Monday, July 7, 2008

My Latest Thoughts

Today the kids have swimming lessons at the neighborhood pool (assuming the weather cooperates). J just figured out how to swim on the surface and underwater without holding his nose. He goes as far as he can for as long as he can hold his breath. He begins at level 2 today, but I expect this summer he will advance quickly. MC is repeating level 1 after a one-week hiatus. We will be at the beach with access to a pool in a couple of weeks, and I'm hoping they will solidify what they've learned so far.

Last week was Vacation Bible School at church. Both of my kids went and had fun too. Imagine that! I led the daily storytime for the whole group (which was around 80 kids) each morning. I had fun as well.

I checked out 3 books from the library last week: The Simple Home, How to Work with an Architect, and Do It Herself. So I've been thinking and dreaming about how to simplify our lives within our home and it's been an enjoyable thought process. Up until I read through these books, I'd been thinking that one day we'd have to add on to our home to get what we want out of it. But the theme throughout that I've discovered is that having less and more flexible space may be more suited to who we are as a family and what I want my kids to learn from the experience if/when we make significant changes to the house. Apparently a lot of people add on to their homes and then find they have spaces that they don't know how to use - wasted space. If/when we add on or remodel, I want to have the least possible impact on the environment while staying within our budget (which I hope to keep as small as possible). So I'm now walking around our house thinking about how we could change it on the inside to maximize our space function and suit our lifestyle and values.

My kids really are good friends and for that I am truly greatful.

1 comment:

Lynn said...

I like the "less and more flexible space" idea. let me know how the book "Do It Herself" is.