…is slipping away far too quickly.  Back in early June, I had an elaborate plan to insure that summer wouldn’t devolve into 10 weeks of nothingness, leaving us 2 overindulged children devoid of intellectual stimulation and physical exercise.  I even made a chart for it.  That’s when you know I’m serious.  Everyone gets a new chart.  :)  Then, just as I introduced the plan, chickenpox hit.  Everything shifted. 3 weeks after oatmeal baths, Calamine lotion, and chicken soup, salmonella hit.  Then we hosted our first Sacramento conference - Convergence - all the kids came from Seattle for a visit and then our remodel began.  Here we are!

A plan is great, but sometimes real life gets in the way. As I ponder the past 6 weeks or so, real life has been A.O.K!  Lots of happy surprises have popped up, and the children still have functioning brains and their muscles haven’t atrophied.  It all worked out. 

Here we are with 3-4 weeks of summer left.  My husband and I felt it was time for a shift into a higher gear as we prepare for a new school year.  We jotted down a list of points important to us, then sat down and chatted with each of the boys individually, to posture them toward a new season.  We didn’t want to find ourselves at Labor Day weekend, feeling pretty lazy and totally unprepared for the first day of school.

I thought it might help you to have some of our notes.  Some items are personal, pertaining to the individual, so I won’t share those.  Ask God what’s important and unique for each of your children in this particular season.  These are some of the practical things we are enforcing: 

1. Clear bedtimes and wake-up times.  Earmarks of summer are staying up late and sleeping in.  We’re not waking them up when the rooster crows, but we are demanding reasonable times appropriate for their ages.  Alarm clocks must be set.
2. Daily reading time requirements (with approved books) in addition to Bible time.  I’d love to hear what your favorite books are/have been, for all different ages.  I plan to share some titles on the blog (I’ve been trying to get to that allll summer long.)  Finding a great book is like finding buried treasure.
3. Daily writing time.  There’s so much inside our kids.  I love to read what they write.
4. Daily exercise plan Monday thru Friday.  The average kid exercises one hour PER WEEK according to Reader’s Digest magazine.  That’s a sure path to Type 2 Diabetes.
5. Electronic privileges are earned by achieving these set goals.  This is always great leverage because kids love video/computer games and email time.
6. Day planners must be used for scheduling.  Each of the boys has a new diary to fill in so they can schedule their days ahead for success.  It’s too easy to get to the end of the day without achieving their goals.  Planning ahead is a good habit.

All the other stuff is customized to each kid.  Even though this list is pretty basic, perhaps it will get you moving in the right direction so that you’re better-prepared for the soon-approaching school year.  Grace and peace to you and yours!

As I approached the check-out, I looked over to see a healthy-looking man who appeared to be in his thirties, pushing a suffering man in a wheelchair.  It was a sight to behold, one sure to bring any tender-hearted soul to tears.  The emaciated, sickly-looking man sitting in the chair was covered head-to-toe with sores and bruises, holding his oxygen tank.  AIDs was a sure bet.  The caregiver exuded kindness, patience and long suffering as he hovered over his patient from the check-out to the vehicle they shared.  The process of getting the man out of the chair and into the car was lengthy enough to allow me to get two carts of groceries scanned at the register and complete my payment.  I felt compelled to connect with these likely unsaved souls, so I eyeballed them so as not to miss my opportunity.

Once I’d pounced on them out in the parking lot and chatted for awhile, the sick man said, “I’m dying”.  It was sobering.  We had a pleasant time of interaction and they allowed me to pray for them.  I was pretty nervous, but figured I didn’t really have anything to lose, but they had pretty much every thing to lose, so what the heck? 

I was hoping that by the end of my prayer they would be radically repentant, saved and healed by the power of God.  Well, let’s just say it wasn’t instantaneous :).  But I won’t stop trying.    Who knows, maybe I’ll run into them again at the store - healed, saved and praising God!  Why not?  Let’s dream big.

Technology is a lifesaver or a real bummer.  During the last couple weeks of July we’ve had some email issues at contact@denisemira.com and orders@denisemira.com along with issues posting comments on the blog.  Praise Him!  If you’ve been feeling ignored due to email failure, posting failure, etc., just know it isn’t you - it’s us!  Please try us again as we’d love to hear from you.

As you’ll recall, we’ve been in remodel mode for a few weeks now.  I figured some of you could relate to our current reality.  Seeing that we don’t yet have a kitchen sink or a stove top installed, we find ourselves out back a lot - the grill comes in handy and so does the hose . 

Here’s Seth Daniel, doing ‘big stuff’ (that’s what we call pots, pans, cookie sheets, mixing bowls) outside near the trash bin with a hose and bucket of water.  He, as always, had me laughing as he huffed and puffed, attacking the task somewhat awkwardly (along with shooting flies and observing wildlife) and then he ‘warned’ me there better be something really good to eat after his ‘worst job in the whole house’ was completed!  No one likes doing ‘big stuff’ but especially not out back in the gravel  in 90 degree heat.  (Instead of squirting flies, I think I’d be spraying myself down on a day like this if I was assigned such a task!)   

 …was once again such an enjoyable and effective time.  An army of home schoolers converged on the city of Modesto, California where VHE had labored tirelessly to provide a time for parents and teachers to be equipped, inspired and encouraged in their task of training up their young ones.  Here I’m hugging Colleen, the winner of our drawing at the No Ordinary Child booth, where we had the opportunity to interact with scores of parents and others involved in the huge home schooling army in our region and beyond.  It’s always a privilege to rub shoulders with those who have dedicated themselves to the call to raise tomorrow’s leaders. 

Many of you had a chance to meet my amazing assistant and friend, Cindy, as she managed all the details of our booth.  If you live in this region of the U.S. and are currently home educating or have a desire to do so, your time at the VHE would be time well spent as the huge array of curriculum and supply display booths are so helpful (I’m hoping I found the best math curriculum ever - I’ll let you know!) and the faculty of teachers and trainers is extensive and diverse.  The dates for next year are July 24th and 25th.

I think it would be safe to say that a great time was had by all!