Summer Hibernation

When it's 100+ degrees outside, we hibernate. The park is way too hot and with the sun beating on the playground equipment, there's just no enjoying it. We do have a kiddie pool, but even it's not enjoyable until after dinner.

We did brave the heat for a recent visit to the zoo. We just had to see the baby giraffe and clouded leopard cubs. It was hot, but we stopped for ice cream on our way home.

This baby girl is just over a month old.

A total of 5 cubs, they are 4 and 5 months old.

So we look for indoor activities. The girls have really enjoyed playing with their "Barbie" dolls this summer. And we've done a few crafty activities together.

My oldest asked me at the beginning of the summer if I could make a pillow for her. I reminded her of the 900 other pillows already in her bed. And she answered that she didn't have a pillow that I made. How could I resist that? So we made pillows this summer. They picked their fabric and trim, and they helped do some of the pinning for this project.

In addition to the pillow sewing project, I made a curtain for the bunk bed. My youngest sleeps on the bottom, and she asked us to hang a blanket there to help her not be afraid. I'm not totally sure how it helps her fear, but I replaced the blanket with a curtain for her. If nothing else, it gives her a private little spot for herself.

The girls made some clothespin fairies from a craft store kit. They turned out pretty cute, and as always, I enjoyed watching their creativity work. They didn't have a choice in the hair or skirt color, but they made their fairies unique as they painted the clothespins and drew the faces with a sharpie.

I spent a good part of the last couple of days ironing Perler Bead projects. They made an owl, a rainbow, a cupcake and other desserts, a teacup, a colorful square, monkey, and much more. It's what they're doing right now.

Another project this summer were the mini stepping stones we made. This, too, just came from a craft store kit. The kit came with enough concrete to fill the two square forms. The forms had butterfly and ladybug imprints and once it was dry, the girls painted the stones and we covered them with sealer to protect the paint. Very quickly -- my thoughts about this Busy Kids-Kids Camp Mini Stepping Stones Kit -- the picture on the box shows ladybug and butterfly shaped stones, not square. It was those shapes that attracted me to the project in the first place, so I was disappointed in the square forms. Plus the completed stones seem really fragile and the concrete weak, so we'll have to be careful where we place them. I guess that's just me being nit-picky, but I'm not so sure I'll be buying any more Busy Kids stuff.

We also made some bracelets. Have you ever seen one of these bracelets? Each color represents a part of God's plan for Salvation.

I made this bracelet years ago, probably when I was a teen.

The girls and I found some nice beads, cross charms, and clasps on sale at Joann's and Hobby Lobby to make slightly different versions of the bracelet.

Our bracelets start with a yellow bead, which represents Heaven. Next is the black bead, representing sin, which keeps us separated from God and from an eternity in Heaven. The red bead is next, representing Jesus' shed blood on the cross - the cross charm follows the red bead. Jesus' death and sacrifice cleanses our sin and removes the barrier that separates us from a Holy God. The white bead represents the cleansing and purity. The Bible says though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. The final bead in our bracelet is the green bead, which represents growing - as Christians, we spend time reading the Bible and in prayer - talking and growing closer to a God of grace and mercy and love - a relationship that grows and prepares us for an eternity in Heaven. (The bracelet I made in my teens also includes a blue bead, which represents baptism, but we didn't include the blue in our bracelet.)

In between the color beads we added silver filler beads, and finished it off with heart toggle claps. The heart reminds me of God's love for us - it was because of His great love that He sent His son to die for us so that we could have fellowship with Him. Without love, there would be no story to tell.

In addition to our crafts and play, I tried to keep the girls reading this summer. I encouraged them to read at least one book a week. For my oldest, who is 8, the book had to be a chapter book, and she has averaged 2 books each week. For my youngest, who hasn't yet learned to read, we worked on a set of beginning reader Bob Books. They are earning $2 for each book they read, up to one book a week, and we'll have a little shopping trip before school starts so they can spend their money if they wish.

"Come now, let us settle the matter," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." Isaiah 1:18

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16