May 19, 2025 • 38 mins
Could you create a summer for your homeschooling family that’s both restful and magical? By choosing meaningful activities, embracing cherished traditions, and keeping things simple, you can craft a summer that you’ll look back on with satisfaction.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, my friends, and welcome back.
Okay, summer is almost here and for some
people summer is here.
For me not quite.
My kids are still in enrichment programs.
We're still in the thick of it with
finishing up curriculums and that little
bit of curriculum that we use.
We do use a math curriculum and I do have
(00:23):
my kids write every day, and actually
during the summer we continue to do that,
which we're gonna talk about here in a
second.
But for some people, especially if you're
new to homeschooling perhaps you're about
to start homeschooling or you've been
homeschooling this year there's some amount
of anxiety as to what do you do during the
summer.
(00:43):
And I don't know about you, but for those
of you who have been homeschooling in the
past, my summers have either been like
where I didn't do anything and then we got
to the end of the summer I'm like, oh, we
just wasted that whole, like all that time.
Or I overbook and overcommit myself, which
happens far more than not, where I'm like
(01:04):
the kids are going to do a million things.
We're going to do swimming lessons and
we're going to do vacation Bible school and
we're going to do this lesson and this
lesson and these camps Although, let's be
honest, the pocketbook does limit how many
camps children can do.
So I've been thinking about this as we're
gearing up into summer, and today I want to
talk about how we can make our summer plans
(01:28):
matter.
And so at the end of the summer you look
back with fond memories instead of regret
that you didn't do enough or regret that
you did too much.
We're going to talk about finding that
happy medium somewhere in the middle, where
we we finished the summer, where we still
(01:49):
feel rested, but at the same time we feel
like that was a worthwhile summer.
So as we get into that, I want to share a
little story with you.
Um, last fall my kids and I promise this
relates, you'll see it, it will come full
circle, my friends Last last fall, the
(02:10):
school that my kids went to, or the high
school that they would have gone to, like
it's a K through 12 school, so they went to
that school.
They never went to high school there, but
they would have gone to high school there.
They did a play, they did a very specific
musical and, um, they did Willy Wonka.
(02:31):
I'll just tell you what musical it was.
They did Willy Wonka, and my daughter, my
teenage daughter, is in an enrichment
program where once a week they meet
together and they work all year long once a
to put on a show at the end of the year.
So, and the show that they had picked was
also Willy Wonka.
And so it was interesting because here
(02:53):
their old school was doing it in August and
then we would be doing it in May, which it
just closed last week.
So so I went to see the play and the kids
did a great job.
Um, that in August, right, this other
school did a great job when we knew several
of the kids that were in the play from
(03:14):
church and from when my kids went to public
school and and the kids did a really
terrific job.
But you have to understand, my degree um is
in theater studies with an emphasis in
costume, hair and makeup design, and I've
taken all of the set classes and the
(03:34):
lighting classes and all of the tech
theater classes and directing.
I, like I had to take all those classes.
I've directed shows, I've designed for
several shows, then I taught, and so, as
I'm sitting there watching the play last
August, the kids are just putting their
hearts and souls into it and they did like
(03:55):
their acting was great and they did a great
job and there was pieces of directing that
were really fun, but the tech elements were
grossly lacking and I mean, we're talking
like the part of the factory where, like
the kids come on tour and they come into
the factory and it's this magical candy
(04:16):
world.
It was a gray set, like there was no candy.
There was no, it was just a gray platform
and so visually I'm like, oh, that's kind
of a letdown.
And the costumes, it was almost like.
And there was a couple of costumes that
were really good.
The guy who played the candy man you could
tell his mom probably did the costume.
It was adorable.
He had a red tie and a white button down
(04:38):
shirt on and a red striped vest and a red
apron and then he had black pants and black
shoes and kind of this wedge cap Like they
have it in and out burgers, except for like
it was a candy man hat and it was.
He looked adorable, right, and he sang you,
you know the Candyman can.
And then Violet Beauregard and her mom had
(05:00):
a matching, had matching jogging suits, but
otherwise the costumes were like.
It was almost like the theater teacher the
night before was like, oh shoot, we're
doing Willy Wonka tomorrow and I need you
guys to go and find some costumes from your
closet and wear them tomorrow, like that's.
That's what it visually looked like.
(05:21):
It was just kind of like very thrown
together.
There's no cohesiveness to the show.
As far as the technical visual elements go,
again, their singing was great and their
acting was great and there was fun parts of
directing that they had done, but the
visual elements were pretty grossly lacking.
(05:42):
And so I'm sitting there watching the show,
knowing that our enrichment program, which
is done through the school district,
actually, ironically enough, I'm sitting
there watching it and, by intermission, I
have all of these thoughts in my head.
Of man, wouldn't it be cool if the candy
(06:03):
kids were wearing black and white and then
there was splashes of color like they had,
like the girls might have like hot pink
tights or you know, like some splashes of
color?
And wouldn't it be cool if it was set in
the 1960s when the book was actually
written, not in the 70s when the original
movie was made, but like in the 60s when
(06:24):
the book was written, so that we get Roald
Dahl's like what he would have seen as he's
writing this book right?
Um, and I loved when wonka the musical came
out with timothy, timothy chalamet, like
the visual elements were just stunning,
right, it was so just just beautifully done.
(06:46):
And so all these thoughts are running
through my head.
And so at intermission I messaged the three
teachers, because they have a choreography
teacher, they have a vocal coach, and then
they have the main director, and then they
have an art teacher that helps with the set
design for the enrichment program, for the
homeschooling group.
So I text them and I'm like, hey, if you
(07:07):
guys wouldn't mind, which they'd brought up
the year last year.
They said, hey, we know that you were a
designer, would you be willing to help with
the play?
And I said, sure, but then I hadn't talked
to him since, you know, the end of last
year.
So I text them, I messaged them, I'm like,
hey, I've got some ideas for a concept for
Willy Wonka.
(07:28):
Since we're doing it, if you wouldn't mind,
could I share some of the ideas with you?
And so they're like, absolutely, any extra
help that we can get, we'd love.
Which is funny because I always offer with
the public schools that my kids went to.
I'm like I'd love to help any way I can.
And the teachers were always like, yeah,
thanks, thanks for your help.
And then they would never take me up on
(07:51):
helping, except for one teacher who brought
me in one day during a dress rehearsal and
they hadn't even gotten their costumes yet.
She's like, oh, the show's tomorrow, go get
your costumes from the costume, go find
some costumes in the costume room.
And they went into a closet and grabbed
something, came out and I was like oh dear.
And I asked her.
I'm like, what would you like me to do to
help you?
And she goes, I just figured you'd like to
just watch it.
(08:12):
And I'm like, okay, I had to find a
babysitter for this.
I mean, this is granted, this is years ago,
when my now almost 27 year old was, you
know, 13.
And so I was like, oh, okay, I got a
babysitter to come and watch the show.
Like, okay, they don't want my help, I get
it, I hear you the end.
Um, so I messaged the theater teachers and
(08:33):
they're like we would love your help.
Could you actually run the cost the little
costume group, because all of the kids not
only do they perform in the show, but they
also have to like be in a props group or
the set designing group or the costume
group or whatever group.
