Choose a Family Summer Activity

Good Wednesday morning!

There are more tubing pictures in the Gallery, I'm afraid. That should be the last of them... or at least the last of the ones I'm willing to share!

SPECIAL GUEST - LANA SMOTHERS - PART TWO - There's still much to learn about Miss Lana. Let's jump right in!

11. Breakfast, lunch or dinner... What is your favorite meal?

Chocolate and Diet Coke... any meal, any time of day! It is a meal in itself, right? Or is that just my little rule? (I don't know if it's your rule or not, but it sounds very good to me.)

12. What is your family's favorite meal you prepare?

Beef roast, rice and gravy, shoe peg corn and green beans with dinner rolls.

13. Shoe lover or purse lover?

Definitely shoes! But the older I get, the less I care for looks and I go strictly for comfort! My true friends know I carry the largest purse I can find for as long as it will last. I hate to change purses.

14. If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?

She's a Survivor.

15. You are at home ALL day long by yourself with no car. Do you go stir crazy or thoroughly enjoy every minute of the day?

LOVE IT! I would probably scrapbook.

16. What is one food you cannot force yourself to eat?

Liver. Yuck!

17. How many times have you moved in your life?

Seven, but all of the moves have been inside Jefferson County! Sad.

18. Are you a "glass half-full" person or a "glass half-empty" person?

Mike says I am an eternal optimist... glass always half-full.

19. What is your most difficult daily struggle (patience, time management, organization, road rage, etc.)?

Time management. I still think I can do everything in one day.

20. What are reading right this minute?

The Enchanting Belinda's blog comparing my answers to past guests (ha ha ha)... and wishing I was more of an "intentional" family date planner like Belinda! (Well, I know what we're all thinking now... Lana has her priorities straight!)

Part Three will appear tomorrow, and you will not want to miss getting to know Lana better. Be sure and visit.

TOPIC OF THE WEEK - HUMIDITY AND OUR FIRST CAMPING TRIP EVER

Ahhh. Our very first camping trip. I remember it like it was yesterday. In reality, it was 13 years ago. And guess what I remember most? Boy, was it humid!

We decided to go on Memorial Day Weekend. We were young. We were excited. We were optimistic. Let's face it. We were stupid.

Yes. It is true Memorial Day Weekend can be a rather pleasant and mild weekend, but most often it is NOT. That was the case 13 years ago.

We arrived at the campsite, set up our tents in a very shady area and walked around the campgrounds to get our bearings. It was hot. It was sticky. It was humid. However, it was not as humid as it was going to be. Things were going to get much, much worse.

Since it was our first time to camp, we only wanted to stay one night... and we had legitimate reasons for the short trip. (1) We didn't want to take showers in the bathhouses. We would wait and shower when we got home the next afternoon. (2) If it was horrible, we knew we could do anything for 24 hours. Anything! (3) Well, I just have to go back to the first reason. WE DID NOT WANT TO TAKE SHOWERS IN THE BATHHOUSE.

As the day turned into nighttime, the humidity began to get better and sleeping was tolerable. I was hopeful.

The next day, the other mom and I made our way to the dreaded bathhouse to "freshen up" a bit. It was then I noticed her hair. "Wow. Your hair gets really big at night," I told her. It wasn't horrible. It was just 80s hair... naturally.

"It's not sleeping on it... it's the humidity," she responded.

"Oh." Being a person whose hair "draws up" in humidity, I continued to stare at her in wonder. "Well, that's really something."

"Just wait until this afternoon," she said, laughing.

As we made our way back to the campsite, it was evident it was going to indeed be a humidity-producing day. We ate, packed up our campsites and got ready to go on a little hike. Most people refer to it as the Hike to Pea Vine Falls. I simply called it the Sweat Hike.

And as we hiked along, I couldn't help but notice the other mom's hair. It was indeed growing before my very eyes. And just so you know I'm not exaggerating, Josh (then three years-old) noticed it, and three year-old boys are famous for NOT noticing things like that.

