Grace- How To Keep Summer Fun

Summer! The very word sends tingles up many people's spines. They think of fresh produce, bright zippy colors, and late night freedom.

But do you ever get bored? Like so bored that you are just drooling for autumn? I know that I do. Occasionally I get so bored I just sit and dream about when school starts again.

So how do you keep from getting summer boredom? Work!

Wait a minute! It is summer? I am not supposed to have to work? Right?

Ahh, not really. Work is a healthy part of our lives. It is good for our hearts, wonderful for our bodies, and magnificent for our brains.

Now I know that most of you are still doing chores, some of you are on swimteam, so and so is working at the Y. But let me ask you, are you still bored?

I usually get into a reading phase early into the summer. Last year I reread the entire Anne of Green Gables series and read the Janette Oke "Love Come's Softly" series. I can't recommend it enough! Loads better than those movies.

But eventually reading gets old, even for me. And eventually you get sick of watching movies. Eventually you are tired of sleeping in late, tired of playing on the computer. And finally you say, "I wish it were autumn again". I have already started dreaming about starting high school. ;) Yeah, okay, so I am a little over the top.

Here's an idea or two for how to keep summer fun.

• Make yourself a schedule. It can be loose and free, but regularity is something that many of us thrive on. We don't like feeling like a ship without an anchor. We like to have some kind of regularity, and a simple schedule will help.
• Give yourself a challenge. Challenge yourself to learn a new skill, finish an old project that has been rotting in the drawer, or start a new one. Anything!
• Do some educational and mind stimulating reading. A good devotional, encouraging book, a book about geology, archaeology(drool), or cooking.
• Read a recipe book and decide to try some new recipes. Cooking is a basic skill everyone should have, and your mom might appreciate having you volunteer to make dinner one night.
• Write a story, book, play, whatever. Writing makes us use our imaginations!
• Make a new board game. My mother was up at 5:30 in the morning one time writing down ideas for new board games. You can use anything from pizza boxes to nuts and bolts.
• Relate with people. Getting wrapped up in our own little world can often make us grouchy and rude. We are relational beings, and summer is a wonderful time to bond.

So there you have it, the key to keeping summer fun!