And so I've got like four kids that four
girls, including my own daughter, who are
(08:54):
in the costume group.
I've got like four kids that four girls,
including my own daughter, who are in the
costume group.
So we meet together and I on Friday and
they have like a two hour breakout or an
hour and a half breakout of working in the
groups, when they're not working on
learning the music and the dances and all
that stuff.
And so I start meeting with the kids and I
talked with the theater teachers and I
(09:14):
create a concept of what the show visually
could look like.
The set pieces were pretty, pretty standard,
like we just want bright colors for the set
pieces.
And they had the ideas and I was like okay.
So I went to the teachers and like here's
my concept.
What if we placed it in the 1960s, like
1964 specifically?
And we you know the candy kids are all in
(09:37):
black and white.
And I know you've been worried about the
flying squirrels during Veruca's scene
where they're sorting nuts, which is in the
it's not in the original movie but it's in
the actual book as they were nuts,
squirrels sorting nuts.
What if we made them flying squirrels?
And it'd be hilarious if they had the
aviation goggles and the whole nine yards,
(09:58):
and I did some renderings and some mock
sketches, and, and what if we did this?
We had all of the main characters be
specific colors, like their, their parents,
and the main character are, each have their
own color, and we have, like, veruca in red
because she's dominant and bossy, and you
know.
And then we have Violet I mean it's in her
(10:19):
name, we have her in like that blue,
blueberry, blue, purple color with her mom
and anyway.
So we started having a lot of fun and we
let's pay, make sure we pay homage to the
Oompa Loompas.
When we saw the show in the fall, they wore
white overalls, but otherwise they just
look like kids in white overalls with, you
know, multicolored shirts, and let's have
(10:42):
bring in the elements of the brown and the
stripes and the orange and make sure they
have green wigs, but we're not going to
paint their faces orange or anything like
that, but let's bring in like orange tights
or like an orange tutu over white
suspenders and white shorts, you know so,
and and they had purchased some things in
the summer, and so I'm like we could let's
(11:03):
utilize the things that you already have
and and and create this vision.
And so I created vision boards.
I did research to show the kids and the
teachers what 1960s hairstyles would have
looked like for men, women, boys and girls,
as well as their clothing, and we went
(11:23):
about designing the show and worked and
worked and worked on it all year long and
then last week the show came out and
visually, y'all it was stunning and it was
so fun seeing all those elements of you
know, bouffant hairdos and beehives and
just really playing with those elements.
(11:48):
And people kept saying, who saw both shows
they're like, wow, we saw both shows Like
this one was.
So it was.
You know, both did great with acting and
singing, but the visual elements of the
show were great.
I also did worked and collaborated with the
art teacher and I was always collaborating
with the directors, you know, because they
(12:08):
ultimately had the end, the end, say in
what decisions were made.
But they were so gracious to let me come in
and bring in all these visual elements with
the costume pieces and the costume designs
and it turned out visually it was really,
really, really, really stunning.
(12:29):
The thing that happened is that throughout
the process happened is that, um,
throughout the process, as I was explaining,
um, as as decisions were having to be made
with, with choreography and directing and
all of this stuff.
(12:49):
Um, we would often come back again.
I didn't do the choreography, I didn't do
any of the directing, I just did the
costume design.
But everything always came back to okay,
what's the concept behind the show?
Okay, um, they're flying squirrels.
So the choreographer's like, oh, I can
really have fun with.
Um, with a choreography based on what's
(13:10):
being done with the costumes.
Like, oh, since we're doing it in the sixts,
I can bring in these elements, right.
And then when there was a question about
something, we'd go back to the original
concept.
For example, one of the dance teacher would
always forget she's like I've got menopause
brain, I'm so sorry.
I'm like, no, you're fine, you're fine.
(13:30):
But she'd forget.
And she'd be like I have an idea for Violet
Beauregards.
Okay, if we got this maxi dress, and I'm
like and I come back, I'm like, so would
that fit with the 1960s?
She goes, oh, my gosh, no, it sure wouldn't.
Oh, this makes it super easy.
Okay, let's find a dress that looks like
it's from the 1960s.
And we did, and it was blue and it looked
(13:51):
great.
So it became.
We were able to come back to the concept
whenever there was like a question like
okay, what do we want to do about this or
this element or this coloring or this?
We would bring it back to okay, does it fit
with the concept?
Because the concept that the directors
(14:12):
wanted as well is they wanted it really,
really whimsical.
And so the 1960s concept and playing with
that played into that whimsy, and playing
with the color played into that whimsy.
And what they did with some of the set
design y'all it turned out so cool, like
the scene where they're floating in the
bubbles.
They did it on a teeter-totter and it was
(14:32):
super cool.
But it always came back to that this okay,
is it whimsical?
And do we make it whimsical?
And then, as far as some of the other
visual elements, um, does that bring in the
1960s?
Even though it didn't 100 match with the
script?
We're like the, the director's, like we
don't care, like the concept is really
really cool.
We've got this whimsy with the 1960s.
(14:55):
This is super fun and they knocked it out
of the park Like it just turned out awesome.
Now, again, bringing it back to the initial
concept, that initial vision of we want
whimsical, we're doing it in the 1960s.
That enabled other questions that came up
(15:16):
easy to answer Well, does it fit into the
concept?
Does it fit into the vision that you have
that they had for the play?
Does it fit in the vision?
If it didn't, then the answer was like,
yeah, we're not going to do that thing.
If it did fit in the vision, then the
directors would be like, oh, what, if you
(15:36):
know, we did that, but brought in this and
this and this.
Anyway, it was so fun, we had such a great
time and and they knocked it out of the
park and even the professional theater that
we had it at because they had to run to
theater and it was a professional theater
the tech crew was like this is one of the
most stunning high school plays we have
(15:58):
ever seen, because I talked to all the tech
guys and they're like it was incredible.
The acting was amazing, the singing was
amazing, the dancing was amazing, the
costumes and the sets were beautiful.
Like this was amazing and it was far better
than most high school productions that we
see.
But again, I think what it all narrowed
(16:18):
down to it wasn't that the kids were any
better or that the directors were any
better than any other directors, even
though they are really awesome directors.
It all came down to that.
The directors had a vision of what they
wanted.
I got to have some input into that vision
and that vision became the guide for the
(16:39):
whole show.
So I know you know where I'm going with
this.
In our homeschooling, we have to have a
vision.
We have to have a vision of what we want
the end goal to be like.
As Stephen Covey says in Seven Habits of
Highly Effective People, we begin with the
(17:01):
end in mind.
You always want to begin with the end in
mind.
Well, as with our homeschooling, that's how
we want our summers to be as well, because
I know for me, I don't want to have another
summer where I regret, where I'm like oh,
we wasted all that time and did nothing, or
we were so busy that I didn't have time to
(17:23):
enjoy the summer, like, I want to have a
summer that is memorable for our children
and that my kids look back and go oh man,
that was so fun.
As a matter of fact, just before I started
recording, just like 20 minutes ago, right
(17:45):
before I came in here, I was talking to my
kids and my son goes what are you going to
talk about today, mom?
And I said I'm going to talk about making
summer plans and how to really make summer
worthwhile as a family.
And and he said what are some of our plans
for the summer Cause I haven't really
talked to the kids about some of the plans
Like there's certain things that we have to
do and certain vacations that we're going
to be going on.
