It’s that time of year again– time to put away the school books and move on into summer activities.
This year, all I’ve got to say about that is HOORAY! Stick a fork in me.
I. Am. So. DONE.
I don’t know why this year took so much effort, but it did. We have a field trip next week to a pizza place, just for fun. The boys get to make their own mini pizzas and see how the big pizza oven works. Yes, they are 11 and nearly 13 and I don’t care. When they heard pizza was involved, they wouldn’t let me say no. Pizza at 9:30 in the morning is perfectly acceptable when you’re an adolescent male with a voracious appetite. It will be snack time by then.
We’ve got just a few grammar lessons left, one spelling lesson, two chapters in our history audio book, and that’s it. If I’ve forgotten anything, well, I’ve forgotten it. I’m too tired to be concerned at this point.
Our first day of summer vacation will begin early, with a 6:45am alarm, breakfast, and the first of many 7:30 swim team practices. We move from one mode to another; from school mode into summer. I’m looking forward to it.
I’ve got plans for this summer:
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To run three mornings a week.
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To order our curriculum for fall and get that planned out ahead of time.
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To take my kids to the beach.
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To plant a few heirloom tomato plants.
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To buy two more chickens.
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To go camping. Still not my favorite thing to do.
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To read, a lot.
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To work on a big project.
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To play with these boys while they’re still not “too cool” to play with their mom.
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To take extra shifts at work each week to get us caught up from our Hawaiian vacation that I haven’t written about yet.
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To write about our vacation, among other things.
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And to run away for a weekend in August with friends, for this…


Not ONLY do I get to spend a weekend with girlfriends AND no kids, but the Apologia Real Refreshment Retreat Sampler is going to be amazing. Friday night we will be blessed by the speakers that Apologia has lined up for us. I don’t know who I’m most looking forward to hearing, I just know that I need this night. Oh how I need this. And it’s not just for bloggers, ladies, it is for all homeschooling mommas!
Saturday, we get to go to curriculum heaven, all day long! The Teach Them Diligently Marketplace is going to be unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before, with vendor workshops every half hour, from morning until late in the evening. My favorite thing to do at conferences is to talk to curriculum vendors. I like to hear from them particularly if they have homeschool moms working at their booths. It helps me make educated decisions for my kids, rather than blindly poking around in a catalog.
And do you know what else?
A lot of my homeschool blogging friends are going to these Sampler Retreats, including this one! I’m just going to put this out there right now: If you’re going to the Teach Them Diligently Marketplace weekend in Tacoma in August, let me know! I’d love to say hi!
As we move into summer it’s time to reflect on the year we’ve just completed, start thinking about the one in front of us, and be in the moments this summer with our kids. We’re planning on having lots of those, too.


That’s been my excuse for a long time. And I’ve gained 13#.
























