Finding our New Summer Routine

Summer is in full swing now! We are finding our new summer routine.

Socializing

I've reserved Mondays as my "hosting day," with intentions not to try to accomplish anything else on that day. I'm trying to host playdates on Mondays, and then I'm teaching a high-school summer course to several teenagers each Monday afternoons. 

I took four of the children to see Wizard of Oz on the big screen, which was particularly loads of fun because the oldest kids have been to only a couple of movies ever, and the younger kids none.

We attended a delight class on animals hosted by a homeschool graduate. Children were fascinated to learn about local North Carolina animals by studying their footprints, pelts, and bones. The young man teacher did such a good job involving a child in presenting each of the animals: the kids paid acute attention, hoping to be called upon! Everyone also enjoyed eating a picnic and playing at the playground.

Joseph holding an animal horn

One weekend, I got to meet longtime, online friend Zina! She and her family have been true prayer warriors for Thomas. It was a real blessing that she was visiting our state and we got to spend the morning together. Social media has a lot of ills, but sometimes beautiful things come out of it!

John attended a formal high-school masquerade ball with 70+ other students: it was a grand success!

We received a spontaneous visit from relatives Art and Gina from Buffalo, NY! We put on an easy lunch spread and spent the afternoon playing card games.

We were also privileged to receive a visit from our farm friends who live several hours away, but were in town for an appointment. We enjoyed a big spread of pulled pork sandwiches and picnic sides plus a swimming play date with their large family.

Summer School

Summer school is not going as rigorously as I had hoped, but I remind myself that I instituted it mainly to keep the children intentional and productive when we are not doing fun, social activities. I'm just trying to avoid the black hole time suck that is screen time. And the truth is we've been so busy with social activities that there isn't that much time for summer school.

The girls have to work through several novels, a timeline history and genealogy project, and map work for their upcoming middle school hybrid school. We're tackling that work about once a week. The others are very slowly chipping away at math facts and spelling.

Each person is reading good literature, and that goes a long way. Thomas (6) is currently reading obsessively Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Joseph (9) is pouring through novel after novel such that I can't actually keep track. Margaret (11) is reading David Copperfield and Mary (13) is reading Tales of Two Cities (yet again). John (15) is reading The Brave New World and The Mass of Brother Michel. I'm juggling numerous books:

• Manuel for Women by Danielle Bean (reading this for an online course I'm taking)
• Spiritual Friendship by Aelred of Rievaulx (reading this as assigned in preparation for a silent retreat)
• The Hunger Games trilogy (total fluff, previewing it for the teenagers, as I am very partial to dystopian literature)
• Still chugging my way through The Summa Domestica by Leila Lawler, a delightful read easily picked up and set down

Thomas (6) has adopted the habit of reading aloud to his brother David (4) after I'm done reading to them and I turn out the lights. One night recently, he started 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Illustrated Classics version, not the original) and read aloud for 30 minutes until David fell asleep. All my children have learned it is my kryptonite to let them stay up late as long as they are reading in bed.

Planning Lessons

I'm devoting much time to planning the daily lessons plans for the 2022-23 academic year. Grades 6, 8, and 10 will mostly be taking courses from other homeschool teachers, but I'm designing the curriculum for grades K, 2, and 4 from whole cloth. It just takes so much time and I wish I could work in a solitary way for a whole week straight to just knock it out.

Learning to Work

The older kids are working quite a bit, which is exciting, fruitful, and adds a new dimension to the family calendar. John (15) is working several times a week at a local ice cream shop, plus continuing to accept job requests from neighbors, such as moving furniture this weekend.

Mary (13) has launched a pet care visit and has already landed a three-week job and a job that will last all this year, God willing!

Even Margaret (11) has requests to do mothers' helper work this summer.

This is all so good for young people, something I remind myself even when I'm having to juggle many other layers on our family calendar.

Family buying ice cream while John is on shift

Puppy Pics

Tilly and Nicky now spayed and neutered! We continue working with a dog trainer, so the dogs are much better learning where they fit into the pack, which results in more amenable behavior.

Tilly had to stay confined to her crate much of the time for about five days while she recovered (because the puppies play too rough), but Nicky kept her company by lying right outside her door.

Nicky's new favorite spot to lie down is right beneath my kitchen sink where I wash dishes. Very convenient!

Mary and Nicky

Sweet sleeping pups