Sometimes life gets so busy and there are (seemingly) a million things that I’d love to share with you all – but well, life gets in the way. Or I tend to think that it isn’t worth sharing. So what may be in my head (and on my heart) just gets pushed aside because – well, it seems trivial.

But – maybe it might help you feel normal, right? So here is the state of my mind (take it for what it is worth)…

• I’m about ready to throw in the soppy wet towel for swim season. How in the world other parents do it with year-round sports schedules is beyond me. If I had a big wall calendar and could mark off the days until the final meet this weekend, I would use a huge red Sharpie marker and scribble out every day. I’m not anxious to be done or anything.
• Parenting is tough work. Do I really need to elaborate on this. My patience is thin. The kids are relentless. And my nerves are about shot most days.
• Our extra fridge died. Trying to keep all the ‘stuff’ we need (first world problems) in one fridge = humorous. It’s putting a cramp in my ‘shop once a month’ style.
• Did I mention our truck broke down 20 miles from home while we were returning from vacation? Not so fond of having to pay mechanics, but thankful that they do know how to fix the problems.
• Add in a lovely tooth issue bill = truck + the fridge and that = $$ (sigh)
• Vacations are nice and lovely, but I-do-not-want-to-leave-my-house-for-a-very-long-time. Amen. If you would like to visit, please do, but I refuse to pack, unpack, refill toiletries, do gagillions of loads of laundry upon returning one more time. I will happily cook a meal for you, but I want to stay home.
• Planning for school seems rather daunting this year. There are fewer workbooks the older the kids get and it isn’t as cut-and-dried as it has seemed in years past. I’m also suffering from a major lack of focus at the moment which isn’t helping.
• The school room is clean, new supplies have been purchased, and we finally have shades in the windows so there will be no more whining from a certain child about how the light is too blinding. Instead it will likely be too dim for said child to see anything (grins). Now to finally finish the trim and last coat of paint (cough.cough dear husband).
• Many days I would just like to curl up with a good book and ignore the state of the house. I may have done that at least one day this summer. At least.
• The kids are staying up later. And later. And still getting up early. But listening to them talk and laugh at night – well, I just don’t want to tell them to be quiet, especially since they are getting along.
• The computer – well, over the last month and a half wifi or internet has been limited and it’s actually been nice. While there are ideas in my head of things to create, the push to do them has been not as heavy. It’s just been nice to not feel the need to do one thing. On the other hand, my inbox may push me over the proverbial edge.
• As much as I was looking forward to summer, it has been a lot crazier and busier than I envisioned. Is it wrong to say that I am ready for the routine of school to kick in?

And that…well, that’s it for the moment. I’m trying to get it all together for the upcoming school year and we’ve pushed our start date to Monday, August 11th just so we can get a few things done and feel like there is some breathing room in life.

How are YOU doing?

In the last few weeks of summer we’ll be having some fun with Kiwi Crate, so I wanted to share a great deal they are offering right now with you all!

New customers can save $10 on all subscription packages using the promotion code GET10. For one week only, you can also take advantage of FREE shipping.

Not familiar with Kiwi Crate? Here’s a quick overview on how it works. Kiwi Crate is a monthly subscription service that provides all the hands-on materials to inspire creative, educational fun. 

Each crate that arrives on your doorstep comes with everything you need for 2-3 activities – art, science, games, imaginative play, and more – to enjoy with your kids. Have more than one child? You can add on sibling kits to your order too.

Colorful Inspiration Kiwi Crate

Shadow & Light Kiwi Crate

Themes vary from month to month and Kiwi Crates are appropriate for both boys and girls ages 3 to 8. You can view other sample crates HERE. The free shipping offer is a GREAT deal right now (normally $6.95) – so be sure to take advantage of the $10 savings on all subscription packages using the promotion code GET10!

It’s a bit hard to believe that we’re already partly through July! Summer seems to be flying by, especially knowing we’ll be starting back with our full school year in early August. Our summer homeschool plans? Well, here’s a peek at how we’ve been doing there.

Somehow I always envision summer as being this relaxed and laid back time (which it has been!!), but there is always so much to do and travel to visit family inevitably makes it feel so much fuller. Our family loves camping too, so with weekends spent away from home too – well, it’s just a full summer!

How We’re Doing…

For the most part, we’ve been sticking to the basics quite well.

• Reading – two of the kids have been working on their reading out loud skils (the boys) and the girls have been little reading fiends. It’s great to see them toting a book along to the pool or express that they haven’t had enough time to read lately! We’ve also been enjoying some read aloud time too, sometimes via audio books. Trips to the library = heaven. Our most recent audio book was Sky Jumpers and we are currently listening to Igraine the Brave.
• Math – we need to do a better job on reviewing math facts, but everyone has wrapped up their full lessons and is ready for the new year!
• Science – all of our lessons are done and it’s just been fun exploring outside!
• PE – I feel like we have water coming out our ears (literally). We’ve been at the pool a LOT with swim team and we still have a few more meets to wrap up. For those of you that participate in sports year round – wow. This block of time in the summer always makes me wonder how in the world we would get anything done! We are all enjoying the poolside though!
• Rest – this is one area that tends to make me feel guilty, but I have personally really been trying to soak in all that I can get! Everyone in the house has done a lot of reading, especially mom. And resting by the pool. Sitting still is hard for me, and while I do feel at times that there is so much that needs to be done – well, rest is equally important too!