(18:07):
And I said, well, I really want to do some
staycations and I want to do this and want
to do this.
And he said, oh, do you remember the time
that we listened to story of the world and
we drove out to the paint mines?
And there it's this, these rock formations
and these hikes here in Colorado, and
they're very, very different and anyway,
(18:29):
and I'm like I do, and he's like that was
so fun.
And then Kara, my youngest, was like mom,
do you remember when we went here and she
mentioned this, this other thing that we
went and did, like I do remember that, and
she was like that was so fun.
And so I started thinking like I, what do I
(18:51):
want to do?
So at the end of the summer, the kids have
really fond memories that they look back
and go oh, remember that, because you know
what they're not going to remember.
They're not going to remember playing video
games.
Like that's not something that becomes a
lasting memory, like they might remember
playing the video games, but you know,
being on level 22 or whatever of whatever
(19:13):
video game is not going to have that
lasting impression or lasting memory on
them, like having an experience with your
family.
So I want to talk about the three things
that you can do and I can do to ensure that
our summer is enchanting and magical and
wonderful.
I've talked before about making a magical
(19:34):
Christmas.
Well, let's make an enchanting summer.
So the first thing that you need to do and
I've already brought this up is I want you
to have a vision.
I want you to create a like, specifically
create a plan like have your vision and
create your plan around that vision.
When I was in hiring, a question that I
(19:56):
would often ask candidates and I was in
hiring for like 20 years, y'all like I got
really burned out from hiring, but anyway,
a question that I would often ask
candidates would be let's pretend you and I
went out to lunch five years from now and
you told me this has been the best five
(20:20):
years of my life.
As far as work goes, or as far as my life
goes, this was the best five years this
past five years working for you, and I ask
you, what happened or that made it the best
five years?
Okay, and that enabled the candidates to
(20:40):
really think about, like, what would five
great years look like?
What would need to happen for it to be that
best five years?
So I'm going to ask you this question right
now.
Let's pretend you and I are going out to
lunch and we're going somewhere fun and
none of the kids are with us.
It's just you and me, and we're going out
(21:01):
to lunch and it's September.
It's September 2025.
Or, if you're listening to this, and it's
2026, it's September.
Okay, my question for you mama or grandma,
if you're a dad, I probably wouldn't be
going out to lunch with you, um, cause I
just I wouldn't do that.
But mamas and grandmas, dads you can think
(21:22):
of it in the back of your heads, but mamas
and grandmas were out to lunch.
It's a September and I'm going to ask you
the question.
Let's pretend that you tell me that this
was the best summer your family has ever
had.
What happened that made it the best summer?
(21:46):
I want you to think about that for just a
second and then I want you to write down
what, what was it that you did or what
memories made it the best summer?
What memories would you want your kids to
have that made it the best summer, just
(22:06):
like as I, just as I was just coming in
here.
Mom, do you remember when we went to the
paint mines and we listened to Story of the
World all the way there and all the way
back?
I can even tell you what part of story of
the world we were listening to Me, jadae
Daniels, uh, can tell you what part of
story of the world we were listening to as
we drove out there.
Joshua even said he's like I think my and I
(22:27):
said what was it?
That was that that you loved about it?
And he goes.
I just loved being together and we were
listening to stories and we were laughing
and we were talking and then we just hiked
and it was just fun.
I just remember it being good.
So, what memories?
Again, we're sitting at lunch, you and I,
and it's September, and what memories would
(22:49):
you?
You're looking back on the summer, what
memories would you want your kids to say?
That that was so fun.
Maybe it's that you went fishing once a
week.
Maybe it's that you went um on a hike once
a week, or maybe it's you're like we are
going to the swimming pool three days a
(23:10):
week.
Or maybe it's you're like we are going to
do nature journaling.
Or maybe it's you're like we are going to
do nature journaling.
Or maybe it's you're like we are going to
do three family vacations and then you know,
whatever, whatever it is, I don't know what
that's going to look like and I don't know
what makes your family tick right, because
(23:31):
our families are not, are not the same and
but what are the things that would make
your mama heart feel full and rich and full
of joy?
What things would your kids say that would
make you feel full Like you've, just like
your heart is just full of gratitude
(23:52):
because it was so good, just like your
heart is just full of gratitude because it
was so good.
Okay, so that's how you create your vision.
Is whatever that answer is.
Now you're going to work backwards, um, and
you're going to create a plan around that
vision for me.
Um, I really want a nature journal.
I was so inspired by John Muir laws and
(24:13):
when he interviewed um and I don't know if
y'all, as listeners, like felt the power as
much as when I was actually talking to him.
Um, for me, like having that that
one-on-one conversation, it inspired me so
much that I'm like, oh, I am so delighted
by this wonder that that as adults we can
(24:35):
still have wonder, and I'm like I want to
nature journal with my kids.
We've done that a little bit, but I want to,
I want to do it more, and so I'm like I
want, I want to nature journal.
Um, my kids love to hike and so I'm like I
want to hike regularly.
Um, I do want to plan on a camp out and do
(24:55):
a little hiking trip, like that's overnight,
with my kids, now that they're all old
enough that they can carry their own
backpacks without me carrying it.
I want to.
I really want to go on some adventures
around town because my husband's in real
estate, we were not able to do a lot of big
(25:16):
family vacations during the summertime.
When we do vacations, it usually has to be
in the winter, when real estate is not in
full swing, because summer is the busy
season for us.
But when we can, if I'm able or if we're
able, we try to take a like small family
vacation somewhere.
(25:36):
There's some other things I want to do Like
I want to declutter my house and everything.
But I started thinking about that and I'm
like, okay, so I've also had to decide do I
want to continue doing specific subjects
with my kids during the summer?
One of the things I decided is like, no, we
probably won't be doing history this summer
unless, um, unless it comes up in, you know,
(25:58):
in our read alouds.
But I, I do want to keep reading aloud with
my kids Like that's, those are some things
like when I ask my kids now what their
favorite parts of homeschooling are, often
it's the read alouds, it's the listening to
story of the world, it's listening to, uh,
to, we.
I'm once again listening to where the red
fern grows with Jacob and I'm reading it to
(26:19):
him Like that's the book he and I are
reading together, um, even though, cause he
doesn't remember it from five years ago,
cause he was eight or nine when we started,
he was eight when we started homeschooling,
um, so those are some things that I'm like,
okay, these are things that I that are
wonderful, magical, happy things for me.
(26:40):
So those are some things I need to schedule.
So, as I look at my vision, I'm like I
would want my kids to say reading aloud,
you know, reading under the stars.
Last summer we did a camp out in the
backyard, just Kara and I, and that was so
fun up until one o'clock in the morning
when the sprinklers turned on.
(27:01):
That was not fun.
I forgot that they were turning on.
I should have turned them off.
Anyway, that part was not fun.
She was delighted, me not so much.
But I started thinking like, okay, yeah, I
want to do s'mores in the backyard.
And so I've started making a list of things
(27:22):
that I really really want to do with the
kids and I decided also, okay, I do like to
continue some amount of studies.
Again, we're eclectic unschoolers.
