Summer In New England Is....

...Clams

...Crustaceans

...Crabs

...Country hikes

...and cat-naps...

How is your family enjoying summer in your corner of the world?

Slowing Our Pace

In the city, we're busy. There is so much going on that sometimes our days can seem like a whirlwind. And with Daddy on vacation for a few days last week, the days get even more packed with fun.

Today we are back at the lake and the pace is much slower. I think I forget sometimes how important and refreshing it is for us to have some slower-paced days. We have been able to make time for painting, and creating, and sibling play. It's a good reminder to pay closer attention to our daily rhythms and build in more unstructured home time, rather than always dashing off to this playground or that museum.

Homeschooling Friends

We feel very fortunate to have great homeschooling friends with whom we are lucky to spend our time, particularly on hot June days.

We had fun this week exploring tidal pools with our friends, swimming in the lake, building forts in the closet, reading books, and enjoying our time together.

Driving

In the city, I rarely drive my car, but here at the lake house we have to drive everywhere. I am currently reading, Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less Are The Keys to Sustainability, by David Owen. It talks about how the carbon output for the average city-dweller is significantly less than for those who live elsewhere, mainly because in the city we drive so infrequently and walk to everything. I love this quote from the book:

"City dwellers who fantasize about living in the country usually picture themselves hiking, kayaking, gathering eggs from their own chickens, and engaging in other robust outdoor activities, but what you actually do when you move out of the city is move into a car, because public transit is non-existent and most daily destinations are too widely separated to make walking or bicycling plausible as forms of transportation." (p. 5)

While we definitely do a lot of hiking and kayaking here in the country, I don't like that I have to drive 12 miles to the nearest bookstore compared to walking a half-mile to one in the city. I can feel my carbon footprint creeping upward, and have a greater appreciation for my pedestrian city life.

Hiking

I love June. Long days, warmer winds, and the bursting desire to discover the outdoors after a snowy winter and capricious spring make June the ideal month for hiking with the kids.

We spent yesterday morning meandering along a curvy bike path at a nearby state forest. While in the city we have lots of rules and limitations on our walks along busy sidewalks, here in the country, quiet forests allow for unfettered exploration. J can linger by the ferns and pick up every rock, while M can ride her bike freely. The woods create so many organic learning moments for the kids and allow all of us to decompress and marvel at Mother Nature.

We switched from forest to seashore yesterday afternoon, and took a short hike to a rocky beach where Daddy and the kids investigated countless snails and crabs in the tidal pools, while A and I watched from the picnic blanket.

There is so much joy in hiking and exploring outdoors with the kids. Here is a great article on hiking with kids from the summer issue of Rhythm of the Home. Written by a homeschooling mom in Colorado, it has some great insights about maximizing family time in the woods. Happy hiking!

Country Homemaking

Other than needing to drive to the farm stand and supermarket, country homemaking has been strikingly similar to city homemaking. Since first writing about my city homemaking goals back in April, I haven't bought a loaf of bread and am spending most of my time in the produce section of the market. (For someone who, yes, always bought packaged, pre-cut carrots, this shift toward pure homemaking is a big deal.)

My husband said that while we're at the lake house, I should just relax my homemaking and buy a loaf of bread or a jar of pasta sauce. But as bizarre as it sounds, I find that focusing more on homemaking gives me additional energy and a greater sense of accomplishment throughout the day. It sounds counterintuitive, that somehow spending my toddler's naptime peeling vegetables instead of resting in front of the laptop gives me additional stamina; but I think staying constantly busy around the home really does lead to higher satisfaction levels.

The challenge, as I've discussed with several homeschooling homemakers lately, is striking a balance between homemaking and mothering. It's entirely possible to spend the whole day in the kitchen making food from scratch, so I try to do as much as I can while my toddler naps and during other quiet play times.

The rewards are the delicious smells from my kitchen and the hope that maybe-- just maybe-- my kids will actually eat something I cook for them.

The Supermarket

In the city, we always walk to one of the small, local markets nearby for our groceries, but here at the lake we drive to the big supermarket.

The kids so infrequently visit large supermarkets that to them it's very exciting-- particularly the opportunity to ride in the big shopping cart and receive free cheese slices from the deli counter. They were having so much fun in their little car that we lingered at the supermarket... just long enough for me to get yet another "are they all yours" inquiry! Apparently shopping with three kids under age five is as eye-popping here in the country as in the city.

City Kids, Country Kids

As much as we adore the city, trips to our lake house provide a welcome change of scenery and a host of new adventures.

Today we spent some time doing impromptu math problems at the beach inspired by the mallards and ducklings who floated by (i.e., 2 groups of 3 ducklings equals how many, if mama duck had two more babies, how many babies would she have, etc.). I also let M choose her own chapter book at the bookstore, and she wouldn't let the day pass without us finishing it.

I am still very much a "city mouse" at heart, but I am thankful that homeschooling allows us to spend beautiful Tuesdays in May learning in the country.