Sanity in the Summertime

by Linda Dillow, Claudia Arp

Mom, how do you survive the summer?

1. Your children interrupt what you’re doing by asking questions, but you want to be left alone. You say:
[ ] “Mommy’s busy. Go play now.”
[ ] “Not now, can’t you see I’m reading?”
[ ] "Have a cookie, Honey, and I’ll be through in a minute.”

2. You dread the summer vacation when your children are home all day (How can you forget last year’s chaos?), so you help pass the days by:
[ ] Having a “bad attitude” for 81 days.
[ ] Continually asking “Why me, Lord?”
[ ] Checking each day off the calendar and counting how much time left until Labor Day (when you do a jig).

The “ideal” answers are, of course, none of the above. Linda Dillow and Claudia Arp, themselves mothers of active youngsters, recognize that most women don’t fit the Super Mom image. Sanity in the Summertime is every mother’s alternative to the tension headaches that come with too many bodies, too much free time, and “nothing” to do.

Genres: Parenting

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1981

About the author

Linda Dillow is no stranger to publishing and adventure. She's the author of Creative Counterpart, Calm My Anxious Heart, and The Blessings Book. Linda and her husband Jody lived in Europe and Asia for 17 years training Christian leaders in closed countries with Biblical Education by Extension, During this time, Linda traveled extensively in Romania, Russia, Hungary, Poland and Asia. She taught women and helped them launch women's ministries. This fire for encouraging and educating others continues as she speaks at women's conferences here and abroad.

Linda's newest adventure is a new ministry that she started with Dr. Juli Slattery- Authentic Intimacy. This ministry focuses on women and their intimacy with their husbands and God.

Linda and Jody Dillow have been married forty years. She is a mother of four children, as well as a grandmother.

Reviews

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought some of the ideas were interesting and I hadn't realized it would have such strong Christian themes when I ordered this from the library. I skipped lots of sections on the initial reading, but bookmarked several ideas as they related to character development and setting personal goals for self, children, & spouse. I plan to reread some sections again and take some notes as I'd like to implement a few ideas for the summer. The book is realistic in sharing what has worked for the families of the two authors, but it has a very relaxed and encouraging approach--just try something new and don't set too many goals as that wouldn't be realistic to achieve. I actually would like to go back and reread and reflect on some of the scriptures in the book, but it wasn't my initial goal, so I didn't cover those yet and probably won't in great detail even in the second (or third) look I take at this book.

It's more than a decade old, but still has some good basic ideas that are new to me and should make for some summer fun.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has some really great ideas for having fun with your kids when they are home all summer!