Summer

Summer Planning Questions

May 17, 2013 By Kara Chupp

I have been wearing flip-flops all week.
And it’s 82 degrees outside as I write this, which is amazing for Oregon in early May.
But I’m getting excited about summer!

Usually around this time of year, my husband and I sit down, look at the calendar and do some Lord-willing-planning for the summer ahead of us.
Keeping in mind that…

“The point is fruitfulness,
not efficiency.

You should want to be fruitful
like a tree,
not efficient like a machine.” ~D. Wilson

And remembering that my favorite summer was probably–
The summer we didn’t do anything.

But just in case you’re a-bit-of-a-planner, like I am,
or even if you just want to be a bit more intentional about this next summer…
I wanted to share our summer planning questions with you.

And in the comments below, I’d love to hear some of your fun summer ideas!

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring… Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” ~James 4:13-15

Summer Planning Questions to Consider:

What places would we like to visit locally this summer?

What specific educational goals do we have for each child?

What 3 books (or more) would I like to read this summer?

How am I going to spend time in God’s Word?

What am I hoping to study in the Bible?

Are there any friendships we’d especially like to invest in this summer?

What household tasks do I need to keep up on?

Are we planning to take any extended trips or vacations?

What reoccurring weekly activities would we like to include?

Are there any specific skills we’d like our children to learn over the summer?

How am I going to invest in my marriage this summer?

What are some easy (or new) meals that I’d like to make this summer?

What specific character traits or heart issues do we need to work on with our children or as a family?

Are there any specific skills I’d like to work on over the summer?

How can I make sure we have down time?

Are there any fun movies we’d like to watch together?

How/where will we celebrate any birthdays, holidays or special occasions?

What will hospitality look like for us this summer?

Is anyone coming to stay?

Who do we want to invite over?

Does my husband have anything that is important to him to include?

Do we have any house project goals?

What will our kiddos’ summer chores include (now that they’ll have a bit more free time)?

What are some “fill-in” activities that we’d like to do more often (Legos, reading, painting, nature walks)?

Are there any schedules I need to collect to keep with my summer calendars (libraries, farmer’s markets, community theaters)?

How are we going to serve in our community, church, and/or neighborhood?

Do we have any other goals for the summer that I haven’t included elsewhere?

We’re getting close to June !!!
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer…

And please share your summer plans or ideas below!

Love,

Kara @The Chuppies

6 Comments | Filed Under: Babies, Boys, Family Management, Following God, Fun For Kids, Girls, Home Organization, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Hospitality, Marriage/Relationships, Parenting, Teens, Toddlers, Uncategorized Tagged With: character training, children, Defying the Culture, God's Word, healthy meal planning, holidays, intentional, meal planning, motherhood, parenting, Summer

Are you a better summer mom?

May 16, 2013 By Nicole O'Dell

Are you a better mom in the winter or the spring? The fall or the summer? I feel like a better mom in the summer. Here’s why:

In the winter, I tend to hide out. I love the cold. I love the snow. But I find it excruciating to search for 47 gloves, socks, scarves, and hats to pile my littles outside when someone will invariably have to go to the bathroom almost immediately. It’s so much easier to stay in and put on a movie…and 10 pounds.

Another reason why I feel like a better mom in the summer is that, while the spring is lovely, rain brings me back to point number one. There’s nothing worse than having to pick up the kids from preschool when it’s pouring rain. Not only do I have to walk a mile to the door to grab them (okay, not a mile, but it feels like it when the rain is beating down) and then back to the car, but then I get to load them into their seats while my backside gets drenched. And this always happens about an hour after I washed my hair and gave it a nice blow out.

Fall is my second favorite, but the hard part about fall is that school has started and we’re easing into the blend of multiple over-full schedules again.

Summer. There’s something freeing about those months. Reduced schedules. No major early-morning requirements. Kids can go from pajamas to bathing suits and back to jammies again with no mommy guilt. In fact, I feel quite proud when they have spent the entire day outside playing, when the TV has stayed cold all day long, and when everyone has sun-kissed cheeks and noses.

But along with the settling of the routine, and the lightning of the load, there can tend to come a misplacement of other priorities. For us, morning devotions are a big priority. This is something I do with my kids, most commonly led by the teenagers, on a daily basis. It will take strict intentionality to make sure the daily devotions continue through the summer months when everyone is waking at different hours and heading in different directions.

Another concern is mealtimes. Do we relax the guidelines and the schedule so much that we let go of things like family dinners or family breakfasts? It takes intentional commitment to those family times to make sure they happen even in the relaxed schedules of the summer.

The third thing is communication. Without the extra time in the car going from place to place and with the lightning are some of the stringent requirements like meals and sporting events and things like that, when do we make up for the lost time for communication? Maybe a month before we’d have spent 40 minutes in a car chatting with the kids on the way to this or that, but now that time is gone.

It all comes back to that intentionality. Plan ahead for the coming summer months. Be intentional about Bible study, meal times, and communication. I guarantee you’ll feel like an even Better Summer Mom!

What are some of the tips you have for really making it work in the summer?

Blessings,

Nicole O’Dell

Photo by Ian Kahn, courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net

3 Comments | Filed Under: Boys, Family Management, Fun For Kids, Girls, Parenting, Teens Tagged With: Nicole O'Dell, parenting, Summer

The How (and Why) of Creating a Nature Table

July 14, 2012 By Kara Chupp

Summer is the perfect time to start a nature table (or area) for your family…

But first–

The Why.