Planning for the Upcoming Year

Looking ahead to August, the upcoming year will be busier with Laurianna starting some high school classes and one of our co-ops shifting to a weekly setting for classes she’ll be working on in a group setting. At the moment I am feeling rather unprepared for the upcoming year. Other than knowing what we are using for our studies, there has been ZERO planning done on my end.

ZERO, people. The irony that one of my  topics at Teach Them Diligently was about planning – that hasn’t escaped me (grins). 

Truthfully, relaxing has been nice. Very nice.

The planner part of my brain (which is about 95%) is sounding alerts and warnings that the end is near.

But, there is a wee part of my brain that is reminding me to breathe and just take it one day at a time. (Can someone hand me a paper bag, please?). And so I breathe in – and breathe out.

The next few weeks involve more travel, but also time spent reorganizing our school room for the upcoming year and getting an overall game plan in place. Since there is plenty of car time coming up, that will be a time for me to put the overall framework of our year in place (figure out how many lessons/weeks, etc… and what needs to be done when).

So….how are your summer school plans going? And have YOU started planning for next year yet?

This week our family is camping at Hatteras Sands. Relaxing. Soaking in the sun.

Minus the laptop.

(There may be a game of Candy Crush in there at some point – shhhh).

Otherwise, lots of reading, enjoying time with friends, and relishing a good Apple Ugly from The Orange Blossom (seriously, if you all are ever down here, you need to stop and get one. Stat).

So…you likely won’t hear from me until Friday. And that’s a good thing.

Have a fun week with your family!

Note: Our family enjoyed a free visit to Michaels for some crafting fun in exchange for sharing this program with my readers (and no clean-up after).

Crafts are something our kids enjoy, but make my heart start beating fast at the ensuing mess that may ensue – because, let’s face it, there are lots of messes to be made! We may have the basic supplies for projects on hand, but usually nothing too fancy.

This summer, Michaels is offering the Passport to Imagination Museum Road Trip program where THEY supply all of the craft supplies, ideas, and guidance for your kids – and the mess stays at the store. Your kids get to take home their fun projects and to me, that equals a HUGE win!

This year’s art projects are focused on various museums in the US and Canada and teach on technology, marine life, textiles, natural history, and more. Each week there are three classes (each class features a different hands-on project).

Our kids visited this week along with a few of their friends (which was great since it was over 90 degrees). The kids ranged in age from 7 up through 11 – and it was perfect for all of them.

Each of the kids received a ‘souvenir album’ where they can see the different projects that will be worked on each week and the go-along at home projects. The booklet also has fun games, book suggestions, and challenges for kids to work on during the course of the program. (Dear moms – there is also a 40% off coupon on the back cover – cough).

During their 2 hour visit they worked on creating a dinosaur skeleton dig project based on the T-Rex exhibit at the Field Museum in Chicago. All of the supplies were provided by the store, including a 4×6 photo album where they will store the album projects they create (this week was a drawing of a dinosaur).

One of the things our kids loved were the at-home project suggestions. After their time at the store, they were excited to spend some time crafting and recreating a few of the projects they missed (above is the layers of the earth diagram). They also worked on a crayon resist art project too. 

Getting the kids crafting and focused on something other than technology during the summer months is also a HUGE win too! I love that the projects are hands-on and focused on learning about the world around us.  As a mom, I love that the projects for the summer are already planned out so we can see which ones our kids will be interested in creating. There are several that the kids are earmarking and wanting to attend in the upcoming weeks: a duct tape purse/wallet, a zoetrope, several Perler bead projects, and a fun biplane project as well.

Interested in Joining?

The Passport to Imagination program offers seven weeks of projects inspired by museums and exhibits. Each two-hour in-store project is $2 per child and takes place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon (note: there are 3 different projects each week). If you love the project, you can also purchase additional themed project kits to work on at home.

Week 1 – The Field Museum
June – Mon 16 / Wed 18 / Fri 20

Week 2 – Georgia Aquarium
June – Mon 23 / Wed 25 / Fri 27

Week 3 – PIMA Air & Space Museum
June Mon 30 / JULY Wed 2 / Fri 4

Week 4 – Perot Museum of Nature and Science
July-  Mon 7 / Wed 9 / Fri 11

Week 5 – Denver Art Museum
July – Mon 14 / Wed 16 / Fri 18

Week 6 – The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology  
July -  Mon 21 / Wed 23 / Fri 25

Week 7 – Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
July – Mon 28 / Wed 30     AUGUST – Fri 1

Sign up for Passport to Imagination at Michaels.com/Passport or visit your local store to register your children. You can view the projects online and see which ones you’d like to attend!

This week (and as long as the listings are still available), I’m hoping that many of you will be able to both find and sell some used homeschool curriculum along with us!

I *heart* great used curriculum deals. Finding them for our own family is a huge blessing and then being able to sell things that we are finished using (for a great price) is an added bonus. Especially because we can use the sale money to stock up for the upcoming year.

Below you will find links to what other homeschool moms are selling. Just click over to visit any of their pages to see what is offered.

If you have something to sell, please feel free to link up a blog post. If you don’t have a blog, create a Google document with your items listed and then add your public link to the linky.

Most important – be sure to add selling terms and read them if you are buying!

Ready to look around and find some deals? Click over and visit any of the sites below – happy shopping!