Summah Summah Summertime

Next week marks the beginning of the school year! (insert real mom feelings here: ahhhhhhhhhh! final countdown! I'm so excited to have a portion of the day to myself again! Less arguing for toys. No more begging to go to the pool all day! It's so close, I can almost taste it!) huh-hem. anyway. 

If you're anything like me a new school year is both exciting (cuz the kids are the teachers problems now out of your hair.).. & also a time when I begin to freak out inside. I can't help but wonder if I'm a bad mom for not working with my kids to keep their learning going over the summer. Every year I think: this is the year I'm going to do flash cards and extra reading and math, etc. and every year I am a big fat failure at it... which lends itself to the guilt I feel when the kids return to school and are probably way behind. No possible way that any other parents could have dropped the ball on this, right? Surely it's just me.

To be honest the guilty feeling kinda kills the buzz I have when think of a quiet house for a few hours... geez. can't a mama get a break? (also. should I feel guilty for looking so forward to the first day of school? naaaaah. everyone feels that way... most just don't admit it.)

On that note. I wanted to sum up our summer. If I had to describe it in one word it would be: lazy. homebodies. boring. simple. winning. We did a whole lot of nothing, really, but it was kind of awesome. Did I have moments days when I wanted to strangle my children and run screaming? (duh, have you met me? of course I did.) but overall it was just what we needed and I kinda loved it.

This summer: 

we spent our fair share of time at the park...

 

the pool...

watched and played all of the roller derby...

spent more time at the pool...

enjoyed more than our share of local treats...

played outside...

attempted camping (and lasted one night)...

fell in love with boating (and accidentally dunked Dez. twice.)...

found baby bunnies in the yard...

tried life on two wheels...

started potty training (at the prompting of Dez. pretty sure he's doing it wrong here.)...

tried to establish a lawn (being grown ups, sigh.)..

rocked blue hair.... 

Things I learned this summer:

i am the only one who gives two craps about how I look in a bathing suit. I'm just one of the many who feel uncomfortable and self conscious, and it's not worth ruining my time over.

kids 6 and under want to "play at their friends house" non-stop.. but it is less about the actual friend and more about what toys that friend owns.

it's beneficial to know when to say no (and I need to say it more) and yes (sometimes giving in to the kids gave us the random-est, most fun of days)

slurpees after practice are a must. (and those machines can totally break if it's too humid out. which is super heart breaking to everyone in this family me.)

A clean garage will stay clean for at least 2.5 seconds. totally worth cleaning.

beer-ritas are delicious. (especially the lemon ones.)

a clean house makes me happy (but cleaning it is the worst.)

it's usually worth overcoming anxiety to spend time with friends.. especially for very special occasions or events.

being referred to as someones "spirit animal" makes me ridiculously happy!

our neighborhood and plot of land are the bomb. i couldn't be happier with the decision.

i want to make more art. (maybe when these rotten kids go back to school I will magically have time to do more of that!)

So that's it. Our summer in a nutshell. It sped by while simultaneously somehow crawling at a snails pace. We had family visit, brief stay-cations, friends friends and more time with friends. I'm chalking it up to a win. Now bring on school! (mama needs at least two seconds of piece and quiet)