So the eclectic part being that I do have
certain subjects that I expect my kids to
do and do well, and then, beyond that,
we're child passion led or interest led or
(27:45):
child led learning where they there might
be things that they're interested in, and
then we create the, give them the resources
to learn those things and help them to to
learn those things.
So eclectic unschoolers is what we are, and
so I started thinking I I do want to do
continue with the reading and math sorry,
reading, writing and math with them through
(28:07):
the summer, but we may not be doing the
civics, um, or the history, which are
non-negotiables for me, because I don't
want to repeat the past and I want my kids
to not have to repeat the past, um.
So the first thing is create your vision,
make a list of things that you really,
really memories that you want to have.
(28:29):
Then you're going to schedule them.
You're going to put them on a schedule At
the beginning of the year.
I can't remember if I shared this or not,
but I bought this calendar.
It's called the Big A Calendar, a-s-s
Calendar, and Jesse Rissler created this
(28:49):
and it's this huge calendar and it has
every day of the year all in one spot and
and so I'm utilizing that this summer to um
make sure that I schedule those things.
So, second thing, you're going to schedule
the most important things.
We are doing a camp out, even if it's only
two days, um, I want to schedule when and
(29:12):
where we're going to be going.
I want to do a daycations once a week,
because that was my goal at the beginning
of the year.
We did it for the first semester.
Second semester, my kids started a survival
skills class, which then took out the day
that we were supposed to do field trips,
and my kids brought up.
Well, since we don't have any enrichment
programs, can we do field trips again?
And so I'm like I will schedule a field
(29:33):
trip once a week and we're going to put it
on the calendar.
We're going to put what field trip that
we're going to do, so that it's there, it's
already decided and the time doesn't escape
from us.
I want to schedule in, like, if they do
have a camp which right now only two of my
kids have camps like schedule in the camps
(29:53):
and I really don't want to do too many
things.
Like I want just enough things where each
day there's something significant and great
and then something that they, like, they
can sink their teeth into, whether it's a
hike or hike in nature journaling.
I really want to nature journal once a week,
okay, so um, and then have the rest of the
day free.
(30:13):
So if we decide that we want to go swimming,
we can go swimming.
So I don't want to overschedule.
I want there to be some white space in our
calendar.
So we have some scheduled things each day
and then white space.
As unschoolers, people often think that we
don't ever follow any sort of a schedule,
(30:34):
which I think is a gross misunderstanding.
Like, for my kids, there are expectations.
I'm a parent and we do have.
We do schedule things and my kids are
expected to be up and dressed, right.
They don't.
We don't stay in our pajamas all day.
I'm up early in the morning, I'm exercising
and the kids are expected they need to get
(30:54):
their chores done and they need to get
their work done before they're allowed to
do fun things, and so we still.
I find it it's easiest for me if I still
have rhythms and routines, maybe not a
strict, absolute schedule, like you are up
by this time, like you are expected to be
here from this time to this time and from
this time to this time you do this During
(31:16):
the school year we do have some amount of
that, because I'm like, okay, the kids have
enrichment programs that they have to be to
at a certain time, camps, they have to be
there at a certain time, right.
But the days that we don't have things and
now that the summer is opening up and we
don't have the enrichment programs, I'm
like I still want some semblance of a
schedule.
Um, not, I want rhythms and routines, but I
(31:43):
I don't.
It doesn't have to be, um, a strict
schedule, but I do want some semblance of
like okay, kids, uh, everybody needs to
have their stuff done by this time.
You don't have to necessarily schedule
every minute, but as long as there's some
amount of routine, it's good for us, it's
good for the kids.
So that's part number two Create a schedule
and put it on paper, put it on your
(32:06):
calendar, so it counts.
And then the third thing that you're going
to do is, as you're doing this, you're
going to keep it simple.
Don't overbook yourselves.
I love what Warren Buffett does.
I had heard and I don't know if this is all
accurate, I just heard about this once on
(32:27):
Instagram or something that Warren Buffett
will write down everything he needs to do
in a day and he'll circle the top three
most important things, and then he'll throw
the rest of the list away and only do the
three most important things.
That's it, and he's able to get a lot done
because he just focuses on those three
(32:48):
things on a given day, and so what I find
interesting about that is that he keeps
things really, really simple.
You know these three.
I've got to get these three things done.
Everything else can wait.
These three things need to be the most
important For me.
(33:08):
I'm lucky if I get three, even three things
done a day, I'm like, okay, what are the
two most, what's the one most important
thing that I can get done today?
Because I know that things are gonna come
up and so, for our summer, keep it simple.
You don't have to have a million things on
your list.
Maybe you're like I wanna take my kids
(33:29):
swimming every day, then great, you know, I
want to take my kids swimming every day.
Then great, you know, I want to read aloud.
Whether or not you choose to do school,
totally up to you.
Remember, school doesn't have to look like
book work.
It really doesn't.
Like, I still count nature journaling as
school.
If we go swimming, I'm going to count that
(33:51):
as school.
That is PE, that is exercise.
They are in the water, they are learning a
skill.
Um, if we go hiking and we're in the
natural world, again, that's physical
education.
Like that counts.
If, if we're nature journaling, that's
science, right.
So so I um, I simplify, I'm and I'm this
(34:13):
summer, like last summer I felt like we way
under did it, and this summer I'm like I
don't want to overdo it, because two
summers ago I overdid it.
So this summer I'm like Nope, um, these are,
these are the, the ongoing things that I
want to do.
I'm scheduling the, the vacations that we
need to go on or that we plan to do, like,
(34:33):
I might go visit my parents.
That's in the plan, so we've got to
schedule that.
But then, okay, I want a nature journal, so
I'm going to do that.
We're going to schedule what day each week
we're going to do that.
We're going to read aloud with the kids.
I want to do that at least four times a
week.
If I could do it every day, that'd be great,
but sometimes it doesn't happen.
So four times a week, uh, I want to hike
(34:54):
once a week with the kids.
It doesn't have to be a long hike, it could
even be like a half an hour hike tops.
Um, I want to declutter my house.
That.
Actually.
Well, the kids are going to have to help me
with that.
One room at a time.
One room at a time a week, not a day.
And and then we'll continue with the little
(35:15):
they do a little bit of writing and math a
couple of times a week, right, not even
every day, just a couple of times a week.
And that that's a full summer for us.
And there we are.
So I hope that you have a great summer.
You're going to start with, have a vision,
create your vision and a plan.
(35:36):
You're going to schedule the most important
things and put those things on the schedule.
You're going to stick to the schedule, too,
and you're going to keep it simple.
Those are the three things that you can do
to keep your summer enchanting not too
overwhelming and not underwhelming
enchanting, not too overwhelming and not
underwhelming.
Um, but I'm going to end with again the
question that I'm going to ask if we were
(35:59):
to go out to lunch in September pretending
we're going out to lunch, you and I is well,
what happened to make this past summer the
best summer ever?
You're going to answer that question.
That's going to be your springboard.
(36:19):
With that, my friends, I hope you have a
marvelous summer.
Next week, joshua is.
We've got part two coming.
We are going to record it.
After his graduation, which is on Tuesday,
we are doing his private graduation
ceremony and party afterwards, and he will
be sharing next week.
(36:40):
We will record all the other things that he
learned and his upcoming plans for the
future, now that he's graduating from high
school.
