A New Kind of Summer

Well, we completed our school year near the end of May, and I'm so thankful for the break.  I really don't enjoy structure and routine (unless it's our daily hour of quiet time after lunch).  So Summer, to me, equals freedom and relaxation!  Except . . . there's one problem.  Last December my husband's Army job moved us to the desert Southwest.  It's June, and it's REALLY HOT!  It can be pleasant around 5:30 a.m., though, I discovered this morning.

But playing outside during the day - especially during the afternoon - requires forethought about sunscreen, water, proper clothing, proper shoes (because flip flops don't cut it for running around in the grass where there are thorny weeds ready to puncture or latch on anything that passes by).  The air is bone-sucking dry, which is really hard on the sinuses, and I have to ask myself, "Am I really willing to sacrifice my comfort in order to allow the children to play outside properly supervised by me?"  (They can play in the back yard without me, but usually they want to ride bikes in the front.)

So rather than freedom and relaxation, summer is feeling more like being a prisoner in my air-conditioned house for self-preservation, and more work for me in figuring out how to entertain these desperately bored children.  We're staying active with 2 weeks of day camps for the older two girls, swimming lessons twice a week for them all, and the library's summer reading program.  But we can't just go for a nice walk, hike, bike ride, or anything without the fear of the intense sun sucking the energy out of you and leaving you feeling radiated for the rest of the day.  We went for a hike this morning and the heat plus exertion has flattened me for the whole afternoon!

So I'm trying to make the best of it, as Army wives do, and dream up how to capitalize on our situation.  My first thought was to adopt the Mexican idea of an afternoon siesta during the hottest part of the day.  When we were stationed in Hawaii, this was also something we heard the natives did, or used to do.  Next, I observed that the neighbor kids tend to go outside to play while we're eating dinner, and stay out past the time we've been putting our girls to bed.  Putting two and two together, I realize that if we have a siesta, the girls could probably stay up a little later to enjoy the evening cooled down air with their friends.

I have a number of crafts, activities and games we don't have time for when we are schooling that we're beginning to do.  I set up a craft table in the main room where we can leave unfinished projects to work on over the course of several days.

I have stocked up on water play accessories and bubbles and located our sidewalk chalk.  We'll get outside as much as we can stand.  Hopefully soon I'll get over the fear of bugs and snakes coming out of the darkness and crawling outside at night so we can make use of our telescope.

I'm really looking forward to our trip "up north" to visit family in a couple weeks to escape this heat!

Things I will not miss about public school

Our family is transitioning from public school to homeschool over Christmas break.  We have homeschooled before, but for the last year and a half, we've enjoyed the great teachers and staff at our local public elementary school.  However, in spite of the positives, these past 3 semesters have helped solidify my desire to homeschool again. 

So, here are the list of things I will not miss about public school:
1.  Having to get myself and the kids up and ready for school which starts at 7:30 a.m.!
2.  Having the kids gone for 7 hours, followed by 1 to 1 1/2 hours of homework!  (And this is elementary school!  Really?!?  When can they play?!?!)
3.  Fundraisers.  'Nough said.
4.  Hearing about the "assembly" my kids attended at school (instead of learning) where they were told what prizes they would earn if they sold a whole bunch of stuff for a fundraiser.
5.  Wondering what my kids are learning, doing, saying, hearing, observing for 35 hours a week.
6.  Giant amounts of papers coming home that inform me about activities, expectations, events, and fundraisers.
7.  Time wasted in my kids' lives from learning opportunities because of sickness, substitute teachers, snow days, fire drills, threat drills, standardized testing and all the prep that goes into it, holiday parties, reward parties, book fairs, etc.  (While I realize some of these things can have similar parallels that take up time in home schooling, I feel that in public school, much more time is taken, sometimes mandated, than occurs at home.)
8.  Feeling convicted that I need to do more to teach our children values and character, but being at a loss as to when.
9.  Making sure the girls' clothes and hair are nice every school day.
10.  Saying "hurry up and eat your breakfast or you're going to be late!" every weekday.
11.  Having to go outside in the rain or freezing cold in order to either drop off or pick up the kids.
12.  Trying to decipher instructions on homework about something I didn't teach.

There are probably more, but having those down should help keep me motivated on the hard days of homeschooling.  Public school has been helpful to us for a season, but I am really looking forward to all the benefits of partnering with my husband to be the primary educators of our children.

Cheap Taco Seasoning

We eat a lot of tacos, enchiladas, and other Mexican style dishes at our house.  Mostly because everyone in the family gobbles it up without any complaints.  I get a lot of taco seasoning for cheap, as there are often Taco Bell or Ortega coupons that deduct most of the cost.  However, if those coupons should stop becoming available, I think I will try the recipe at this Smashed Peas and Carrots blog. 

It really couldn't be any easier.  I have all these spices on hand already, so all I need is a container and my measuring spoons (and a label, because I might forget what it is).  And the benefits are that there aren't any added ingredients I don't know about in the seasoning, and she claims it tastes better.  She says 2 Tablespoons of this mix replaces a packet of seasoning.

Now I'm curious what other packet recipes are certainly out there!