Summer, Pt. 2

I love summer! We made another summer list this year...and I all but forgot about the 4 foot list staring at me from our blackboard until August. It was time for some efficiency ~ we became really good at swinging three or four list items into an afternoon ie: play tennis, attend a local outdoor concert {perspiration and all} and then indulge in a treat of the best ice cream evah at Whit's. We're down to our last 2 summer activities to cross off {a drive-in movie and finish the last of 3 read-aloud books}...we have until Sept. 21st, right?

July is a blur: a flurry of swim meets and CC meetings. We sprinkled in a fair amount of trips to the pool and a little live music in there, too. Oh, and the Olympics...we soaked the Games up!

 

I'm still loving CC and what it has done for our family. Structure and accountability, friends, the "going-to-school" experience. Invaluable. And so, this spring Sweet Man and I felt called into helping the organization grow so that more families in our area have this option for homeschooling.

One of my responsibilities in my new position with Classical Conversations is to run a three day meeting for parents. During my interview process, I asked my boss if I could take a pass on the task. Impressive, no?  I thought for sure that would be a deal breaker for her, but no...I was offered the position. 

Really, you know me ~ running the show is not a skill of mine. I'm a worker bee, not a queen bee. Give me a specific task and I'll do it...I may even it do it well and come in on time. But I can't think of anything much more daunting than coming up with a plan for a big event. So, I couldn't imagine coordinating 4 camps for kids, 3 full days of meetings for a large group of adults, 2 levels of training for CC tutors, recess, snacks, speakers, helpers, etc. Overwhelming...

Thank goodness CC does not expect me to reinvent the wheel and there are great plans already developed. My largest task was filling in the blanks of the different positions. CC families and leaders largely have hearts that serve. So many people stepped up and volunteered to help. I think it went as well as could be expected...a little over-budget and I already have a long list of things I will do differently next time. The meeting was only 3 days long but it kept me busy for the last 2 weeks of July.

In my preparation for the meeting, I read a wonderful summation  in Climbing Parnassus of what Classical Conversations does for our family.

"The way to acquire a good taste in anything, from pictures to architecture, from literature to character, from wine to cigars, is always the same - be familiar with the best specimens of each." We must educate the head and the heart alike: "The sight of goodness in life or in literature or history gives a standard and a challenge. If anyone has been able to compare the first-rate with the second-rate, his criticism will not be merely bitter and barren, but creative, born of a vision perceiving the good, dominated by it and desiring to bring it to birth." p. 44

{paraphrase} To our families, we should introduce examples of God's Truth, Beauty, and Goodness so that in life we are capable of recognizing God's Truth, Beauty, and Goodness.

To celebrate that work surge {and my impending 40th birthday} we took off the next day for a 5 day camping trip. It was lovely...perfect weather, great company, and extra friends for a little party. I loved our campsite and our neighboring campsites, occupied by friends. There was wading creek that kept the kids entertained for hours and although our site had a steep path down to it, the next door sites had an easier slope with another piece of level ground. That's where I wanted to be all weekend...on the "patio," in my lounger, drink in hand, with friends to chat, watching the kids splash around. And that's just what I did for a number of hours that weekend.

The only thing missing was music. We brought a little radio but I forgot the media cord to connect our Pandora-loaded phones. Just like our wedding...all was perfect, save the music.  Wah~wah....

And that brought us to 3 weeks of quiet in August where we caught up with friends, sleepovers, books, bike rides, campfires and plenty of screen time...lots of screen time. 

But we're back on track and schedule as of yesterday...school is back in session! My first and third grader {and their teacher} had a fantastic first day!