Because…

The heavens declare the
glory of God;

The skies proclaim the
work of His hands…

~Psalm 19:1

And because…

When I look at Your Heavens,

The work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place,

What is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?

~Psalm 8:3 & 4

And because…

“…exposure to nature is crucial to healthy childhood development–-

and direct exposure to nature gives children a window into the heart and majesty of God.”

~ Go Out And Play

The how–

is fairly simple.

First, choose an area in your home where you'll have room for

several containers, books, boxes, mirrors, binoculars, bottles, jars and/or trays.

Gather any resources you may already own for identifying

bugs, birds, reptiles, leaves, plants, stars, mammals, rocks, trees and animal tracks.

It's good to especially aim for guides that cover your own particular area

so that your children can use them as they find discoveries in their own backyard-habitat.

The library is also an excellent place to start if you don't have these guides on hand.

We've found most of our books at

garage sales, thrift stores, on ebay, or as used books sold online.

Set out several storage containers that can be used for displaying the items your children find.

We like to use glass bottles, canning jars and wood trays for our displays.

Old printer's trays, with their many compartments, are excellent for sorting rocks and shells.

We also keep a jar with cut up bits of card stock that the kids can use to label the items they find.

Our nature center is constantly changing as the seasons change

and as our crew discovers new treasures to add.

Having a designated nature area keeps us all on-the-look-out

for items to add as we explore the outdoors.

It is also one way to share our awe and wonder of God's creation with others who visit our home.

Life quickly becomes busy and hectic, moving at such a fast pace

that it's easy to pass by and not really notice the amazing intricacy that surrounds us.

A nature table is one way to–

Pause.

And to really appreciate the gifts that God gives us through

“the work of His hands.”

~Psalm 19:1

“I so long to
grow deeper in astonished wonder.

For too long I
raced through life with my eyes straight ahead,

not pausing
long enough to look down at the flowers

or up at the
twinkle of stars.

When you see
the heavens, do you see the glory of God?

Do you
experience the wonder at God's creation?

If not, stop
racing long enough to turn your gaze up

and ask the
Father to pour wonder into your heart.

It's a prayer
He loves to answer.”

~Linda Dillow

Blessings,

Kara, The Chuppies

| Filed Under: Babies, Boys, Decorating, Following God, Fun For Kids, Girls, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Parenting, Toddlers, Uncategorized Tagged With: child behavior, Creation, Defying the Culture, Education, God, God's Word, Homeschool, intentional, motherhood, nature, parenting, Summer

Are you in pursuit of R & R this summer? Think again!

June 21, 2012 By Ruth Simons

Summer is here! Time for fun, freedom, vacation, playing, and sleeping in.

We pack the books away, and seem to collectively proclaim: “All that hard work throughout the school year must be rewarded with some R & R!”

Of course I believe in taking a break and chilling out – I’ve never really had a problem prioritizing that which comes easily – it’s intentionally engaging my kids, pursuing enrichment, planning for quality time and meaningful activities, and training in discipline, that I struggle with summer after summer. Truth be told, I sometimes act as if my reward for working so hard teaching my children throughout the school year is to simply do nothing at all during the Summer. And that simply is not what I want my children to learn by example.

We live in a culture that issues a formula for a rewarding life:

Get a good job, work hard, put in the time, then retire as early as possible with as much money as possible…so that you may really enjoy what is good in life.

While I may find this particular life pursuit worldly and self-indulgent, I must admit that I sometimes inadvertently look to summer vacation with a similar mindset:

Do a good job throughout the school year, work hard, put in the time, then take the summer off and be entertained as much as possible…because that is what’s really fun in life.

That’s when I realize there is a difference between rest and relaxation and rest and renewal.

…renewal’s emphasis is improving, striving, recharging, remembering

…relaxing’s emphasis is letting go, clearing out, releasing, forgetting

What am

I really teaching my kids is the purpose of summer break by the plans we make or don’t make as a family?

A few things I want to communicate with the way we spend our summer…

that education is a blessing, not a chore from which you deserve a break

that the reprieve from working hard is rest for the purpose of renewal

that the goal in applying oneself in school is to learn through the process, not simply to achieve a product

that laziness is not a reward

So, what are some practical ways to make this summer about rest and renewal? Here are some suggestions (for you and/or your child):

Pick a particular fruit of the Spirit to pursue this summer through study and practical application.

Work on routines in personal and spiritual disciplines that may be challenging to establish during the school year.

Get organized! As a gardener preps the field before sowing seed, preparing for the next school year by tending to “the weeds” of the previous year can be of great encouragement.
Use a tool like the Child Training Bible to go through a

Read books that will build upon what was learned during the school year. Avoid entertainment that makes imagination and literature seem bland.

Plan dates with each of your children to evaluate the previous year and talk about fears and goals for the coming school year.

Listen to audio Bible, audio books, and audio math facts while doing quiet activities like playing legos and drawing.

These are just a few ideas to get us started. What ways will you make this summer a time of growing and renewal for your family? Let’s seek to have a fun-filled, restful, recharging summer break, one that doesn’t release us from diligence and intentionality, but renews us for the journey ahead.

Grace to you,

Ruth, www.gracelaced.com