Our Side of the Mountain

Would you go swimming in 60 degree water? Nah, me either! But it doesn't slow my Saplings down! They swam for hours on Saturday....and Sunday...and Monday...and Wednesday...and Thursday. And I relaxed in my camp chair on the beach, reading Under the Dome, or chatted with friends who popped in with their kids for a dip too. The best part of summer: the lake, swimming, picnics, reading, and friends!

Swimming Late Last Summer...Because I Haven't Taken Any
Photos Yet This Year LOL

How'd your Memorial Day go?

We drove into town early and played at the playground with a friend before Sugar Maple lined up with the Girl Scouts to walk in the Memorial Day parade. It was the first parade in a VERY LONG TIME that we've been too! Afterward, we walked to the town beach and Sugar Maple and Balsam Fir swam while White Pine and I read on shore and observed a HUGE dragonfly that didn't want to leave my finger. Have you ever seen a dragonfly rub its head? LOL

Olive and Opal Have Moved into the Hen Coop - Hens and
Ducks Laying Eggs in Same Nest!

This week was a slower, more relaxed one with a couple of days of thunder and downpours. As slow as they can be with 3 kiddos and their activities, housework and gardening, and this, that and the other thing. ((wink))

Balsam Fir and his Robot Lego

Sugar Maple got her new glasses! I was a little worried she would be upset about needing them (even though it's inevitable if you look at our extended family), but she thinks they're pretty cool!

I'm excited to write that Balsam Fir has almost completed his 2nd Henry and Mudge book, Henry and Mudge and the Long Weekend!

And I started another read aloud book, Holes, because Peter Pan flopped! Have you ever tried to read aloud Peter Pan? Bleck! The kids also did not "get" parts of the story and felt "lost". So out with the old and in with the new!

This week's summer studies were mostly Math and Reading or Spelling for the Saplings. Nothing new really, but DEFINITELY check out our first summer learning unit inspired by Pinterest post here! We had hands-on fun with MATH COORDINATES!

So, this week (Saturday - Thursday) I decided to keep track of how many hours the kids were outside and how many hours they watched something with a screen for The Daily Outdoor Challenge at Cultivated Lives. Why? Just because! LOL I was curious!

Outside Challenge Time: 23 hours Inside Screen Time: 13 hours

Looks like we need to work on less screen time! I was surprised that they watched that much TV this week! (I think the 2 days with rain really added up the screen time.) But I am happy about the hours outside!