Summer

Work while you work.
Play while you play.
This is the way

to be happy each day

All that you do,
do with your might
Things done by halves
are never done right.

This is a poem that Rebekah memorized for her Language lessons. I've thought about it a lot lately, among other things. This is what we are striving for this summer. It's so easy to get caught up in our day to day living and forget the eternal perspective of things. So this summer we are taking a step back and slowing down. We are trying to learn to enjoy our work, and fully enjoy our play. When the work is done the play is much more fun. Work is enjoyable (and faster) if I'm doing it wholeheartedly. I love a clean home. So, try to love the work that gets me there! I am much happier than I have been in quite a while. ( I haven't been unhappy though at all!) I've been working on this effort for a while, and it is starting to pay off. Here's to hoping it truly becomes an ingrained habit!

So, what are you doing this summer?
We are:

Playing early morning video games. That's something not allowed during the school year.

Getting some wonderful produce from our friend's garden. Don't you guys just love fresh produce?

And taking trips to the local library. I'm trying to get brave and start taking the kids by myself to different places. I don't like taking all six at once by myself because it can get crazy. However, I'd better start now, or Jacob will get deployed and I will go crazy when I am forced to do it. It's actually turning out to not be so bad! Every time we go somewhere I talk to the kids before we get out of the car what kind of behavior I expect of them, and it's starting to pay off. Hooray!