When we reached the falls, we were hot, sweaty and some of us were balancing huge amounts of hair on our heads (not me). The falls looked refreshing and cool. Everyone in our group took turns making their way along the rock wall to stand under the falls (except for me). I declined for a couple of reasons, but mainly because I knew if I got wet and then hiked and humidity set in, I would get the mildew"y" smell I try so hard to always avoid. And even though we were going home immediately after the hike, I couldn't risk it. I just couldn't.

As we started back down the trail toward our vehicles, the kids were happy, the adults were refreshed (except for me), and I took my place in the hiking formation behind the other mom. I had to see what would happen next. Her hair didn't disappoint. As it dried, it grew... and grew... and grew.

I have to say, it was truly an eye-opener. All of those years during the 80s when everyone was trying to get the biggest hair possible, all this chick had to do six out of 12 months of the year was walk outside for five minutes. It was truly amazing.

DISCLAIMER - Since her hair was just as beautiful coiffed as it was humidified (and the fact she had embraced her big hair years earlier), I felt it was safe to add her to my list of Humidity stories for the week.

You'll need to come back tomorrow for Humidity and Gone With the Wind. This will be short and sweet because it is more of a question and an observation than a long-winded story. I know you're happy about that!

Wednesday Wisdom - In honor of all of the men and women who are serving (or have served) our country in the military, I wanted to share some quotes from famous military leaders. Their way of thinking is so inspirational, patriotic, heroic and thought-provoking. I love it.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke, a British statesman and philosopher.

"The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it." Norman Schwarzkopf.

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure." Colin Powell

"What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight. It's the size of the fight in the dog." Dwight D. Eisenhower

"You do not lead by hitting people over the head. That's assault, not leadership." Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Choose a Family Summer Activity

This isn't a specific Seasonal Tradition. This is just a suggestion... a suggestion you and your family may already be doing.

Choose a summer activity your family can enjoy together. The trick is choosing an activity you can do together ALL summer long. Pick an activity your family looks forward to during the busy fall months, the winter months filled with holidays and the spring months which are busy with end-of-the-year field trips, band concerts, school trips, baseball, award ceremonies, etc.

The activity you choose for your family needs to have the following criteria:

1. It should be an activity which primarily takes place only during the summer months.

2. It should be an activity for the entire family.

3. It should be an activity the entire family enjoys.

4. It should be an activity which can continue as your family grows up (and grows in size... daughters-in-law, sons-in-law, grandchildren, etc.)

I'll list several ideas, but your family is unique. If you do not already have a summer activity associated with you and yours, start thinking!

1. Tubing, skiing, knee-boarding. (Although you will need a boat, you don't have to have a place at the lake to enjoy a day on the water.)

2. Fishing. (If the entire family enjoys this activity, you don't have to own a boat... just find a good fishing hole and pack a delicious picnic lunch or dinner.)

3. Hiking. (While this wouldn't be my first choice in the hot, summer months, everyone is different... and some people live in a cooler climate.)

4. Bi-weekly cookouts. (Plan on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month to grill your family's favorite meals. Just an example.)

5. Pick a favorite game and have an Official Family Game Night weekly during the summer.

6. Do the same with special movies.

7. Plan and have a City Adventure EVERY summer.

8. Go to a restaurant after church on Wednesday nights and just order desserts.

We've talked about all of these things on A Simple Life a MILLION times before, but implementing them now and sticking to them summer after summer after summer will give your family something to look forward to... and come back to when they have grown up and started families of their own (I hope, I hope).

If you have grown children who live out of state, the City Adventure might be an activity you could plan for a long weekend around everyone's schedule.

I'll be the first to admit it gets harder and harder as the kids get older and start having a life of their own. That's why it's important to start TODAY, write it on the calendar in INK and do your best to stick to it. Much easier said than done... but so worth it!

Have a fantastic Wednesday. I'll be sharing some interesting Blog Linkage Thursday, as well as a fun date or two, Part Three of Lana's interview and more Topic of the Week stories. Hopefully, there will be something for you!

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda