summer break is back!

Summer break is a long awaited experience for this family. My daughter has already been off for TWO weeks! She has already built up tan lines and burn lines, bike rides, day swims at the local pool, night swims and sleepovers at a friend's pool, shopping, and all the things. My only request is that one day a week we do what I want to do and I get a heads up instead of last minute plans. The summer bucket list has been created and tickets have been purchased. We are off to a great start. 

We got a family pool pass to the local pool. She also has a friend who has a trampoline at one house and a pool at the other. Lucky for me, BOTH houses are a bike ride away! Due to the small size of our town, convenience and fun are around every corner. I also don't have to run an Uber business to make it happen.

I, on the other hand, have only been on summer break for one week. I think my body has finally remembered how to pause and relax. I have gone swimming, shopping, to a movie, lots of walking the dog, binging shows, and to-do lists. I agreed to clean something, read something, and craft something daily. The rules are loose, but it keeps me busy and ensures I don't waste this precious gift called break, especially when my high schooler still loves me and wants me around!

Yesterday I spent some time in the basement going through our "garage sale" pile. I looked up local charities and matched what we have with what they need. I now have 6 boxes to distribute throughout Rockford to animals, people, and charities that need our old stuff more. I consider that crafting because it was a creative way to get rid of things and make sure our family is green. 

Other items on the summer list are lots of music. Playlists for swim, craft, bike, or home time are a must. Games every week ensure we use what we have and stay together. Last night we hosted a game night and played the horsey game. Even my daughter participated. Who knew how fun rolling the dice and moving some horses could be?! 

I hope everyone's summer breaks are filled with laughter and memories. I hope you stay safe and have fun. I hope you experience sunrise, sunset, and everything in between with renewed spirit and hope. May your ice always stay cold and you get the best snuggles when the day winds down. And if you play games, may the Playlist rock the house and may you win! 

teaching your kid the art of balance

We do things most of the time when we see something fun coming up. I am always down for an Icehogs game, an art exhibit, or a local event. We love to support local! Give me a themed festival or specialty day and I am all yours! This last year was a learning experience for all of us.

We suffered loss in ways we never thought. We had to pause, reflect, mourn, and grow. It was a lot. The take away was to always have the cake and eat it, too, BUT remember to rest. When we GO GO GO I burn out. Then the going isn't as fun. So we tried something new this winter. We hibernated.

We intentionally cleared a 4-5 week stretch on our weekend calendar. No bands, no big dinners or parties, no festivals or pub crawls. It was a fire in the fireplace, maybe a sleepover, and good food with games and movies. We ignored the need to scroll and see what everyone was up to. We hunkered down and enjoyed each other. 

We needed that. Our kid even noticed and enjoyed that. We didn't say no to everything! She still got Parent Night Out, sleepovers, practice, school events, etc. But Saturdays and Sundays were reserved for home. She found solice snuggling in a Snuggie Friday nights with the dog. She enjoyed heading to the gym and indoor farmer's market Saturday mornings. 

We all made it work. The hibernation phase is officially unlocked. We are back to some fun! We have the big D.C. trip under our belt and now we can wait for the weather to warm up for the fun things that brings. No one missed out. No one was deprived. We just paused and reset to learn to enjoy all things, big and small, enjoy each other and just be grateful.

we paused to rest and it was great!

I came home last night just tired. Not exhausted, not emotional, just tired. There has been a lot thrown on my plate this last month and it caught up to me. I had no intention of doing anything or going anywhere. Wine and Hulu were on my mind when I walked through the door.

I went upstairs to check on my child and at close to 5pm, she was in bed with her head down. That is very unusual. I asked what was going on. She said she was sore from practice (legs and tailbone take a beating on a trampoline) and she just felt tired. I asked what she wanted to do and she looked shocked. "Wait, I get to decide if I go to practice?" I told her only she can read her body, so she decided to take a night at home and recoup.

We all stayed home and ate leftovers. No practice. No errands. No chores (except for that one load of laundry I couldn't ignore). Hulu, Netflix, and snacks were aplenty. And you know what? It was okay! 

Nothing bad happened. We didn't miss a thing. No one got scorned, shunned or judged. We just took a rest. And that is okay! Teaching kids to know the difference between skipping a practice and taking a rest when it's feeling like too much is monumental. Adults earned the right to rest, but at the rate our children are going, don't discount their downtime, too. 

Taking time to disconnect was a good idea

This summer was all about unplugging. We disconnected in a major way and our family is probably better off for it. It wasn't intentional to start, but it ended up that way. No one was hurt. Nothing went wrong, but DANG, people get super annoyed when you don't respond right away to certain things! 

Our new campground is a black hole. Finding a signal is like finding cheap gas. It's there, but you have to work for it! We originally opted for the internet package so we would have the comfort of home and people could work remotely. Then we realized NO. Camping is about relaxing, connecting, hiking, biking, swimming, enjoying. It's not about textathons and gaming and reels. 

