I caught up on the Wise Woman's blog this week and found a treasure trove of meaty articles. She has a wonderful Series on Motherhood   which includes questions to consider about such things as how you view children.   Really, do you view them as singular gifts, each of them?  Do you view them as a sacred trust given to you for a very small window of time?  And further, does your demeanor reflect these feelings or do sighs and rolling eyes of exasperation betray you? 

She goes on to challenge us about how we view our husbands in the Loving Our Husbands series.  Again, she reminds us that whose opinions we most value (apparent by whose we seek first/most) and where we spend our time generally reveal the answer to that question. She shares  these guidelines, a number of questions to ask ourselves such as how do we respond when required to rearrange our schedules for our men? Do we take time – regularly – to think about what would make their lives easier and then set about doing just that? Have we asked our husband how he feels about our current activities?  Do we encourage and support by our non-verbals?  Do we uphold his wishes for the children in big things as well as in seemingly small things like whether video games are allowed before chores or dessert before dinner is finished?  

And since I know my husband is no fan of partially finished projects strewn about I am including these wise words from Genevieve on the subject of  CompletionLots to chew on here I promise.  This is not a job but a vocation, a life calling.  How are we answering that call?  

We learned that Eleven Mile Reservoir is aptly named.  There is a loooong dirt road leading up to the water.  Eleven miles long.  Go figure. ; )   This is probably one of the largest bodies of water we have visited in Colorado. 

"Along with milk and vegetables, kids need a steady diet of rocks and worms
Rocks need skipping.
Holes need digging.
Water needs splashing.
Bugs and frogs and slimy stuff need finding"   – Go RV-ing

They are much to be pitied who have not been given a taste for nature early in life. – Jane Austen

I was pleased to be able to take some First Holy Communion pics for a good friend's daughter a few weeks ago.  It was a fantastic learning experience for me.  We fought the sun and learned the value of filters and reflectors – or at least the need for them.  She was a very good sport though and looked so pretty in her dress and veil.  

It seems life happens at the twice the speed of blogging anymore.  Summer has not been without its challenges but we have been squeezing every bit of joy out of it we can.   In June that involved a riverside campsite.  Who knew the Arkansas ran so swiftly?  Necessitated hyper-vigilant supervision but it was gorgeous. 

one hazy morning looking out from the campsite:

We tried our hands at fishing.  Fishing, we learned, is not as easy as it seems.  The blasted lines kept getting tangled. It just fueled their desire to try again though.  Darn homeschool kids – they never give up. <g>

The river was home to this family of geese who were just as pleased to find the children as the children were to find them once they discovered how many crumbs the kids produce at mealtime.  

Tess and Brendan watching the river roll by from the camper door.  Doesn't get much better than this!

Nancy Campbell shared this story in her mailing recently:

I read a small book about the counsels of St John of the Cross on the way to Ohio this spring.   He wrote under the orders of his superiors.  The work therefore is sincere, direct, but not self-indulgent. Though originally written to religious in the sixteenth century his words ring true today. My hope is that they will become something of rule of life for me.  The third precaution addresses our tendency to become disquieted by the actions of those around us:

The third precaution is very necessary so you may know how to guard yourself in the community against all harm that may arise in regard to the religious.

The  highlight of our trip to the Arkansas River this month was a rafting excursion for the big kids.  I am so pleased they were able to do this!