So, with that, you're doing better than you
think you are.
You got this.
We'll talk next week.
Hello, my friends, and welcome back.
Okay, summer is almost here and for some
people summer is here.
For me not quite.
My kids are still in enrichment programs.
We're still in the thick of it with
finishing up curriculums and that little
bit of curriculum that we use.
We do use a math curriculum and I do have
(00:23):
my kids write every day, and actually
during the summer we continue to do that,
which we're gonna talk about here in a
second.
But for some people, especially if you're
new to homeschooling perhaps you're about
to start homeschooling or you've been
homeschooling this year there's some amount
of anxiety as to what do you do during the
summer.
(00:43):
And I don't know about you, but for those
of you who have been homeschooling in the
past, my summers have either been like
where I didn't do anything and then we got
to the end of the summer I'm like, oh, we
just wasted that whole, like all that time.
Or I overbook and overcommit myself, which
happens far more than not, where I'm like
(01:04):
the kids are going to do a million things.
We're going to do swimming lessons and
we're going to do vacation Bible school and
we're going to do this lesson and this
lesson and these camps Although, let's be
honest, the pocketbook does limit how many
camps children can do.
So I've been thinking about this as we're
gearing up into summer, and today I want to
talk about how we can make our summer plans
(01:28):
matter.
And so at the end of the summer you look
back with fond memories instead of regret
that you didn't do enough or regret that
you did too much.
We're going to talk about finding that
happy medium somewhere in the middle, where
we we finished the summer, where we still
(01:49):
feel rested, but at the same time we feel
like that was a worthwhile summer.
So as we get into that, I want to share a
little story with you.
Um, last fall my kids and I promise this
relates, you'll see it, it will come full
circle, my friends Last last fall, the
(02:10):
school that my kids went to, or the high
school that they would have gone to, like
it's a K through 12 school, so they went to
that school.
They never went to high school there, but
they would have gone to high school there.
They did a play, they did a very specific
musical and, um, they did Willy Wonka.
(02:31):
I'll just tell you what musical it was.
They did Willy Wonka, and my daughter, my
teenage daughter, is in an enrichment
program where once a week they meet
together and they work all year long once a
to put on a show at the end of the year.
So, and the show that they had picked was
also Willy Wonka.
And so it was interesting because here
(02:53):
their old school was doing it in August and
then we would be doing it in May, which it
just closed last week.
So so I went to see the play and the kids
did a great job.
Um, that in August, right, this other
school did a great job when we knew several
of the kids that were in the play from
(03:14):
church and from when my kids went to public
school and and the kids did a really
terrific job.
But you have to understand, my degree um is
in theater studies with an emphasis in
costume, hair and makeup design, and I've
taken all of the set classes and the
(03:34):
lighting classes and all of the tech
theater classes and directing.
I, like I had to take all those classes.
I've directed shows, I've designed for
several shows, then I taught, and so, as
I'm sitting there watching the play last
August, the kids are just putting their
hearts and souls into it and they did like
(03:55):
their acting was great and they did a great
job and there was pieces of directing that
were really fun, but the tech elements were
grossly lacking and I mean, we're talking
like the part of the factory where, like
the kids come on tour and they come into
the factory and it's this magical candy
(04:16):
world.
It was a gray set, like there was no candy.
There was no, it was just a gray platform
and so visually I'm like, oh, that's kind
of a letdown.
And the costumes, it was almost like.
And there was a couple of costumes that
were really good.
The guy who played the candy man you could
tell his mom probably did the costume.
It was adorable.
He had a red tie and a white button down
(04:38):
shirt on and a red striped vest and a red
apron and then he had black pants and black
shoes and kind of this wedge cap Like they
have it in and out burgers, except for like
it was a candy man hat and it was.
He looked adorable, right, and he sang you,
you know the Candyman can.
And then Violet Beauregard and her mom had
(05:00):
a matching, had matching jogging suits, but
otherwise the costumes were like.
It was almost like the theater teacher the
night before was like, oh shoot, we're
doing Willy Wonka tomorrow and I need you
guys to go and find some costumes from your
closet and wear them tomorrow, like that's.
That's what it visually looked like.
(05:21):
It was just kind of like very thrown
together.
There's no cohesiveness to the show.
As far as the technical visual elements go,
again, their singing was great and their
acting was great and there was fun parts of
directing that they had done, but the
visual elements were pretty grossly lacking.
(05:42):
And so I'm sitting there watching the show,
knowing that our enrichment program, which
is done through the school district,
actually, ironically enough, I'm sitting
there watching it and, by intermission, I
have all of these thoughts in my head.
Of man, wouldn't it be cool if the candy
(06:03):
kids were wearing black and white and then
there was splashes of color like they had,
like the girls might have like hot pink
tights or you know, like some splashes of
color?
And wouldn't it be cool if it was set in
the 1960s when the book was actually
written, not in the 70s when the original
movie was made, but like in the 60s when
(06:24):
the book was written, so that we get Roald
Dahl's like what he would have seen as he's
writing this book right?
Um, and I loved when wonka the musical came
out with timothy, timothy chalamet, like
the visual elements were just stunning,
right, it was so just just beautifully done.
(06:46):
And so all these thoughts are running
through my head.
And so at intermission I messaged the three
teachers, because they have a choreography
teacher, they have a vocal coach, and then
they have the main director, and then they
have an art teacher that helps with the set
design for the enrichment program, for the
homeschooling group.
So I text them and I'm like, hey, if you
(07:07):
guys wouldn't mind, which they'd brought up
the year last year.
They said, hey, we know that you were a
designer, would you be willing to help with
the play?
And I said, sure, but then I hadn't talked
to him since, you know, the end of last
year.
So I text them, I messaged them, I'm like,
hey, I've got some ideas for a concept for
Willy Wonka.
(07:28):
Since we're doing it, if you wouldn't mind,
could I share some of the ideas with you?
And so they're like, absolutely, any extra
help that we can get, we'd love.
Which is funny because I always offer with
the public schools that my kids went to.
I'm like I'd love to help any way I can.
And the teachers were always like, yeah,
thanks, thanks for your help.
And then they would never take me up on
(07:51):
helping, except for one teacher who brought
me in one day during a dress rehearsal and
they hadn't even gotten their costumes yet.
She's like, oh, the show's tomorrow, go get
your costumes from the costume, go find
some costumes in the costume room.
And they went into a closet and grabbed
something, came out and I was like oh dear.
And I asked her.
I'm like, what would you like me to do to
help you?
And she goes, I just figured you'd like to
just watch it.
(08:12):
And I'm like, okay, I had to find a
babysitter for this.
I mean, this is granted, this is years ago,
when my now almost 27 year old was, you
know, 13.
And so I was like, oh, okay, I got a
babysitter to come and watch the show.
Like, okay, they don't want my help, I get
it, I hear you the end.
Um, so I messaged the theater teachers and
(08:33):
they're like we would love your help.
Could you actually run the cost the little
costume group, because all of the kids not
only do they perform in the show, but they
also have to like be in a props group or
the set designing group or the costume
group or whatever group.
And so I've got like four kids that four
girls, including my own daughter, who are
(08:54):
in the costume group.
I've got like four kids that four girls,
including my own daughter, who are in the
costume group.