What did that mean for us? It meant having signal in 3 or 4 places on our campsite. It meant me riding my bike to the store if I truly needed to make a call. Or wandering the campsite with my arms outstretched to find the money spot where the signal worked. And we were Okay with that! 

The kids watched DVDs at night to unwind. We listened to a local classic rock station all summer that kept us entertained. We had real conversations and made real eye contact. Our kids took up fishing and had photo shoots to fill their time, instead of catching up with texts from home. No one ignored the conversation with the glow of the cell phone in their hands. The kids were able to use old school walkie talkies for communication. 

We did play on our phones. I can't lie. Early in the morning I would drag my camp chair and coffee to just the right spot and play on my phone while everyone woke up. We streamed movies or shows on occasion. The kids would take their phones when they left for photos, but also to grab a signal. I would catch up on calls, texts, posts when we got home and unpacked. It was a lovely way to unwind after we got home.

In hindsight, I wouldn't change a thing. We could've paid for the internet package, but I am glad we didn't. No one felt ignored by shows, calls or scrolling. We connected and bonded in a way that isn't possible when we are tied down to our devices. It was wonderful. We needed rest. The rest wasn't from our life being hectic and overwhelming. The rest was feeling tied to devices and hitting nonstop speeds trying to live and do all the things.

Give yourself permission to rest, whatever that looks like, before it's too late!

being smart with your fun

I feel like kids need fun, new opportunities, and options. With that also needs to come calm, downtime, and the ability to get bored. I cannot stand the, "I'm bored!", because we took a pause to refresh and relax. We definitely have a good time in this house. Winter break has been full of family, fun, and lots of new things. We embraced opportunites as they came and managed downtime in between so as not to burn out. 

On Friday, my little person had plans change. She ended up creating a new plan and enjoyed it! Who knew that you can roll with it and try new things AND enjoy?! (It's almost like I know what I am doing as a parent! 😂). Saturday it was the same. When your bestie is sick, you either chill at home or roll with new plans. She went out with a new friend and enjoyed every second. 

Today is also new for us. I went in to see what she was going to do today. She informed me she was taking an all day, chill out, at-home spa day and she did NOT want to do a thing. She will only be leaving her room for food. I said OK and left her. I only wish I was that assertive and aware of my own mental health, happiness and needs when I was younger (sigh). 

With winter comes wisdom. We know fun is fun! We know downtime isn't always fun, but it's essential. I love having a happy mix. I love that she loves the happy mix. What I really love most of all??? We are able to love and take care of each other so that we start this new year happy AND rested.

a new hustle

There are so many things I love to do and one of them is to just chill. In a hammock, on the deck, in my bed,  I don't discriminate against location. I love being busy and doing things, but this phrase really resonates with me right now. I pride myself on being a working mom. I can juggle life like the best of them, but burnout ensues and then resent and all the other things that come with that.

Right now I am working from home and helping my daughter with her e-learning. We do fun crafts, activities, and games each week. It's not all for her benefit. It's for mine, too. It gives me something to prepare, to look forward to, to think about. It replaces all the things we used to do out there (aka the world as we knew it) with things we can do in here (la casa). 

I didn't realize this until recently. Bike trips to Wendy's with a stop through Coral Cove (bouncy house arcade) are one of her favorite things to do over summer. We can't go to those places right now, but we played arcade games, got Wendy's and are currently eating a LOT of ice cream. We are able to replicate our fun in safe and meaningful ways without me killing myself to drag her everywhere and do everything. 

I am doing the work-from-home-grind right now and some days I am KILLING IT. Other days, not so much. I appreciate this break from the chaos because it made my family realize that we don't have to be on the go to have fun. We can do things at home or outside that represent just as much fun as driving forever, stressing about gifts, location, dishes to pass, or whatever.

We watched cooking shows all morning and painted our nails. We took a walk. We made milkshakes. We played cards. We laughed. I am learning that making memories and taking time for snuggles and meaningful moments is just as important as where we are headed next and what's on next weekend's agenda.

We are doing the home life hustle and it is working. Not everyone feels this way. I get that. I just really appreciate realizing that I can earn cool mom points by orchestrating pajama day with a marshmallow eating contest just as easily as I can orchestrate a day at the zoo. Will I remember this diatribe when the world reinstates itself? Maybe not, but for now, I will do everything I can to make every moment count.

Labor Day fun

Happy Labor Day, folks! Enjoy the day off of work and with your family and friends. I get asked a lot why I work when I am a mom. Um... Because I DO! If I don't teach, someone else might, but I love teaching. I love the connections being built and the experiences I have. I love being able to have a whole different life outside of my home, my kids, my husband that makes me unique. I love showing my daughter that women can excel at anything with some effort and planning involved. I am embracing this Labor Day because I am a working mom who is in a union. I am enjoying this break. I am embracing my family time and I hope that all of you do, too!