A "welcome home from camp" chocolate pie which has become tradition

Hi, friends! I'm sipping a cold, cold black cherry sparkling water because at this time of year I'm constantly just a little bit warm, even when I'm inside in the a/c. And happy Fourth of July to my fellow Americans! We're flying the stars and stripes today, and also thinking a lot about what we hope for the future of our country and our upcoming election in particular.

An early morning hike with a view that paid off

We're in the depths of summer weather here with temps above 110º pretty much as far as the eye can see. But we're doing okay...I guess? I'm watering my backyard plants twice a day and keeping them alive so there's that. Yes, it's very, very hot and means we're inside a lot which is not the greatest with energetic kids. But I also know that this weather isn't forever, sweat is inevitable, and at least we can go get in a pool. Look at that (lukewarm?) optimism!

The boys had good sleep away camp experiences and did great flying unaccompanied to visit my parents in Austin. Amazingly the house is more organized than ever thanks to a decluttering bug that I got while the boys were out of the house. We tackled all the kids' closets and I went on to optimize our closet, under both bathroom sinks, the linen closet, and our front hall closet. Those last two have annoyed me for years and so felt particularly satisfying.

I've been trying to really pay attention to what makes the summers hard beyond the heat. And here's what I've got: my potential work and recharge time is significantly diminished compared to our school year schedule. And what I know about myself is that I can best recharge when I feel at least somewhat on top of my work, something that feels elusive this summer! So I spend more time in the summer running on a quarter of a tank versus feeling more refueled. So that feels hard. Another thing that has been challenging have been morning attitudes around going to camp (it seems like at least one of the three is not excited for it any one morning), which is the only way to get any consistent work or down time this summer. After a morning of navigating resistance to camp I come home feeling emotionally spent and not in a productive "go-get-'em!" mood.

I have a few thoughts on these observations. One, that's just how summer is going to go, so I don't have to worry that we're doing summer "wrong." Also, like I said in May, this will all get easier as the kids get older. Which they do every summer! And, I'm making a mental note to try to structure next summer such that I have very little work that I have to do. Erica and I could pre-record all our summer episodes, which we already started discussing, and I won't plan to write another workshop in the summer again. I think that could make a big difference. Mental note: taken!

Looking ahead to the rest of July, we have both our family beach trip to San Diego, which we're all really excited about, and the kids start a new school year. The kids don't have any more camps this summer so I'm not going to even try to make goals for the month. The rest of July is about hanging in there through the heat, enjoying whatever family fun we find, and moving ahead on work projects where possible. By the end of this month we'll be starting to settle into our new school year routine which feels unbelievable but welcome.

I've been thinking a lot about our family beach trip and how to make it as vacation-like for myself as possible, even while parenting and making snacks. I can be my best vacation mom self when I'm being where I am (my summer mantra that I still think of often).

Here are my ideas for being present as a mom on vacation:

+ spend minimal time on my phone each day and don't check blogs, social media, news (especially now! my goodness!), or my email at all. I'll also keep my focus setting on such that I only see texts from family and closest friends if I glance at my phone.

+ plan what books I want to read and listen so that when I do have pockets of reading time I have something great to escape into.

+ plan to take a one hour quiet recharge time each day in our room with the sound machine on.

+ leave all food decisions up to Chris. I don't mind making a meal for kids or packing beach snacks but I'd love a vacation from deciding what we'll eat including any restaurant decisions. In general, not making decisions is a way that I feel on vacation.

Once we start our trip I want to only be focused on being with my family and enjoying our time together. With three young kids there will inevitably be sibling squabbles or overtired kiddos. Being present will help me roll with all of that, and even see it as adding character to our trip.

I'm going to wrap up there, friends! I hope you are enjoying summer and being where you are. I'd love to know what you'd do to be your best vacation mom self, or even just your best vacation self if you don't have kids. It's worth considering before a trip!

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