Summer is here and the boys have spent at least every day being kids – riding their bikes around the neighborhood, going to the park, having water fights and working in their workbooks.
I know, I bring the excitement. Since Jonathan was in Kindergarten I have bought workbooks designed for the summertime bridging the grade kids have left and the grade they are about to be in. It’s just a sheet every day.
This year, Oliver joins the fun and while we were picking out his teacher’s end of the year thank you present, he picked out his own workbook. Who am I to say no?
It’s also not a new thing – I used to get my nephews workbooks for their birthdays as well as reading books.
The boys also have their summer reading and are signed up for summer reading programs. It started with one – the summer program we have been doing the last few years at Oxford Public Library. But then, it was so easy to sign them up for the summer reading program at Clarkston Independence District Libray. Well… they are now signed up for four after signing up online at Orion Township Public Library after the youth librarian handed over the bingo sheet to the boys last week and the Brandon Township Public Library.
All of them are local libraries and we visit at least one library once a week. Last week we visited three libraries – it was just the way it worked out. It was also really easy to sign the kids up for the programs – online and in person.
Though each library has the same theme “Color Our World,” each one is doing something different. It’s fun to see the different ways they bring the theme to life.
It’s also easy to keep track how long the boys are reading each day. Though we are behind on logging those minutes, the boys are reading. Even if it’s me reading to Oliver at bedtime – his latest picks are stories about the Pigeon by Mo Williems. Jonathan has been reading books in the Diary of the Wimpy Kid series and picked up a few American Chillers books by Johnathan Rand. I think he is preparing for another visit to Chillermania this summer.
I have done pretty well with my reading. I finished two books I had started in May – both non-fiction, both were in different formats as one was a audiobook and the other one was a physical book. I finished “Stephen King: His Life, Work and Influences” by Bev Vincent. It was good – just enough of little things in King’s life and work.
The last few days I haven’t read anything. I’m at the in between stage of I want to read everything and also nothing jumps out at me. I still have “Madly, Deeply: the Diaries of Alan Rickman” by Alan Rickman in my tote. Though every time I read some of his entries, I think of things I want to write in my journal or think I should be writing in my own journal and not reading someone else’s writing. I also have two fiction books in the tote. Maybe I will find time and reading inspiration inside, in the air conditioning during this week’s hot temperatures.
I haven’t listened to any more audiobooks with the boys being home on summer break.
But, I have read 11 books of my 15 goal for 2025 so I will either up my goal when I make it or at the end of summer take a look at what I might be able to achieve in the last four months of the year.
As for my other 2025 goal to scrapbook 25 pages per quarter, I made goal for the second quarter. I just needed nine more and I made it with 17 pages last Saturday. Jonathan, Oliver and Mike had a sons and dad day, and I had a day chilling in the basement getting crafty. I worked on Oliver’s first year album – finishing May and starting June.
I felt like I was getting into a lot of repeat for pages. It’s seven years since I took photos of all his first moments and all the fun things he was becoming curious in. There were a lot of play photos I didn’t include in the scrapbook because I had a lot in previous months. I also have a lot of sleeping photos…a lot.
Yet when I checked my laptop to check some dates I found some photos weren’t printed. Grandpa (Papa) Price has mirrored doors for his closet in the front entry and O was just checking himself out in them. It was some fun photos but they weren’t printed.
I almost started Jonathan’s preschool pages. I took the photos out of the envelope, divided them into piles and started picking out paper. Then, I put everything back into the 12×12 bin and put it back on the shelf. I wasn’t ready. Soon. Jonathan will be in fourth grade in August. I have a little more time.
This year is finish Oliver’s first year album, finish the boys’ Florida albums and work on dad’s memorial pages. No problem at all.

  Wendi’s Word