Summer to do list

First a song to set the mood:

June Hymn by The Decemberists

1. Go swimming. This seems pretty obvious to most people, but our family NEVER makes it to the pool. Seriously last summer we went for the first time all summer on the last day of Kettering Rec Center's pool.

2. Hike more. We have beautiful parks in Dayton. It's much cooler under the canopy of trees than in the direct sun, too, so we ought to spend more time hiking and exploring the woods.

3. Natural play areas. Five River Metro Parks turned me on to this idea. They've cleared invasive plants at several locations to create special children's natural play areas. Natural play areas can be found at Englewood Metro Park's Patty Shelter; Sugarcreek Metropark near the main entrance trailhead; and at Hills and Dales near the White Oak Camp. I plan to check out Hills & Dales very soon (maybe today) so give me a buzz if you want to go with us there sometime.

4. Get to know our neighbors. Block parties are very common in our community. I've pulled the paperwork to have one on our block. It requires getting the approval and signature of every home owner on the block. I have to get moving on that one.

5. Do more things as a family during the week. Summer is full of fun opportunities, but they are often get relegated to the weekend - which means crowds and in general, a lack of time to get to all of the fun stuff. Tim has scheduled a few days off throughout the summer so we can get out and play during the week. I am so thankful he is willing to make his family a priority and take the time to spend with us.

6. PATIOS! I love eating outside in the summer. Dayton has some really great patio restaurants: Thai 9, Dublin Pub, El Meson. I want to make it to El Meson at least once this summer.

7. Pick strawberries. We have never been berry picking, but I really hope to do it this summer. Our boys love strawberries, so I think we'll start with that.

That's all for now ... what do you want to make time for this summer?

A group from our church organizes weekly trips to parks across the Dayton area every Tuesday during the summer. Today we went to Lofino Park in Beavercreek, off Grange Hall near Shakertown Road. The park includes a fenced skate park. A young guy was skating and some of the kids went over to the fence to watch him. Then they laughed and chanted "He messed up!" when he fell.

A tough crowd!

You can see Elliott watching intently along with the other kids.

What I love about summer: yard sales

For the past three Friday mornings, my friend Christine and I have been loading our kids into her van and hitting various yard sales across the Dayton region. We've both scored major deals. Today I picked up a Diaper Champ for the new baby's room, two first word books for Elliott and a cute Carter's outfit for the baby. Total price: $6. The Diaper Champ, which retails over $30, will need a good cleaning, but it's otherwise in perfect condition, as were the books and outfit. It's difficult for me to buy things at full price when I know that I can usually find them at less than half the cost at garage sales or through Craigslist postings. I rarely, however, buy my own clothing second-hand, but I shop sales and manage to get what I want most of the time. Perhaps it's my size or height, but it's not often that I can find clothing for myself at thrift stores or yard sales that would fit correctly or frankly that I would want to wear.

So far this yard sale season, I've bought a chair for Elliott's room for $40, a smattering of books and puzzles for Elliott for probably $5 total, a set of Pottery Barn soft alphabet and word blocks for $2, the diaper champ for $5, a diaper bag for $7 and a few pieces of clothing for Elliott and the baby for probably total $10.

Christine is using the yard sales to help her oldest daughter learn to recognize coins and to understand the value of money. It's fun to watch her become more judicious about what she buys.