Last year before school even got out, J was bored.  So we made this jar full of wonderful things to do.  If he got bored we were to stick our hands in and pull something out.  And whatever we pulled out we had to do.  I got the idea from Kiwi Kate when she was homeschooling, she had a jar for Mystery Monday (I think it was called).

Well, we never had to use it.  J did not get bored once.  I put the jar away and kept it for this Summer, just in case.  I took it down and dusted it off today, so we could have it ready and available at the first sign of boredom.  The jar is full of fun things, like a visit to a local beach, picnics at the park, visiting museums and playdates with friends we don’t get to see all school year long.   Hopefully, we won’t need to use it, but I know either way we will be doing some of the fun stuff from the jar anyway.  It just helps if we can’t think of what to do.

I didn’t realize that I hadn’t posted since last Wednesday, shame on me.  I don’t know where all of my time is going these days, but I think it is in my backyard somewhere.

Apple is officially and outside girl.  I  truly cannot keep her inside without a fight. After dropping J at school she wants to ride her bike on the driveway, which we do, and I should take photos of, for at least a half an hour if it isn’t raining.  Then we come in and do whatever tidying we need to do with her chanting “ouside, ouside, ouside” the whole time. Then it is into the backyard we go.

She definitely prefers the swings, but she also loves the sandbox.  And after it had been left open in the rain last week, she found it newly interesting to play with wet sand. This was taken Friday morning, she stayed in that position for a good twenty minutes fingering the wet sand, wondering why it wasn’t sliding through her fingers anymore.

 Then came Saturday morning, when Apple woke up with a fever.  I should say she went to bed with one Friday night and it was still there all day Saturday.  So our plans for going out and doing stuff while Hubby was working a rare Saturday were squashed and we had to find stuff to do around the house and outside that we don’t do every single day.

We got through it but, to keep J happy I sent him into the pool while Apple had her nap.  It is hard to believe that not three summers ago he was terrified to even go near the pool and I had to throw him in the water just to cool off on a hot day.  Now, I can sit on the sidelines in my “Lifeguard Chair” and supervise while he is in there swimming away.

 In this photo of J, I can truly see my Dad in him.  It is not often that I can see other family members in my children because I see them for themselves but, when I see photos and see that I captured an expression that is when I see others.  And this one right here is my Dad, from his hair to his chin to the way he is standing.  J had a great time in the pool and went in again on Sunday and today.  I, however, have not made it in.  Since it isn’t mandatory anymore, I can wait for the water to warm up for another week before I jump in.

Thank goodness we have a good sized backyard and that I love being outside as much as my kids do.  I will say that without working on my tan I am starting to turn a nice shade of brown.