Summer Retreat

Where is your summer retreat?  Is it at the local park or swimming pool?  Do you have a home away from home at the beach or in the mountains?  Maybe it's as simple as in your backyard or your craft room.  For my family this summer, it is the local library.  My girls and I LOVE to read.  I enjoy walking the aisles and just reading the titles, dreaming of the places the pages could take me.  I say "could" because I have so much to do that I am lucky to finish a magazine at the moment.  My first real job was at the local library shelving books.  Now, twenty years later, I am taking my children to the same library for the summer reading program. 
This particular program offers prizes for reading, weekly programs, and introduces children to a variety of books.  There are ample  librarians and volunteers to help my girls choose just the right books for their interests and abilities.  Also available at this branch are public computers, movies and music to check out, lots of sitting room, and games to play.  Our plan of attack is usually for the girls to get their materials first, then they can look through their books while I browse the selection.  Our general rule is that each girl can check out 5 items per visit.  They each have a bag and are responsible for keeping their items in their bag.  I often check books out that I would like the girls to read also, because I like it or it is relevant to a topic we are studying, or some other reason.
Sometimes I allow the girls to check out a movie as an extra treat.  Each library has a different procedure for checking out audio visual (AV) materials.  This library charges per item or patrons can join the AV club for $25 annually, allowing you to check out DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, and other AV materials without a per item charge.  The monies collected are used to purchase new AV materials.

Wednesday's Wisdom

Summer is a great time to clean out closets and cubby holes. Let the kids get involved and help with the decision making. About every other month, I give each of my kids a storage tub. They are allowed to keep as many toys as will fit into the tub with the lid on. There are a few exceptions such as Barbie houses and doll strollers. Each child may keep one house and one other "big" item. They may also keep a few stuffed animals on their bed. This helps to keep the clutter under control. The remaining items are either stored in our shed in a storage container to be rotated back into their room later or donated to the local thrift store.

Do you have a great tip to share? We would love to hear it. Post it in the comments on Wednesdays or email it to me!