MauldenNews June 2011

Ahhhh....I loooove June......I hope everyone is enjoying this summer as much as we have been. A summary of the past few weeks--

- family bike rides
- spin art
- swimming
- turning over rocks to look for creatures (I swear there is something under every rock! amazing how LIFE is all around us if we just stop and look.)
- experiencing the big blue warm Atlantic ocean with Bryan's family in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina - awesome! So great to visit with everyone.
- Other beach stuff: collecting shells, building sand castles, jumping waves, holding a baby turtle, watching a mama bird feed her babies in the nest, and learning to hunt for sharks' teeth

We had our first Awards Day to celebrate the end of the school year (credit goes to my mom for this idea-it was something we did every year growing up). Alex earned awards for:

- honesty and telling the truth
- learning to buckle and unbuckle her own seatbelt all by herself
- riding a 2-wheel bike
- learning to tie her own shoes
- crossing all the monkey bars without dropping to the ground
- scoring 100% on her reading and spelling tests
- being the most "eco-friendly" in the family - she is always planting seeds and caring for the earth
- learning to swim completely independently!

In addition, Sam earned awards for:

- jumping off the diving board for the first time!
- riding a 2-wheel bike
- performing his preschool program with gusto and knowing all the songs by heart
- earning several gold medals for his consistent efforts in the Rusty & Rosy learning program he does at home
- fetching the newspaper for me in the morning -  rain, shine, or snow!
- most creative Lego architect (faithful replicas of Star Wars space stations and spacecraft)
- best water drinker
- best hugger!

Of course, summer wouldn't be summer without time to laze around and read. I highly recommend Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand - amazingly well-researched and beautifully written true story of Louis Zamperini's life. Some others I've appreciated recently:

Meg Meeker's books on parenting - simple (easy reading) yet wise.
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters,
Boys will be Boys and
The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers. (among others: prioritize friendships, make time for solitude, simplify, and say no to competition/peer pressure from other moms. )



Writing Down Your Soul by Janet Conner
The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers
Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Kids from Nature Deficiency Disorder by Louv

And with that - I hope you all are getting plenty of sunshine and lazy days.

Sarah