A weekend on Mt. Hood, a Boss Lady latte, and staying in this very cozy historic cabin

I'm happy to say hello to August, a month of transition into our school-year routine, the month we try to keep our spirits up through the late summer heat, and also when I start to dream about fall (swoon). As a new school year gets underway for my kids, and especially this year now that we've eliminated a morning daycare drive and I have five consistent work days, I'm already feeling creative and productive energy brewing. I hope that August into September will always make me want to buy a new notebook and pen and to make a to-do list of creative goals.

I've had a lovely start to August so far with a five-night trip to Portland where I visited a dear friend, her husband, and their adorable, very chill baby. After three trips to Portland I have quite the crush on the city of abundant coffee, walkable neighborhoods, and leafy river views. Gilbert has a very manicured suburban feel and a getaway to quirky, artsy Portland is the perfect place to reflect on my upcoming creative year which I consider to be August through May while my kids are in school.

A few questions I'm keeping in mind this month to guide my creative year and our family routines...

+ How can I lean into the work I'm already doing well?

+ Where do I want to explore different or more work?

+ What rhythm do I want for my week days, when I want to accomplish podcast and writing work but also tend to house work?

+ How can I best transition from my work day into after-school-mom mode?

+ What after-school snacks are the kids into that we should keep on hand? (Preferences seem to change often...)

+ What easy, healthy lunches would I enjoy making for myself?

+ What enables dinner prep to be done before the kids get home from school?

+ What after-school activities will engage Maeve during the heat? In about a month we can play at the park after school which will be great. But until then the afternoons can drag on!

+ When can Chris and I reliably find weekday coffee dates and day dates now that all the kids are at school full time (!)?

Big things in August

+ Trip to Portland! I had a wonderful trip from start to end including attending a wedding on Mt. Hood with a two-night cabin stay, long walking conversations through adorable neighborhoods, and so much good food and coffee.

+ Sedona book club retreat! I'll barely be home from Portland before heading to the beautiful red rocks with my book club for our annual getaway. This trip is always a highlight of my year and is sure to include laughter, meaningful conversations, all the snacks from Trader Joe's, and gorgeous views.

+ Chris starts a new school year. His 17th year at ASU.

+ Our daycare expenses go down! Technically this started in late July when Maeve started at her new preschool but hopefully we'll start feeling the effect in August.

August goals

+ Answer all of the questions I posed to myself above. This will help to guide our routines and my creative/work goals.

+ Clean out and organize Maeve's closet. This is a hold-over from July! There are clothes she's outgrown to pass on, donate, or sell, and it's probably time to let go of some of her baby toys as well (sob!).

+ Complete putting our Vanguard account into our trust, and our Capital One accounts too. These should be the last financial accounts we need to put into our trust. It's not hard but just requires making the time to sit down and wade through paperwork.

+ Digital tidy up. This isn't a deep digital tidy but just 30 minutes or so cleaning up files littered on my desktop and in my downloads folder.

+ Start thinking about the fall season. Open windows, cozy soups, and pulling on jeans – how glorious it will be! Thinking ahead is not me wishing time away but prolonging my enjoyment of a season I love to anticipate and experience. Each year I know a little better how our family likes to experience each season, which helps me to know how to plan logistics and also what things we like to look forward to. 

Wishing you a happy August, friends!

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