Summer time....

I crack myself up.

Before school was out, I actually made a schedule for our summer. Not only the big events, like swimming lessons, or vacation bible school, or trips to see grandparents....I'm talking about a daily schedule. I assumed that with all the extra hours together (me and the kiddos), that we would surely need "activity" to fill the "dead spaces". The boys needed to still be learning. They needed to continue to be creative. They always need time to be active and burn energy. They needed to stay on a schedule. And of course, I scheduled in some fun. (It sounds so crazy as I write it)

This is what I've learned from our summer so far.

There is no schedule. We don't do anything...at all...the same...from day-to-day (except swimming lessons these past two weeks, because we HAVE to be there). We're not practicing our ABC's and 123's everyday. We may not even touch a book on a particular day. There has not been a consistent bedtime, at all. (side note: unfortunately we all still wake up at the same time each day, though!) We have not done daily crafts. We have not stayed in a routine.

Instead, this is what we have done:

• We have learned to swim.
• We have learned to fish.
• We have enjoyed the sunlight of the day to the fullest.
• We instilled a chore chart and made it fun....with lots of opportunity for trips to the dollar store!
• We have discovered the library (with no pressure to meet goals, but only to enjoy the gift of new books to read).
• We have spent time with family.
• We have enjoyed our friends.
• We have started memorizing a Bible verse a week. (There is nothing more precious or heart-tugging than to hear a brand new 3-yr-old say...."children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right...Ephesians 6:1") Can I get an AMEN?!
• We have started drinking iced coffee, instead of hot coffee (obviously I'm not referring to the little ones in my house)
• We try to have one bible story a day, in the mornings. I think we've read about David and Goliath for 2 straight weeks, per requests from the audience. That's a fun one for boys!

This is some of what I have learned so far:

• I have learned to relax in my expectations of "how my house will look" everyday...and enjoy my kids instead.
• I have learned that my growing list of projects will have to wait until fall, most likely, when the kids go back to school.
• I have learned to make some new, healthy recipes from scratch.
• I have re-learned to work out consistently.
• I have learned to apply sunscreen liberally (I now realize what each compounding summer is doing to my face and skin) and am teaching my kids that this is just what you do before swimming.
• I have been reminded, through daily time with the Lord, that he is a God...rich in love, grace, forgiveness, promises, hope, faithfulness...and his WORD is TRUTH. I have enjoyed the richness of my mornings with him.
• My husband and I have reinstated date night and time with each other alone.

This is what I hope to accomplish and/or learn by summer's end:

• Learn to laugh more with my kids.
• Learn to greet my husband better when he walks in the door after a long day of work.
• Learn to put people ahead of schedules/routines.
• Learn to let myself off the hook for not accomplishing as much as ____________ . We all have one of those ladies we like to compare ourselves to, don't we?
• Look back at the summer time that is now past with no regrets for the way the time was spent.

How is your summer going?