Coffee With Elly

Mommy and Elena on the carousel! This summer had so many "Last Hurrah!" events! One of the first ones was our trip to Oaks Park. Last year we painstakingly filled out the library reading checklist at our local library to participate in the summer reading program just so that we could get the $5 ride coupons to our local amusement park. Then Judah got pneumonia and on the appointed day, we couldn't go. I knew I wanted to make up for the omission this year, but did we want to do the library program? On Two For One Tuesdays, the ride bracelets are buy-one-get-one-free - so about $8 per bracelet, less for the limited ones. Was it worth it to pay an extra $3 per child to NOT have the hassle of doing the summer reading program? Yes. Yes, it was. I've enjoyed the reading program in the past, but helping 5 kids keep track of their reading logs and fill them out is surprisingly not easy. Judah was the only one who signed up this year, and he lost his log a couple months...

Teaching our children to swim seems to be on that Parents Responsibility list we all have rattling around at the back of our minds. People have varying definitions of success. Some do Swim Team. Some of us just want to feel confident that if their kid falls off a dock, he won't drown. I'm in the latter category, but it is amazing to me how much investment it takes just to get one's kids to that that level of competency in the water!  So, swimming lessons have become part of my expectation of what summer holds. Judah and Ezra and Monica are taking lessons this year, and their lessons are staggered, so I've been spending an hour every morning by the wading pool outside watching the kids splash and play - and occasionally scream.  I've come to really look forward to the time sitting in the sun, taking to my friend Joanna. Possibly drinking Dutch Brothers coffee.... ;-) The weather this summer has been pretty great, too, as you can see in the pictures. H...