Taking the Long Way Around

Our family is blessed to experience 12 full weeks of summer. 

As much as I lament the incessant fighting, diminished personal time and formidable temps...I am grateful that no one has to get up early, everyone can burn the midnight oil watching movies, reading novels or building Legos, the pool is a given, iced coffee is plentiful and Wednesday feels no different than Saturday.

It's a beautiful break not to have to supervise homework, chauffeur to and from ballet and football, make certain that uniforms are clean and ready, keep track of volunteer commitments or stay on top of field trips and special projects.  Instead, we paint, eat grilled cheese, watch the tomatoes grow, build our Free Little Library, run through the sprinkler, try to be kind to each other and count down the weeks of freedom.

Today, marks five weeks of completed summer.  We have seven left to go.

And already, I feel a shift in my children.  All three now ride their bikes or scooters together to the park and rage epic Nerf gun battles.  They can walk into a grocery store and with a mini list, along with a kids cart, grab their assigned, designated items.  They know how to operate the dishwasher and the older ones can wash their clothes.  They understand that when I yell and use certain words that the shit has officially hit the fan and they need to back the fuck down.  I can take them anywhere, including an upcoming solo-8-hour road trip, and trust that with a book and headphones, they'll do just fine. 

They are growing up.

And while they are maturing and finding their way in the world, I am wishing that the next 7-weeks would slow down, because at the end of that time, I will be a mother to an 11-year old, 6th grader, a 9-year old, 4th grader and a 5-year old, kindergartner that will be in school all day long.  And undoubtedly, I will transform.

But into what?

Do we have to cultivate change by taking on a new job?  Moving into a new house?  Going on an international vacation?  Or, could it be by carving out big blocks of time to simply "be" with me...rearranging the furniture, writing in the office, taking the extra long way around the park, writing a paper letter to a friend who I miss, cleaning the closets, sitting with my thoughts, being quiet.

I feel like any change worth its' weight comes from intentionally slowing down and making decisions based in knowing instead of reacting.  And to that end, I am grateful that the wise ones around me, have encouraged to tread lightly in this time and to not jump, but rather to be still and to listen, maybe for the first time, in a long time, to what makes my heart happy.

Their counsel is no different than what I've been doing for the last 11 years with my children, being patient as they shift knowingly and unknowingly, becoming the amazing people they are...trusting that they will jump when it's time without force, pressure or the need to have all of the answers.

Here's to taking the long way around...

Summer Adventures Begin

I woke up this morning and realized...it's summer.


Today marked the last day of school for my kiddos.  Fourth grade is officially in the books for Sam.  Kate completed second.  And our Claire Bear had a fantastic first year of preschool.


As they headed out the door for a quick half day, I snapped these shots...

 And then at 11:30am prompt, Claire and I rolled up to school in the stroller and a million children flew out of the building screaming for joy.  Kinda like this...

While we were walking reflecting on their day, what they'll miss about school and what they're most excited for about summer...this started to happen...

They gathered sticks and started going on a hunt.  Each of them adopted a quest name.  Sam turned into Aquarius.  Kate morphed into Swift.  And Claire was Twig.  I hung back listening while they talked of mystical beasts in the lush growth of the forest and hidden doors that take you to magical lands and children who get their fingers chopped off if they're poor listeners.

And it hit me...this is what happens in the summertime.  You put on your swim suit in June and don't take it off until August.  You consume 542 cherry popsicles.  You build forts in the backyard and ride your bike everyday.  You climb trees and read and dream...about magical places in far off lands where the unexpected is expected.  And you walk and you walk and you walk and you're a kid and it's the best.

I know that summer can be taxing for parents...figuring out how to not kill your kids when they fight with each other, trying to establish some semblance of a routine, but for me, at least for now, I'm embracing F. Scott Fitzgerald...

"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”

It's time for a new life of fun, freedom and rejuvenation...it's summer.

Beauty Amidst the Chaos

I love our mail carrier.

She always has a smile on her face, kind words for my children and wonderful, sage advice.

About a week ago, while getting the stroller loaded to head to the park, she and I had a nice chat.  She shared that she is a mother to six grown children and a grandmother to nine beautiful little ones.

I was lamenting that it had been a day and that I just felt overwhelmed by it all and subsequently, appreciated her smile and kind eyes.

She told me that the one thing she was always grateful for was that she didn't have a clean house, but most of the time had happy kids.

"I never missed going to the park or the pool to put the laundry away and if my friends happened to swing by unannounced, I never apologized for the streaks on the windows or the sticky prints on the door knobs.  And as I look back, I don't regret the sacrifice one bit.  Now is the time to have fun.  When you're old like me, you can clean the house.  Or not.  It's overrated."

And so, I took those comments to heart and informed my family that for the last week of summer, we were going hog wild...swimming, reading at the library, checking out new digs at Fontenelle Forest, having tea parties with friends and eating macaroni and cheese to our hearts content.

And my house has taken a beating, but there's a weight lifted off of my shoulders and thus far, no one from Child Protective Services has ushered my littles away.

To prove that I mean what I say, here's some documentation to help you be thankful for your abode.  You're more than welcome to hang out at mine, you just might not be able to find your way out...but I promise that when you do, you'll have a smile on your face.

Here's to the last three days of summer....