8 Things

My real life friend Mrs. Hawk tagged me with a meme, and since it's Friday and, more importantly, THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER VACATION, I'm going to play along.

(Mrs. Hawk is one of my dearly loved youth group girls from back in the day, by the way, and she is now two days past her due date for her very first baby. So go love on her and her swollen cankles if you have time.)

8 things I am looking forward to:
1. Family camp (in four weeks!)
2. Our ex-house selling
3. The local farmer's market opening in late June
4. A canoeing date with Corey next weekend
5. Getting to snuggle my sister's new baby (no date scheduled, unfortunately)
6. The birth of my second niece in July
7. Swimming as much as possible this summer
8. Being tan

8 things I did yesterday:
1. Attended Natalie's final day of school awards chapel; she got a character award for purity
2. Took the kids with some friends to a local park to celebrate the beginning of summer
3. Changed about five poopy diapers (one word: blueberries)
4. Tried to not be frustrated with a baby who wouldn't nap
5. Used a gift certificate to get a pedicure for the first time since February
6. Led a book club of fellow MOPS moms in a discussion of Susuanna's "All I Needs is Jesus and a Good Pair of Jeans: The Tired Supergirl's Search for Grace" and laughed my head off.
7. Ate a bowl of cereal for dinner after I got home from the pedicure/book club appointments
8. Read "The Last Cavalier," a book by Alexander Dumas that was recently "discovered" in his old papers; I read "The Counte of Monte Cristo" last month and was so taken with it, I've decided to read as many Dumas' novels as I can this summer.

8 things I wish I could do:
1. Get up early AND be happy about it
2. Take a nap every afternoon
3. Paint or draw well
4. Stop time
5. Discover a cure for cancer
6. Go to cooking school and become a chef
7. Return to television production and work for the Food Network or HGTV
8. Get 10 minutes to myself every day

8 shows I watch (here is where I'm going to frighten some of you):
1. Good Eats (when I can catch it)
2. Barefoot Contessa (when I can catch it)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

8 favorite fruits:
1. Peaches
2. Blackberries
3. Raspberries
4. Strawberries
5. Bananas
6. Pineapple
7. Cantaloupe
8. Grapefruit

8 places I'd like to travel:
1. Jamaica
2. The Carolinas
3. The Northeast
4. Colorado
5. National Parks in the off-season
6. Africa
7. New Zealand
8. Thailand

8 places I've lived:
1. Kentucky
2. Dallas, Texas
3. St. Paul, Minnesota
4. Phoenix, Arizona
5. La Jolla, California
6. San Diego, California
7. San Jose, California
8. Small Town, Minnesota

I'm supposed to end this by tagging 8 of you to continue the game. But I'm too tired. Even this nonsensical post has taken me 2.5 hours to write, due to constant interruptions.

When does school start again?

(Kidding. I'm kidding. But I think I do need to work on my grand Summer Plan, and pronto. I'm considering the installation of a mandatory quiet time every afternoon, even for the older kids. Anyone have advice on doing that to kids who haven't napped in years? Is it too hard to go back?)
Posted by Kelly @ Love Well on Friday, June 05, 2009

10 comments:

  1. JudyFriday, June 05, 2009 2:36:00 PM

    I had mandatory quiet times for my kids through most of elementary school. Saved my sanity (and their lives probably.) We told them they had to be in their rooms, on their beds for one hour right after lunch. They could read, play with toys, but they had to be quiet and on their beds. Sometimes they fell asleep, but not very often. They had clocks (analog) in their room. I told them what time they could get up. If they couldn't tell time, we had a cardboard clock my husband made and would set the time that showed what time they could get up. We used that too when the oldest would get up when he heard his dad in the shower (5am). Worked pretty good. The quiet times taught the kids that some down time and alone time is an okay/good thing.

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  2. Mrs. EFriday, June 05, 2009 4:09:00 PM

    An hour and a half of afternoon reading/writing/quiet acitivites is good for school age kids. They might discover a gift for scrapbooking or sketching. It keeps them from getting too far away from things learned in school. Just keep plenty of library books on hand.

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  3. Mocha with LindaFriday, June 05, 2009 7:39:00 PM

    Oh, yeah, I always had the kids go in their room with a book for an hour or hour and a half in the afternoon. And what's this about "how to do this to kids"? - Last time I checked, you were the mom! Not that you're going to be mean and obnoxious, but just "this is what we're going to do." Oh, and the best way to enforce kids cutting it short? Making it longer! (Okay, maybe a little mean & obnoxious! LOL)

    And regarding your "8 things I wish I could do: I'm sure if #8 happened, the other 7 would immediately follow suit. :-)

    And on 8 places you'd like to visit, why is Austin, Texas not on your list?! (I bet it's on Teyla's)

    Good Eats is a show? Down here it's a restaurant!

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  4. Lisa HellierFriday, June 05, 2009 10:02:00 PM

    Mandatory quiet time or room time as the boys call it has always been a staple of the house diet. It keeps everyone's head attached to their body.

    One way though that I try to keep it pleasant for the boys is to offer audio books on tape or cd (the library is a good source); always great books to read; coloring books, pens, pencils and paper for drawing, sketching, etc.; and an activity they look forward to for after room time. They know by now that if Mom "rests" then she will take them to the pool or some other such fun spot.

    Give it a try. We'll encourage you through it.

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  5. happygeekFriday, June 05, 2009 11:30:00 PM

    Pretty much every homeschooling family I know has mandatory quiet time in the afternoon. Even the teens. I don't know how it will go over with your kids, but my sister's kids have toys and books that are only for quiet playtime. That way they have something to look forward to that they can only do during that time.
    Happy summer!

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  6. Melissa StoverSaturday, June 06, 2009 1:01:00 AM

    the way your list looks on the tv shows is how mine would look on the fruit.

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  7. CrystalSaturday, June 06, 2009 12:44:00 PM

    This is a fun meme! :)

    I have been trying to enforce a manditory quiet time for my 3 year old who just stopped taking naps. Many days though I give in and just let him play. I'm going to keep working at it because I need the break!! He can't sit and read.. since he can't read! And at three looking at books takes a whole 5 seconds! Occasionally I'll get him to sit and watch an episode of Curious George! And even more rare are the days that he might actually fall asleep while watching it!
    I think it's a great idea though and I think your kids will do well with it! Just make it a rule and stick with it! Like someone said, it will be good for them and you! Have a fantastic summer!

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  8. NicoleMonday, June 08, 2009 11:20:00 AM

    I bet I know where you could make one of your travel dreams come true... :) Miss you!

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  9. TraceyTuesday, June 09, 2009 3:19:00 PM

    I definitely do a daily quiet time with my two girls! I've been blogging about our summer schedule where we do weekly themes with reading, writing, etc., because we'd all be a little crazy (and on each other nerves!) without it :)

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  10. AnonymousSunday, June 14, 2009 11:03:00 AM

    Start your own reading club (or, heck, you're in America, join the library's one). Institute "reading time" after lunch and make it non-negotiable. Just quiet time in their rooms...
    ...soon they'll be teenagers and the trick will be to get them to come OUT of their rooms ;) That's where we're at now.

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