when I asked them to pose for a picture

July is halfway through the year. And what a freaking year it's been. WHEW. I hope you are doing okay, friends. One day at a time we are getting through this.

In July my new Get To Work Book starts and it's nice to have a fresh-start feeling of sorts. Even though the only real change in our day-to-day will be Chris going back to work which is not a change I'm excited about. I'm sure it will be okay and we'll find our groove but mostly I'm anticipating it being hard and sometimes feeling overwhelmed. But whenever I face something hard my brain immediately starts to whirring to formulate a plan. That just my optimistic nature. My first thought is to have a little something to look forward to each day. I'm thinking a drink, like the coconut yuzu fizzy drink from Trader Joe's, or a treat around 2 pm. I also talked with Chris about returning to packing the boys a lunch. That way at lunch time I don't need to make them anything. They can just pull their pre-made lunches from the fridge. Having planned time by myself could also help, like taking myself out for Saturday morning coffee like I did this past week. I looked forward to it for two days!

In some ways, with Chris going back to work, it feels like we'll be settling into what life will look like for the foreseeable future. And somehow that feels a bit satisfying to me. Like we might as well get into it and figure it out because this is life for right now! What a crazy time.

A few people have asked me what it's like to be in Arizona right now since we're making headlines as being one of the worst hot spots. It's frustrating that our state government isn't taking action. But interestingly I haven't found myself any more worried than I was previously. Perhaps that's because we (as a country) have come to realize that when people wear masks it significantly cuts down on transmission and that's been a practice for our family for quite a while. Plus our town and even county now requires masks. We weren't starting to venture out at all even when the state stay-at-home order lifted so our lifestyle hasn't changed. We were already thinking we wouldn't send the boys to in-person school.

I was also asked how I'll feel about a vaccine when one is developed (and I'm holding on to hope that one will be developed). My feeling is that we will not be rushing to get one first but at this point I have a lot of trust in the scientists doing this work. I trust that they are upholding rigorous scientific standards in order to develop a safe and effective vaccine. I am also trusting that journalists will shine light on the process and any doubts about the safety or efficacy so that as a country and global community we will be informed. I can understand feeling skeptical about a vaccine because there is great incentive (of the monetary variety I am sure) to develop one as quickly as possible. But for now I will continue to be optimistic both about the timeline and its safety.

In more local, household news, we still hold or wear Maeve for all her naps. No progress on crib naps so far. I go back and forth on being slightly stressed about it. But I'm remembering that babies change all the time and I know we'll get there. And when we do I will cherish those hours of having free hands. But I bet I'll also miss holding a baby so maybe I'll just keep cherishing the hours of having my arms full of a baby.

And that's the state of things at the beginning of July 2020. Pandemic and wishing for a vaccine in one paragraph. Baby napping routines in the next. That's 2020.

Big things happening in July:

+ Chris is back to work after a 12-week parental leave. We thought he’d have to go into the office one day per week but instead he will be fully at home for now. I’m thankful both for his safety and that I’ll have a little help during the day.

+ 4th of July! I want to make this holiday fun. We need something to look forward to! I bought all three kids (three kids!) festive attire: t-shirts for the boys and an adorable romper for Maeve. I think we might also have a family backyard get together and maybe I need to make my favorite chocolate pie.

+ The boys take a one-week online Hogwarts camp. We are very Harry Potter obsessed over here and the boys are excited. I'm excited that someone else will entertain them for an hour a day for a week.

July goals:

+ Decide on a school program for the boys. Ah, list this among the goals I never envisioned making this year. We will be keeping the boys home for the fall semester and I assume the spring as well (pending a significant decline in case numbers or a vaccine, come on scientists!!). There are actually 3 - 4 online distance learning programs available to us through school districts or charter schools here so I hope we can find one that feels like the right fit for us.

+ Daily-ish out loud reading to the boys. With holding Maeve so much and Chris doing bedtime with the boys I have not been reading out loud to the boys very much lately. I miss it! And it's something that can really help bring down the energy level. Sometimes even when they seem too crazy to pay attention to a book if I just sit down and start reading they can't help but come over to listen (I love that!). This could also be a way that I can get some more quality time with them plus I can do it while I'm nursing.

+ Weekly date with my GTWB planner. I haven't been using my GTWB very much since the pandemic hit, and I'm sure I wouldn't have been anyway with a new baby, but I like the idea of starting to use it more. Even though we don't have a lot to plan for it helps me to think about what I have to look forward to during the week. I can write in my workouts, what we're having for dinner, and schedule some me time, like going by myself to get a coffee or a writing date. When I use my calendar it helps me to be more intentional with my time which makes me happier.

Recurring monthly goals:

+ Track spending in Mint. The key to doing this is to choose a specific time, or put it on my list of three things that I often make and share in my Instagram Stories.

+ Have a budget meeting with Chris. 

+ Put phone away when we start getting dinner ready through bedtime.

Happy July, friends!