Summer Check-In

We're about half way into the summer break so I thought I'd give a quick update on the happenings around the LeRoy household.  First we started the summer off with lots of visitors.  My niece, my parents, and Denny's sister and family all came to visit between late May and mid-June.  Sometimes it was difficult to prepare meals and be the 'cruise director' for the group, but when all was said and done I really enjoyed all the company, and I was actually sad when they were all gone. 

Once the house was quiet we started filling our time with various activities. Kat started an acting class, James attended a sports camp, guitar lessons resumed, and youth group moved to Wednesday nights.  We've had kids come over and hang out, we've been to the beach a few times, and we're considering taking a few day trips around Florida.

As for me, summer is a great time to do research and plan for the upcoming year.  I wish the kids would be as excited as I am about new curriculum and choosing study subjects.  When I ask their opinions I usually get some mumbling about it being "summer time".   Even more horrifying for the kids is that I am insisting they do a little reading and math over the summer.  I decided to give "The Life of Fred" a chance.  It's the perfect way to combine the two subjects. It's funny, short, and something they can do on their own.  I wish I could say they are loving it, but because it's being introduced during June and July it's an automatic "hassle", "bummer", "insert your own word here_____". 

The real gems during the summer are when the kids get bored enough to come up with something interesting to do on their own.  Currently James is in his room taking apart an old computer.  Kat announced that she wants to learn German.  Emily is spending a lot of time working on a story she is writing based on The Warriors series (her favorite books.)   This is when the REAL learning takes place.  There's nothing that compares to be internally motivated.  Most likely none of these things will come to much but you never know when something might stick. 

I wish I could say that every moment is filled with such edification, but like most households we've had our share of bickering, TV watching, and video game playing.  In my case I've been able to get out and play golf, go for walks, and even exercise in the pool, but truth be told, I've also spent my fair share of time watching movies, surfing the net, and sitting with my feet up thinking of what to do next. As for Dennis, summer is his busy time of year.  All those vacations that other people take require pilots to take them to their destinations.  He's flying more than ever although with the blessing of living in base, we still see him every night.

That wraps up Part 1 of summer break 2013. Next month we've got a few things lined up so check back in a few weeks.