'm taking the hint and taking off the teacher hat (and most of the mom hat too) this summer to build on my relationships with my boys.

This summer I'm going to focus hanging out with my boys on Fridays.  The other days of the week will have all kinds of things to take them to and do FOR them, but Fridays are for hanging WITH them.

Yesterday, we started off at the Hershey Track and Field Day.  Turns out that running races aren't DS #1's favorite thing.  So, we went to Krispy Kreme for free doughnut day instead.  After that we played cards and read aloud from The Borrowers before we ran them to their evening activities.

This coming Friday is Young Eagle's day at our little airport.  DS #2 is finally 8 and is eligible to do a flight.  He's been waiting for this for years.  It'll be great to share that experience with him.  I may take them to a little music in the park thing in the evening too.  If we get bored with that we can play in the water feature. 

In following weeks I'm going to take them to the local pool, visit the new children's garden at the Botanic Gardens, visit the skatepark, find the ice cream man, go camping, and cash in on their coupons from their summer reading programs.  I'm not only looking forward to the activity of Fridays but to the more balanced relationships I hope to gain with my guys.