Dear July,
Please pause.
Thank you,
Me
Hello friends. This sweet summer is whipping right along, isn’t it? I hope you have had a few truly delicious moments, perhaps even a handful.
Life lately has been busy and thoughtful. It has been a lot of sweet and a little sour, too. But, that’s the recipe of life. Here’s a little peek at how things have looked in my little corner of the world.
Between summer bike rides and ice cream, we are trying to read and keep our brains cooking. I am taking a class that I love, and the kids are both working on summer Brain Quest books. Jason is always reading a mystery and stealing away minutes for sudoku.
I must take a moment to nerd-out a little bit, because I sure am fascinated by the professional book I am reading, 180 Days. Its purpose is to paint a picture of an effective language arts classroom for an entire year of a secondary student’s life. Though I teach elementary school, there are so many ways that our goals and hopes are parallel. The infographic below caught my attention:
This both terrified and motivated me. In today’s culture of binge-watching and immediate gratification, are our kids reading enough? Discussing enough? Writing enough?
I digress.
The book is actually, in contrast to the formality and rigor noted above, grounded in appreciation for the beauty of language. Since studying it, I have started my own writer’s notebook again, something I haven’t done in ages. I loved this quote by Doris Lessing, Nobel Prize winner:
The storyteller is deep inside every one of us. The story-maker is always with us. Let us suppose our world is attacked by war, by the horrors that we all of us easily imagine. Let us suppose floods wash through our cities, the seas rise … but the storyteller will be there, for it is our imaginations which shape us, keep us, create us- for good and for ill. It is our stories, the storyteller, that will recreate us, when we are torn, hurt, even destroyed. It is the storyteller, the dream-maker, the myth-maker, that is our phoenix, what we are at our best, when we are most creative.
So, share your favorite story the next time you are browning a summer s’more. Your people will treasure it (the story and the s’more).
Life lately also included a big 4th of July block party, complete with a pot luck barbecue, kid-friendly fireworks, and a bounce house.
The best part was the surprise visit from Jason’s brother and family from Indianapolis. Cousins were reunited, and fun was had by all.
We also stole away with Grandma and Grandpa to the Broadmoor for a night, and it was lovely. It was the first time we’d been there in the summer season, and it had so much to offer. We spent most of our time at the pools enjoying our scenery.
Summer life has also included a little more sleep, for which I am ever so grateful. Our morning routine has relaxed and slowed a bit, so different from the bustle of the school year. I can drink two cups of coffee before exercise and still feel like there is a day ahead of us.
Lately, I have been …
Drinking: a lot of Nespresso. I love these. Harper and Jameson are lapping up the extra lemonade laying around, and Jason just discovered this.
Listening: to Dua Lipa. Jameson loves the “Milky Way” song.
Reading: Oona Out of Order for my next book club. Harper and I are almost through the last Harry Potter book, and even though it is the second time through the series for me, I will again be sad when it is over.
Watching: The Amazing Race on Netflix, and Harper discovered Operation Ouch. I will also note that I am generally watching less news than I was from 2016-2020, which may be doing wonders for my blood pressure.
Eating: tostadas on repeat. Last night, we filled ours with black beans, golden beets, red peppers, and avocado. Yum. Also, lots of s’mores. Like, a lot.
Worrying: about my kiddos, always. What’s enough? What’s too much? Will it hurt? Are they ready? Did I miss it? How about that Delta variant?
Planning: our trip to Vermont! Does it really look like this?
I can’t wait to find out. Substitute green for the fall foliage.
Fearing: the end of summer. I need this season of rejuvenation to sink in deep and last. I am afraid of feeling unready when I want to be nothing but ready.
Baking: zucchini bread (of course)
Hoping: for a few more dates with Jason. Jameson has also requested a special mommy-son date.
Shallow Thinking: about swimsuit styles. Hmmm. What are the rules anymore? Mombod? Doesn’t matter? Age? Doesn’t matter? Cellulite? I long to embrace the “doesn’t matter” thinking, but I’m faking it. I really feel like my upper leg dimples matter for me. I love a good sarong. And I love this video (an oldie but a goodie). Cracks me up every time. For the sake of positive talk, I think I look a little cute. I got this suit here.
(Picture does not include post pool sunburn or full coverage sarong- sold separately 🙂
Deeper thinking: about the mental health of students as we return to the new normal. Will we be able to support them?
Looking forward: to our family vacation and all things maple-flavored, and to the Olympics!
Friends, how’s life lately in your neck of the woods?