So we meet together and I on Friday and
they have like a two hour breakout or an
hour and a half breakout of working in the
groups, when they're not working on
learning the music and the dances and all
that stuff.
And so I start meeting with the kids and I
talked with the theater teachers and I
(09:14):
create a concept of what the show visually
could look like.
The set pieces were pretty, pretty standard,
like we just want bright colors for the set
pieces.
And they had the ideas and I was like okay.
So I went to the teachers and like here's
my concept.
What if we placed it in the 1960s, like
1964 specifically?
And we you know the candy kids are all in
(09:37):
black and white.
And I know you've been worried about the
flying squirrels during Veruca's scene
where they're sorting nuts, which is in the
it's not in the original movie but it's in
the actual book as they were nuts,
squirrels sorting nuts.
What if we made them flying squirrels?
And it'd be hilarious if they had the
aviation goggles and the whole nine yards,
(09:58):
and I did some renderings and some mock
sketches, and, and what if we did this?
We had all of the main characters be
specific colors, like their, their parents,
and the main character are, each have their
own color, and we have, like, veruca in red
because she's dominant and bossy, and you
know.
And then we have Violet I mean it's in her
(10:19):
name, we have her in like that blue,
blueberry, blue, purple color with her mom
and anyway.
So we started having a lot of fun and we
let's pay, make sure we pay homage to the
Oompa Loompas.
When we saw the show in the fall, they wore
white overalls, but otherwise they just
look like kids in white overalls with, you
know, multicolored shirts, and let's have
(10:42):
bring in the elements of the brown and the
stripes and the orange and make sure they
have green wigs, but we're not going to
paint their faces orange or anything like
that, but let's bring in like orange tights
or like an orange tutu over white
suspenders and white shorts, you know so,
and and they had purchased some things in
the summer, and so I'm like we could let's
(11:03):
utilize the things that you already have
and and and create this vision.
And so I created vision boards.
I did research to show the kids and the
teachers what 1960s hairstyles would have
looked like for men, women, boys and girls,
as well as their clothing, and we went
(11:23):
about designing the show and worked and
worked and worked on it all year long and
then last week the show came out and
visually, y'all it was stunning and it was
so fun seeing all those elements of you
know, bouffant hairdos and beehives and
just really playing with those elements.
(11:48):
And people kept saying, who saw both shows
they're like, wow, we saw both shows Like
this one was.
So it was.
You know, both did great with acting and
singing, but the visual elements of the
show were great.
I also did worked and collaborated with the
art teacher and I was always collaborating
with the directors, you know, because they
(12:08):
ultimately had the end, the end, say in
what decisions were made.
But they were so gracious to let me come in
and bring in all these visual elements with
the costume pieces and the costume designs
and it turned out visually it was really,
really, really, really stunning.
(12:29):
The thing that happened is that throughout
the process happened is that, um,
throughout the process, as I was explaining,
um, as as decisions were having to be made
with, with choreography and directing and
all of this stuff.
(12:49):
Um, we would often come back again.
I didn't do the choreography, I didn't do
any of the directing, I just did the
costume design.
But everything always came back to okay,
what's the concept behind the show?
Okay, um, they're flying squirrels.
So the choreographer's like, oh, I can
really have fun with.
Um, with a choreography based on what's
(13:10):
being done with the costumes.
Like, oh, since we're doing it in the sixts,
I can bring in these elements, right.
And then when there was a question about
something, we'd go back to the original
concept.
For example, one of the dance teacher would
always forget she's like I've got menopause
brain, I'm so sorry.
I'm like, no, you're fine, you're fine.
(13:30):
But she'd forget.
And she'd be like I have an idea for Violet
Beauregards.
Okay, if we got this maxi dress, and I'm
like and I come back, I'm like, so would
that fit with the 1960s?
She goes, oh, my gosh, no, it sure wouldn't.
Oh, this makes it super easy.
Okay, let's find a dress that looks like
it's from the 1960s.
And we did, and it was blue and it looked
(13:51):
great.
So it became.
We were able to come back to the concept
whenever there was like a question like
okay, what do we want to do about this or
this element or this coloring or this?
We would bring it back to okay, does it fit
with the concept?
Because the concept that the directors
(14:12):
wanted as well is they wanted it really,
really whimsical.
And so the 1960s concept and playing with
that played into that whimsy, and playing
with the color played into that whimsy.
And what they did with some of the set
design y'all it turned out so cool, like
the scene where they're floating in the
bubbles.
They did it on a teeter-totter and it was
(14:32):
super cool.
But it always came back to that this okay,
is it whimsical?
And do we make it whimsical?
And then, as far as some of the other
visual elements, um, does that bring in the
1960s?
Even though it didn't 100 match with the
script?
We're like the, the director's, like we
don't care, like the concept is really
really cool.
We've got this whimsy with the 1960s.
(14:55):
This is super fun and they knocked it out
of the park Like it just turned out awesome.
Now, again, bringing it back to the initial
concept, that initial vision of we want
whimsical, we're doing it in the 1960s.
That enabled other questions that came up
(15:16):
easy to answer Well, does it fit into the
concept?
Does it fit into the vision that you have
that they had for the play?
Does it fit in the vision?
If it didn't, then the answer was like,
yeah, we're not going to do that thing.
If it did fit in the vision, then the
directors would be like, oh, what, if you
(15:36):
know, we did that, but brought in this and
this and this.
Anyway, it was so fun, we had such a great
time and and they knocked it out of the
park and even the professional theater that
we had it at because they had to run to
theater and it was a professional theater
the tech crew was like this is one of the
most stunning high school plays we have
(15:58):
ever seen, because I talked to all the tech
guys and they're like it was incredible.
The acting was amazing, the singing was
amazing, the dancing was amazing, the
costumes and the sets were beautiful.
Like this was amazing and it was far better
than most high school productions that we
see.
But again, I think what it all narrowed
(16:18):
down to it wasn't that the kids were any
better or that the directors were any
better than any other directors, even
though they are really awesome directors.
It all came down to that.
The directors had a vision of what they
wanted.
I got to have some input into that vision
and that vision became the guide for the
(16:39):
whole show.
So I know you know where I'm going with
this.
In our homeschooling, we have to have a
vision.
We have to have a vision of what we want
the end goal to be like.
As Stephen Covey says in Seven Habits of
Highly Effective People, we begin with the
(17:01):
end in mind.
You always want to begin with the end in
mind.
Well, as with our homeschooling, that's how
we want our summers to be as well, because
I know for me, I don't want to have another
summer where I regret, where I'm like oh,
we wasted all that time and did nothing, or
we were so busy that I didn't have time to
(17:23):
enjoy the summer, like, I want to have a
summer that is memorable for our children
and that my kids look back and go oh man,
that was so fun.
As a matter of fact, just before I started
recording, just like 20 minutes ago, right
(17:45):
before I came in here, I was talking to my
kids and my son goes what are you going to
talk about today, mom?
And I said I'm going to talk about making
summer plans and how to really make summer
worthwhile as a family.
And and he said what are some of our plans
for the summer Cause I haven't really
talked to the kids about some of the plans
Like there's certain things that we have to
do and certain vacations that we're going
to be going on.
