Summer Fun

We are enjoying the beginning of summer!  We are on a new adventure after selling our house in under 3 weeks and having to move to temporary housing 30 days after our accepted offer.  We are blessed to be in a 2 bedroom apartment (short term rentals are NOT easy to come by).  We are adjusting to limited space, but enjoying the nice weather and finally warmer weather to swim in nice pool the apartment complex has.  Since it is mostly young professionals that live in these buildings, we often have the pool all to ourselves!

This summer is a bit different from years past.  3 out of 4 kids are school aged.  We decided after a crazy year of travel to Korea, adding another child, prepping house for sale, selling the house, selling our land, buying new land, moving to an apartment, and building a house, the kids would be home for the 2013-2014 school year.  They are all VERY excited, in fact, they are the ones that requested it.  I never pictured myself as a home school mom, but though prayer, I feel that God has softened my heart and opened me to a new and exciting world.  I love my kids and enjoy being with them.  I loved home schooling Ben this past year and look forward to the fun and challenging times ahead schooling 3 kids. We are getting a head start this summer.  In order to enjoy the school year and not be tied down to a strict school schedule and to give us enough time to get through all of the material, we decided to start schooling this summer.  Cami is working on 4th grade English and Reading with her friend, Anna, who she has been in school with the last 3 years.  Anna is staying home in the Fall as well, so they are enjoying beginning their home school year together. Cami is also beginning 4th grade Math.  Ben is working on History and 5th grade Math.  Sometimes he enjoys it, other times, he would rather take more time off. Thankfully he knows that by working during the summer (as he did last summer), he will get more time off during the school year for field trips and other fun activities.

The summer is not just school.  We decided this year to make a "Bucket List".  The kids each wrote down 10 things they would like to do by the end of summer.  They were told that they had to be realistic things (going to Korea, going to Disney World, and going on a cruise had to be taken out).  We have already enjoyed a few...(they are in blue when they are done)

1. Lots of swimming
     - with a pool at our apartment complex, we can make that a reality.  We are at the pool several times a week.  It gives the kids incentive to get the chores done and their school work done.
2. Have a field day at our new house
3. Play Skylanders
4. Go Frog Hunting
5. Have a movie marathon - have lots of yummy snacks including spicy cheetos
6. Go up north and have a sleepover/ camp out
7. Have a napithon
8. Play a game that Cami makes up
9. Go to Milwaukee Museum
10. Go hunting with a slingshot
11. Go to the Milwaukee Zoo
12. Go to the Circus Museum
13. Have a music day
14. Have a day off school
15. Do a reading contest (Barnes and Noble, Half Price Books, Library, BJU)
16. Have a pajama day
17. Go to the Dream Park
18. Go to a Splash Park
19. Cook / Bake treats to give to friends
20. Go Fishing
21. Play games all day
22. Have a sleepover
23. Go to the Farmer's Market
24.Go to a Beach
25. Rootbeer Floats at Culvers or A&W
26. Go to a Mallards game
27. Go to a Marcus Kids Movie (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays)
28. See the Butterflies at Olbrich in August
29. Go Bowling
30. Go Mini Golfing
31. Have a playdate 
32. Have a Picnic
33. Visit animals at Animart
34. Walk around Olbrich Gardens
35. Michaels Crafts $2 Craft time Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
36. Go to Ella's Deli and ride the Carousel
37. MSCR Art Cart
38. Take a walk on State Street (Geology Museum, etc)
39. Make grass chia pets with grass seed in nylons then draw a face on it
40. Take a bike ride