It’s summertime! That means sunscreen, kids playing in the pool, enjoying your favorite frozen treats and maybe some quality family time. With the long warm lazy days ahead of us, my fellow writer pals and I sharing a breezy summer dreams blog hop with all of you. What are we looking forward to this summer? Do we have any plans or books we are eager to enjoy over these next couple of months? Join us will you, for our annual Jumping into Summer Blog Hop. Please, have a read and discover how I’m finding my summer bliss. Then visit the #Gr8Blogs at the end of this post for even more summer inspiration and smiles.

Reading

 

I’m always an avid reader, but there is something about the warm summer evenings that make me want to read even more. Relaxing in a lounge chair in the backyard with a good book is a great way for me to unwind. I recently finished Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce. 

Set in London during WWII, Emmeline Lake and her best friend Bunty are doing their bit for the war effort and trying to stay cheerful, despite the German planes making their nightly raids. Emmy dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent, and when she spots a job advertisement in the newspaper she seizes her chance; but after a rather unfortunate misunderstanding, she finds herself typing letters for the formidable Henrietta Bird, renowned advice columnist of Woman’s Friend magazine.

Mrs. Bird is very clear: letters containing any Unpleasantness must go straight into the bin. But as Emmy reads the desperate pleas from women who may have gone too far with the wrong man, or can’t bear to let their children be evacuated, she begins to secretly write back to the readers who have poured out their troubles.

What I really enjoyed most of this novel was how clean it was. It has been some time since I’ve read a book that used zero profanity and no discussion involving sexual scenes. This was something I found to be truly refreshing as it is not needed to tell a good story. Clearly, based on the praise this book has received AJ Pearce did not need any that to make an impact with readers. The story is light-hearted, but with a warmth and compassion that can be missing from today’s stories. I will most definitely be checking out future books by Pearce. Highly recommended.

Writing

I seem to always have ideas or illustrations swimming around in my head if I don’t do something about them they nag at me. That is where I currently am. I have two maybe three ideas I’m working on to create some new kid lit books. I am still completely enamored with my newest series Exploring STEAM with Little Katie (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics). I love focusing on educating children in a fun and imaginative way. I’ve been working closely with a few school districts these past three years for author workshops and I’ve come to see what the teachers are in need of. Books to encourage all of their students to look at the fun side of science and the surrounding fields. Many children feel these subjects are boring, with little interest in science and math. Using imagination and little creativity, I’ve been able to reach multiple students and have helped them to see learning can be both educational and fun. With the help of these dedicated educators and administrators, I’ve been able to find the topics that are of most interest to the children and their teachers. Until further inspiration strikes, Little Katie

Thinking about

This year is going to open a whole new chapter for my family as we will soon be growing by TWO FEET! Yep, we are expecting our second child, a beautiful boy to join our family. I cannot wait to become a “boy mom.” I love my first son beyond words (as I assume most parents do) from the moment I learned I would be having another boy, I cannot envision myself having anything other than two beautiful blue-eyed boys.  It’s such a surreal feeling knowing that soon I will have two small children and my little Hammy will become a big brother! A role he is already very excited about and eager to step into. Until our newest little bundle of joy arrives, I am soaking up as much time as I can with us as a family of three, and me, a momma of one. I cannot wait for the end of summer/start of fall to arrive and embark on this new journey.

 

 

Activities

Summer is usually the time for road trips or family vacations. Seeing as how this summer will put me starting and finishing my third trimester all in one, we decided on stay-cations this year. I imagine a number of days just hanging out kiddie poolside with my main boy.

We did manage to squeeze in one last family of three only weekend getaway trip to our favorite animal park, but otherwise, we’ll be sticking close to home. Visiting some family that is within driving distance and a few day trips to local attractions sprinkled throughout is on our horizon. I’m planning a pretty chill and relaxed summer, lots of early morning park trips and evening family walks, with the occasional ice cream cone thrown in for good measure. 

Thanks for stopping by! How are you CURRENTLY jumping into this summer? Making big plans? Keeping it low with stay-cations? Ticking off books on your to-read list? Please share in the comment section.
Hey, Bloggers! Join us on our C*U*R*R*E*N*T*L*Y Jumping into Summer Blog Hop. Just add your PG-13 post link below in the comment section. We’ll visit your blog and give you some blog love. And if you use #Gr8Blogs, we’ll support your family-friendly summer-themed post. Be sure to check out these other great summer themed blogs listed below, click the link to learn more about how my fellow authors plan to spend their summers.

Cat Michaels on Cat’s Corner
KidLit Blog by Rosie
Rebecca Lyndsey
Julie Gorges
James Milson “Writing & Things”
Sandra Bennett
Auden Johnson