I’ve been differently employed for more than two years now (meaning I work, but not at one place, not 9 to 5, and not always 40 hours per week). By far, my favorite perk of this nontraditional work schedule is the time I get to spend with our kids.
My husband was the stay-at-home parent for the first 11 years and, man, was I envious. Especially in the summer. I’d make charts, suggest theme weeks, leave lists of nearby activities and envision our boys absorbing all sorts of new information while lazily passing the time. Then, my first summer at home, I discovered how quickly those warm weeks fly by – and how quickly boredom sets in – so, ever the Girl Scout, I’m still adding to my summer stockpile.
Because we live in one county and work in another, we can take advantage of both counties’ public libraries. (Did you know you could do that?) Oldham County (home) has a nice summer reading program and is offering their Seed Library again. Jefferson County (work) has a summer reading program and a Cultural Pass, giving our kids and one parent free access to sites in and around Louisville. We’ve only been to 6 of the 30 sites listed on this pass, so we’re looking forward to being tourists in our own town.
Last night I used Facebook to crowdsource ideas for books our boys might enjoy reading. They’re both picky readers (I’ll confess, it’s a trait they get from me), so I try to provide lots of options. Oh, and I’ll have to I’ll have to gradually add these to their Kindles and bookshelf, so they can discover them on their own, because if I recommend them forget it.
I’m blessed with tons of teachers among my FB friends, giving me great suggestions. One, who teaches gifted 6th graders, sent me pics of the bookshelves in her classroom, allowing me to virtually peruse her collection (isn’t that brilliant?!). I found some via Kindle Unlimited and snagged a few from Half Price Books, so that’s a start.
I think my next project needs to be finding things I will enjoy doing this summer. You know me pretty well. Any suggestions?