(18:07):
And I said, well, I really want to do some
staycations and I want to do this and want
to do this.
And he said, oh, do you remember the time
that we listened to story of the world and
we drove out to the paint mines?
And there it's this, these rock formations
and these hikes here in Colorado, and
they're very, very different and anyway,
(18:29):
and I'm like I do, and he's like that was
so fun.
And then Kara, my youngest, was like mom,
do you remember when we went here and she
mentioned this, this other thing that we
went and did, like I do remember that, and
she was like that was so fun.
And so I started thinking like I, what do I
(18:51):
want to do?
So at the end of the summer, the kids have
really fond memories that they look back
and go oh, remember that, because you know
what they're not going to remember.
They're not going to remember playing video
games.
Like that's not something that becomes a
lasting memory, like they might remember
playing the video games, but you know,
being on level 22 or whatever of whatever
(19:13):
video game is not going to have that
lasting impression or lasting memory on
them, like having an experience with your
family.
So I want to talk about the three things
that you can do and I can do to ensure that
our summer is enchanting and magical and
wonderful.
I've talked before about making a magical
(19:34):
Christmas.
Well, let's make an enchanting summer.
So the first thing that you need to do and
I've already brought this up is I want you
to have a vision.
I want you to create a like, specifically
create a plan like have your vision and
create your plan around that vision.
When I was in hiring, a question that I
(19:56):
would often ask candidates and I was in
hiring for like 20 years, y'all like I got
really burned out from hiring, but anyway,
a question that I would often ask
candidates would be let's pretend you and I
went out to lunch five years from now and
you told me this has been the best five
(20:20):
years of my life.
As far as work goes, or as far as my life
goes, this was the best five years this
past five years working for you, and I ask
you, what happened or that made it the best
five years?
Okay, and that enabled the candidates to
(20:40):
really think about, like, what would five
great years look like?
What would need to happen for it to be that
best five years?
So I'm going to ask you this question right
now.
Let's pretend you and I are going out to
lunch and we're going somewhere fun and
none of the kids are with us.
It's just you and me, and we're going out
(21:01):
to lunch and it's September.
It's September 2025.
Or, if you're listening to this, and it's
2026, it's September.
Okay, my question for you mama or grandma,
if you're a dad, I probably wouldn't be
going out to lunch with you, um, cause I
just I wouldn't do that.
But mamas and grandmas, dads you can think
(21:22):
of it in the back of your heads, but mamas
and grandmas were out to lunch.
It's a September and I'm going to ask you
the question.
Let's pretend that you tell me that this
was the best summer your family has ever
had.
What happened that made it the best summer?
(21:46):
I want you to think about that for just a
second and then I want you to write down
what, what was it that you did or what
memories made it the best summer?
What memories would you want your kids to
have that made it the best summer, just
(22:06):
like as I, just as I was just coming in
here.
Mom, do you remember when we went to the
paint mines and we listened to Story of the
World all the way there and all the way
back?
I can even tell you what part of story of
the world we were listening to Me, jadae
Daniels, uh, can tell you what part of
story of the world we were listening to as
we drove out there.
Joshua even said he's like I think my and I
(22:27):
said what was it?
That was that that you loved about it?
And he goes.
I just loved being together and we were
listening to stories and we were laughing
and we were talking and then we just hiked
and it was just fun.
I just remember it being good.
So, what memories?
Again, we're sitting at lunch, you and I,
and it's September, and what memories would
(22:49):
you?
You're looking back on the summer, what
memories would you want your kids to say?
That that was so fun.
Maybe it's that you went fishing once a
week.
Maybe it's that you went um on a hike once
a week, or maybe it's you're like we are
going to the swimming pool three days a
(23:10):
week.
Or maybe it's you're like we are going to
do nature journaling.
Or maybe it's you're like we are going to
do nature journaling.
Or maybe it's you're like we are going to
do three family vacations and then you know,
whatever, whatever it is, I don't know what
that's going to look like and I don't know
what makes your family tick right, because
(23:31):
our families are not, are not the same and
but what are the things that would make
your mama heart feel full and rich and full
of joy?
What things would your kids say that would
make you feel full Like you've, just like
your heart is just full of gratitude
(23:52):
because it was so good, just like your
heart is just full of gratitude because it
was so good.
Okay, so that's how you create your vision.
Is whatever that answer is.
Now you're going to work backwards, um, and
you're going to create a plan around that
vision for me.
Um, I really want a nature journal.
I was so inspired by John Muir laws and
(24:13):
when he interviewed um and I don't know if
y'all, as listeners, like felt the power as
much as when I was actually talking to him.
Um, for me, like having that that
one-on-one conversation, it inspired me so
much that I'm like, oh, I am so delighted
by this wonder that that as adults we can
(24:35):
still have wonder, and I'm like I want to
nature journal with my kids.
We've done that a little bit, but I want to,
I want to do it more, and so I'm like I
want, I want to nature journal.
Um, my kids love to hike and so I'm like I
want to hike regularly.
Um, I do want to plan on a camp out and do
(24:55):
a little hiking trip, like that's overnight,
with my kids, now that they're all old
enough that they can carry their own
backpacks without me carrying it.
I want to.
I really want to go on some adventures
around town because my husband's in real
estate, we were not able to do a lot of big
(25:16):
family vacations during the summertime.
When we do vacations, it usually has to be
in the winter, when real estate is not in
full swing, because summer is the busy
season for us.
But when we can, if I'm able or if we're
able, we try to take a like small family
vacation somewhere.
(25:36):
There's some other things I want to do Like
I want to declutter my house and everything.
But I started thinking about that and I'm
like, okay, so I've also had to decide do I
want to continue doing specific subjects
with my kids during the summer?
One of the things I decided is like, no, we
probably won't be doing history this summer
unless, um, unless it comes up in, you know,
(25:58):
in our read alouds.
But I, I do want to keep reading aloud with
my kids Like that's, those are some things
like when I ask my kids now what their
favorite parts of homeschooling are, often
it's the read alouds, it's the listening to
story of the world, it's listening to, uh,
to, we.
I'm once again listening to where the red
fern grows with Jacob and I'm reading it to
(26:19):
him Like that's the book he and I are
reading together, um, even though, cause he
doesn't remember it from five years ago,
cause he was eight or nine when we started,
he was eight when we started homeschooling,
um, so those are some things that I'm like,
okay, these are things that I that are
wonderful, magical, happy things for me.
(26:40):
So those are some things I need to schedule.
So, as I look at my vision, I'm like I
would want my kids to say reading aloud,
you know, reading under the stars.
Last summer we did a camp out in the
backyard, just Kara and I, and that was so
fun up until one o'clock in the morning
when the sprinklers turned on.
(27:01):
That was not fun.
I forgot that they were turning on.
I should have turned them off.
Anyway, that part was not fun.
She was delighted, me not so much.
But I started thinking like, okay, yeah, I
want to do s'mores in the backyard.
And so I've started making a list of things
(27:22):
that I really really want to do with the
kids and I decided also, okay, I do like to
continue some amount of studies.
Again, we're eclectic unschoolers.
So the eclectic part being that I do have
certain subjects that I expect my kids to
do and do well, and then, beyond that,
we're child passion led or interest led or
(27:45):
child led learning where they there might
be things that they're interested in, and
then we create the, give them the resources
to learn those things and help them to to
learn those things.
