Summer Junkin’

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You should be just about deep enough into summer when the “I’m bored” and “we don’t have anything to do” cries start flying. Swimming has lost it’s glamour, the heat (or rain in our case) has set in and the excitement of a relaxed schedule has lost it’s luster. This is when I always resort to a change of scenery.

It doesn’t have to be a big trip, not even overnight. A simple day trip will do the family good. “But where do we go?” you ask. Budgets are tight, kids can’t agree on a destination and mom is sick of age 10 and under entertainment. Load those babies up and go junkin.

Get out an old fashioned map and find yourself a cute little town within an hour or two drive and hit the open road. Pack a snack bag, use my road trip tips and grab a load of hand sanitzer cause it’s about to get fun for cheap. It doesn’t matter how old you, your kids or friends are this is a trip everyone can enjoy. Male or Female.

Whenever we head out for this kind of adventure I give my kids a budget. Or they bring their own spending money. Usually I give them $1-$5 each. This budget eliminates them constantly asking for things and starts their wheels turning on exactly HOW they want to spend that money. They are way more selective in their purchase when they have their own budget at hand.

There is something for everyone when you go antiquing, thrifting or junking. It keeps the peace. I like the built in lessons they learn about being thrifty, making smart choices and keeping their eyes peeled for whatever it is they are searching for. Not to mention the amazing things that always cross our path and ignite interesting conversation that doesn’t happen sitting on a couch at home.

Like the time my daughter said, “look mom – they have big cd’s here!” History lesson promptly given.

Let this day be all about unrushed, unhurried togetherness. Stop at some small café for lunch or pack a cooler and hit the town park for a picnic. Drive by an out of town garage sale. You’ve got time. Let the wind blow you where it may.

This summer I plan on showing you a few places we go to spend days like this. The pictures you see here are from a fall outing we spent with some friends to Teague, Texas…plus a few outlying cities. We had no plan, no time constraint and EVERYONE enjoyed the day.

Moms got to treasure hunt, we off the cuff hit the Railroad Museum and ended with a pinecone gathering race among the kids. We had been searching for pinecones. That’s another story.

There is a ripple effect to this day. You are bound to come across a project or two. As you head home with a trunk full of rusty junk the wheels of your mind will start to turn. Hopefully your kids found a prize that could use a little TLC too. Then Bingo – you already have something to do tomorrow, once your day trip is over and you are back home. Once you complete your project and place it somewhere in your home your whole family will have a reminder of a lazy summer day you spent together. It’s a snowball effect that brings continued joy.

Sharing days like this with my littles is one of my favorite things on Earth. To show them all your time doesn’t have to be jam packed, preplanned, sports and art camp filled, faces in a screen to be enjoyed. I hope they grow up allowing themselves to take these little day trips. But how will they know if I don’t show them? If they never see me take a relaxing off the beaten path day, how will they emulate that? What else am I setting as an example in my children’s lives?

We spend lots of time and effort teaching our children manners, how to do chores, tie their shoes…you know all the basics. We also spend way to much time teaching them to over schedule and be “busy”. I am disappointed in myself, a few weeks into no schedule and loads of free time available, how little I teach my children to be in God’s word daily. They do see me tucked in my bible, coffee in hand most mornings. However, I am failing them on encouraging them to pick up their bibles daily, or even weekly at this point! Proverbs 22:6 says Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. If I spend so much time on teaching and performing all these other tasks, shouldn’t I spend as much or more time on the one true thing that can have lasting impact on their lives? The seed planted today will grow in God’s time. I even know God is big enough to cover any seeds I miss planting. My heart longs to be the one who plants the seeds though. To join with my husband in our parental duties and train them up. It doesn’t have to be big…a summer bible study, memory verses even a daily devotional. The time is now though, childhood runs away rapidly.

As moms we have such a beautiful task…to train them up the way they should go. Today I am going to refocus training them to hide God’s word in their heart and lean on Him as they go. Well, that and junkin. 🙂