Summer Goals

Jansse got out of school today. Just have the picnic tomorrow, and then nothing for Petra until September. The vacation is always so fun! So, as we were driving home Jansse and I talked about summer goals. Mine are as follows: Family Exercise at least three times a week. We can go for a run walk, and add Jansse in on his bike along side Andy on the run part. That will help all of us to stay in shape. Jansse to Eat Fruit. I want him to eat at least one serving of fruit a day. He is not keen on this idea as he hates fresh fruit. But I am determined as I have observed that he will eat banana without complaining now that we've made him do it often enough. When we first started out he would gag and throw-up almost every time and take over an hour to eat half a banana. Yesterday he at an entire banana in less than 10 minutes and not one complaint. That is my goal for other fruits. He claims he doesn't like "wet" food, but somehow that rule doesn't apply with ice cream or pudding or other sweets. So, this is the summer to get over it and eat like a normal person! Weekly "field trips." Yep, I would like for Jansse and I to get out on one excursion a week to hike or bike someplace new and different. Next week I'd like to get us up to Headwaters State Park for a hike. It is where the Madison, Jefferson and Gallatin rivers all come together to form the Missouri river. We were there in the early spring of 07, and I think it will be neat to see it this time of year when the snow melt probably makes it a bit more dramatic. And, the views from the hiking trails should be fantastic with all the hills being green! I've got other ideas for excursion too. We don't have to go on the weeks when Jansse has camps (there are three of those this summer), but I'd like to go every other week. And maybe sometimes we can bring a friend. A schedule of chores for Jansse. At least one little or medium sized responsibility a day. For example, on Wednesdays, when we will have Bible Study at our house, he can vacuum the stairs. And, on Tuesdays I'll have him mow the lawn. If he gets the idea that he needs to pitch in more as he grows, hopefully he'll get training for good work habits when he is grown up. Getting together with a friend at least once a week. This can be a challenge living where we live, so I want to make a point of it. Jansse needs it, and we certainly know plenty of boys to invite over. I'm willing to do the transportation to make this happen. Hopefully we'll have a social summer while still having plenty of calm days without constant running around! Math practice. Ugh. I'm afraid we need that in there because although Jansse knows his math facts, he is slow on the timed tests - always gets 100% of the answer correct, but never finishes all of the problems. So, we need to get faster at them. That way he won't be discouraged in third grade. I hope! Jansse had some goals too. First, he wants to learn to cook more. Specifically, he wants to learn to make scrambled eggs with cream cheese. We already started on cooking in general by having him make cookies for the picnic tomorrow. He read and followed the recipe with almost no help from me. I didn't even need an apron. The first batch just came out of the oven, and they look beautiful - ginger snaps, in case you were wondering. He is already pretty good at microwaving burritos and a few other things. I'm glad he wants to learn to cook. Second, he wants to learn to swing higher. There you have it. Jansse's goals. Andy doesn't have any specific goals yet, but I think at this point, just getting through the two trials scheduled for next week is pretty high on his priority list. Poor guy, summer doesn't really bring about a change in his schedule, except that now he has to deal with Jansse wanting to do stuff with him all day long while he has to work. He is on board with the family exercise evenings, and that will be fun. Plus, perhaps we can plan some camping too!