So eclectic unschoolers is what we are, and
so I started thinking I I do want to do
continue with the reading and math sorry,
reading, writing and math with them through
(28:07):
the summer, but we may not be doing the
civics, um, or the history, which are
non-negotiables for me, because I don't
want to repeat the past and I want my kids
to not have to repeat the past, um.
So the first thing is create your vision,
make a list of things that you really,
really memories that you want to have.
(28:29):
Then you're going to schedule them.
You're going to put them on a schedule At
the beginning of the year.
I can't remember if I shared this or not,
but I bought this calendar.
It's called the Big A Calendar, a-s-s
Calendar, and Jesse Rissler created this
(28:49):
and it's this huge calendar and it has
every day of the year all in one spot and
and so I'm utilizing that this summer to um
make sure that I schedule those things.
So, second thing, you're going to schedule
the most important things.
We are doing a camp out, even if it's only
two days, um, I want to schedule when and
(29:12):
where we're going to be going.
I want to do a daycations once a week,
because that was my goal at the beginning
of the year.
We did it for the first semester.
Second semester, my kids started a survival
skills class, which then took out the day
that we were supposed to do field trips,
and my kids brought up.
Well, since we don't have any enrichment
programs, can we do field trips again?
And so I'm like I will schedule a field
(29:33):
trip once a week and we're going to put it
on the calendar.
We're going to put what field trip that
we're going to do, so that it's there, it's
already decided and the time doesn't escape
from us.
I want to schedule in, like, if they do
have a camp which right now only two of my
kids have camps like schedule in the camps
(29:53):
and I really don't want to do too many
things.
Like I want just enough things where each
day there's something significant and great
and then something that they, like, they
can sink their teeth into, whether it's a
hike or hike in nature journaling.
I really want to nature journal once a week,
okay, so um, and then have the rest of the
day free.
(30:13):
So if we decide that we want to go swimming,
we can go swimming.
So I don't want to overschedule.
I want there to be some white space in our
calendar.
So we have some scheduled things each day
and then white space.
As unschoolers, people often think that we
don't ever follow any sort of a schedule,
(30:34):
which I think is a gross misunderstanding.
Like, for my kids, there are expectations.
I'm a parent and we do have.
We do schedule things and my kids are
expected to be up and dressed, right.
They don't.
We don't stay in our pajamas all day.
I'm up early in the morning, I'm exercising
and the kids are expected they need to get
(30:54):
their chores done and they need to get
their work done before they're allowed to
do fun things, and so we still.
I find it it's easiest for me if I still
have rhythms and routines, maybe not a
strict, absolute schedule, like you are up
by this time, like you are expected to be
here from this time to this time and from
this time to this time you do this During
(31:16):
the school year we do have some amount of
that, because I'm like, okay, the kids have
enrichment programs that they have to be to
at a certain time, camps, they have to be
there at a certain time, right.
But the days that we don't have things and
now that the summer is opening up and we
don't have the enrichment programs, I'm
like I still want some semblance of a
schedule.
Um, not, I want rhythms and routines, but I
(31:43):
I don't.
It doesn't have to be, um, a strict
schedule, but I do want some semblance of
like okay, kids, uh, everybody needs to
have their stuff done by this time.
You don't have to necessarily schedule
every minute, but as long as there's some
amount of routine, it's good for us, it's
good for the kids.
So that's part number two Create a schedule
and put it on paper, put it on your
(32:06):
calendar, so it counts.
And then the third thing that you're going
to do is, as you're doing this, you're
going to keep it simple.
Don't overbook yourselves.
I love what Warren Buffett does.
I had heard and I don't know if this is all
accurate, I just heard about this once on
(32:27):
Instagram or something that Warren Buffett
will write down everything he needs to do
in a day and he'll circle the top three
most important things, and then he'll throw
the rest of the list away and only do the
three most important things.
That's it, and he's able to get a lot done
because he just focuses on those three
(32:48):
things on a given day, and so what I find
interesting about that is that he keeps
things really, really simple.
You know these three.
I've got to get these three things done.
Everything else can wait.
These three things need to be the most
important For me.
(33:08):
I'm lucky if I get three, even three things
done a day, I'm like, okay, what are the
two most, what's the one most important
thing that I can get done today?
Because I know that things are gonna come
up and so, for our summer, keep it simple.
You don't have to have a million things on
your list.
Maybe you're like I wanna take my kids
(33:29):
swimming every day, then great, you know, I
want to take my kids swimming every day.
Then great, you know, I want to read aloud.
Whether or not you choose to do school,
totally up to you.
Remember, school doesn't have to look like
book work.
It really doesn't.
Like, I still count nature journaling as
school.
If we go swimming, I'm going to count that
(33:51):
as school.
That is PE, that is exercise.
They are in the water, they are learning a
skill.
Um, if we go hiking and we're in the
natural world, again, that's physical
education.
Like that counts.
If, if we're nature journaling, that's
science, right.
So so I um, I simplify, I'm and I'm this
(34:13):
summer, like last summer I felt like we way
under did it, and this summer I'm like I
don't want to overdo it, because two
summers ago I overdid it.
So this summer I'm like Nope, um, these are,
these are the, the ongoing things that I
want to do.
I'm scheduling the, the vacations that we
need to go on or that we plan to do, like,
(34:33):
I might go visit my parents.
That's in the plan, so we've got to
schedule that.
But then, okay, I want a nature journal, so
I'm going to do that.
We're going to schedule what day each week
we're going to do that.
We're going to read aloud with the kids.
I want to do that at least four times a
week.
If I could do it every day, that'd be great,
but sometimes it doesn't happen.
So four times a week, uh, I want to hike
(34:54):
once a week with the kids.
It doesn't have to be a long hike, it could
even be like a half an hour hike tops.
Um, I want to declutter my house.
That.
Actually.
Well, the kids are going to have to help me
with that.
One room at a time.
One room at a time a week, not a day.
And and then we'll continue with the little
(35:15):
they do a little bit of writing and math a
couple of times a week, right, not even
every day, just a couple of times a week.
And that that's a full summer for us.
And there we are.
So I hope that you have a great summer.
You're going to start with, have a vision,
create your vision and a plan.
(35:36):
You're going to schedule the most important
things and put those things on the schedule.
You're going to stick to the schedule, too,
and you're going to keep it simple.
Those are the three things that you can do
to keep your summer enchanting not too
overwhelming and not underwhelming
enchanting, not too overwhelming and not
underwhelming.
Um, but I'm going to end with again the
question that I'm going to ask if we were
(35:59):
to go out to lunch in September pretending
we're going out to lunch, you and I is well,
what happened to make this past summer the
best summer ever?
You're going to answer that question.
That's going to be your springboard.
(36:19):
With that, my friends, I hope you have a
marvelous summer.
Next week, joshua is.
We've got part two coming.
We are going to record it.
After his graduation, which is on Tuesday,
we are doing his private graduation
ceremony and party afterwards, and he will
be sharing next week.
(36:40):
We will record all the other things that he
learned and his upcoming plans for the
future, now that he's graduating from high
school.
So, with that, you're doing better than you
think you are.
You got this.
We'll talk next week.
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