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A Mid-Summer "hello!"



Is your summer flying by as quickly as ours is?!  I am kind of sad that it's already almost the end of July.  It has been such a busy summer for us that there hasn't been much relaxing getting done.

However, this week has slowed down for us quite a bit {thank goodness!!} and the schedule doesn't look too terribly bad through the end of August.  I think that we even have a real vacation in there somewhere!

Anyway, I thought I'd post a little update on what we've been up to this summer so far.

Reading:

My personal reading list for this summer is clicking right along.  So far I've read:

  • Just RISE UP! by Sarah Francis Martin  {motivating and inspiring}
  • Life of Pi by Yann Martel  {captivating story, twist in end really got me}
  • Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie  {loved ...as I love all of her books}
  • Crooked House by Agatha Christie
  • Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie
  • Miss Marple, the Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie
  • The Book Thief by Markus Zusak  {good story, interesting narrative}
  • Soul Friends by Dr. Leslie Parrot  {very refreshing ...review coming soon}
Right now I am currently reading Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto--excellent read so far!  And I am deviating from my original summer list and reading the second Anne book: Anne of Avonlea.   

The kiddos are doing well with their summer reading challenge although their momentum has died down a bit.   So far Mr. B has earned a total of $13.55 for his total pages read, plus numerous coupons and even a golden ticket.  The Princess has earned $31.61, plus quite a few coupons and several golden tickets.  And they're both still reading away!  Very proud of them!  At the end of the summer I'll try to remember to post all of the books they've read.  

at the Creation Museum

Travel:

In June we took an overnight trip to visit the Discovery Park of America.  That was totally worth the trip~a great place to visit!  Later in June we took a church youth trip to the Cincinnati area and spent a day at the Creation Museum and a day at Kings Island.  We had a great time!  We don't have any other trips planned until next month.      

at Kings Island

Family Fun:

At the beginning of the summer we made our annual 'Summer Fun List' with all of the things we think would be fun to do this summer--although we know we probably won't be able to do them all.  

So far we have:
  • gone to see 'Inside Out' at the drive-in theater
  • gone to several ballgames to see the regional collegiate league play
  • gone geocaching (SO much fun!)
  • had a sleepover or two
  • had a blast at family VBS at our church
  • 'Camp Nana'--where the kiddos spent a couple of days straight with my mom and did lots of fun stuff, like science kit experiments

And that's what we've been up to lately.  

What about you?  I'd love to hear how your summer is going!

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