As I’m thinking about summer reading ideas for our young kiddoes, I keep going back to my own childhood summers. Daily life really was simpler and slower.

My brother and I literally had to choose ONE HOUR a day of TV to watch. The rest of the day was literally spent playing, creating, reading and “doing”. Thank you, Mom and Dad.

I’m seeing a movement toward SIMPLE. I have incorporated the idea of “less is more” into many areas of life and it’s made a healthy impact. I’m shopping at the store a lot less and going into my closet to discover clothes I had forgotten I even had! I’m streamlining my cooking to healthy, basic ingredients and modifying complicated recipes into dishes I will actually cook again and again. I’m more intentional with my time and running fewer errands, getting everything I need at one or two locations.

How does this fit into a reading blog? I hope I’m leading into the fact that if we spend less time and energy on errands and “stuff” that we can build in more time for meaningful things like reading, crafts, cooking, and just playing together.

Think back on your own childhood. Did you spend time reading in a playhouse or a tent in the backyard? What stories did you enjoy the most? Did you go to the library once a week with your mom to check out books and listen to story hour? Can’t we replicate some of those same activities now for kids? Can’t we stop the mad rush and determine that this summer we are going to slow down and take a step back towards “simple”?

That’s a lot of questions, sorry! But as we each answer them, reflecting our our own childhoods, I believe we can figure out how to make this summer one that is more peaceful, reflective, and memorable in the best of ways. Let’s “book” some sweet time with our kids each day.

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