And summer begins

With summer break now officially upon us (94 days and counting until the first day of school...) I'm working on typing up a list of both outdoor and indoor activities to have on hand for those days we really need something to do. At this point in the break I'm usually pretty excited to not have to be out the door at a certain time each day. But it doesn't take long to realize that wiling away our time at home leads to constant fighting. And I already dread grocery shopping with kids in tow..... So I'm hoping to be proactive in having ideas at the ready. I also want to make sure I carve out some space for stillness, so we're going to have daily reading time. 

I'm finding that my newest favorite spot for quiet time is our front porch. When we moved in, I was so in love with being near water that I figured I'd never be anywhere but in the back yard looking at the pond. But often the wind coming across the water and out of the North can be a challenge to reading or relaxing, so I've been working at creating an inviting space in the front. I now find that I look forward to having a cup of coffee and a quick magazine read on warm, weekend mornings in our front rocker more than anything else. A couple new hanging plants and wind chimes makes me especially happy to be on the porch. I'm hoping I can find a few minutes each day to sit out here and be still, even with all the boys at home for the next 93 days. (But who's counting?)