The summer days here in South Louisiana are extremely hot, which means we are spending the majority of our time here at home. The heat index is up to 115°F, and our van’s A/C just can’t compete with the heat, so it is safer to stay indoors.
We have learned ways to keep from suffering from “cabin fever” by playing games with the girls, extending homeschool through the weekends (which Sofia loves), making use of the girls’ water table outside under the shade of our patio, reading to the girls, and just plain old spending time together as a family.
I purchased a laminator not too long ago, and have been printing and laminating lots of little learning games for Sofia and Charlotte. If you are looking for some great and fun preschool printables for your little ones 1+1+1=1 has some great free printables!
My best friend over at Generation Four posted some great resources on her blog as well. We purchased the wooden calendar from Target that she mentioned and I printed out the weather activity too! I had printed out the ABC clothes pin game awhile back, but just recently laminated it, Sofia loves it.
Surprisingly the girls really enjoyed watching the “Homestead Blessings: The Art of Sewing” DVD with me one afternoon, and Sofia and I plan to make her and Charlotte’s dolls pillows, pillowcases and blankets! I think Sofia would thoroughly enjoy helping me sew! Vision Forum has some wonderful resources and fun toys for children of all ages. They currently have a special offer of $25 off any purchase of $75 or more that ends today! So, head on over and see what they might have that you might be interested in having!
Also, today over at ChristianAudio is the last day to download A.W. Tozer’s audiobook “The Pursuit of God” for July’s free download! I downloaded it today and can’t wait to listen to it.
Have you heard of Tim Challies’ new program “Friends of the Blog”? For an annual subscription of $39 you are provided with access to lots of great resources. We subscribed shortly after Mr. Challies revealed the new site. Malachi and I have been thoroughly impressed with all of the great things we have been given through the subscription. It is definitely worth checking out and supporting!
Have you been thinking about growing your own fruits and vegetables, in an effort to become more self-sustaining? Malachi and I are currently living in an apartment, but are permitted to grow plants, including fruits and veggies, so long as we keep it looking neat outside on our patio. We have switched to an all organic/ all-natural diet, and have been contemplating starting our own little garden of easy to grow vegetables and fruit. It is kind of late to start growing in South Louisiana in July, but being prepared for next year is always a great thing! Over at change.org, Nicole Makris gives 3 Tips to Start Growing Your Own Food. (I got the link from Food, Inc’s facebook page today.) If you haven’t seen the documentary entitled Food, Inc. we highly recommend seeing it in order to be informed about where your food comes from.
Of course the other big thing we have been doing lately is listening to Vision Forum’s Baby Conference, and enjoying every second of it! As promised I will be doing another giveaway for the conference on MP3 CD soon! Stay tuned for that!
I am going to start sewing some dresses for the girls and skirts for myself again soon. I am hoping to find a good pattern for maternity skirts. I have been wearing skirts exclusively for well over a year now and have thoroughly enjoyed the more feminine apparel. This does not mean that I don’t have my days, especially during this first trimester, that I just stay in my sweat pants and t-shirt all day! However, if I am going to be out of the house, I make it a point to look presentable. I thought switching to skirts exclusively would be difficult, but it is like any other habit, once you start doing it, it becomes second nature. Sofia really enjoys it when she gets a new dress because she sees me in dresses and skirts. Charlotte is still a little too young to care either way J I do hope to bring Sofia a long side me and start teaching her how to sew, even if it is just her watching me doing it. Sewing is a skill I was never taught as a young girl, and I believe it is an important self-sustaining life skill that both my girls and boys (Lord willing) would benefit from knowing.
I do hope that some of the ideas I mentioned above give you some ideas for staying cool during these summer months. Spending time with our husbands and children is paramount no matter what season is upon us. Making our families a priority is a part of our ministry in raising generations that will remain faithful to the Lord’s perfect design and plan for the family!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Serving God and My Family,
Crystal <>< (SAHM)
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