Going into this summer, we knew that it was going to be a magical one & so far it has been just that. We have been working on checking items off the bucket list, last weekend Brandon took Harper fishing while I took the two little ones to the splash pad & then on a muffin (and coffee) date. The girls had their very first sleep over, Harper’s bestie spent the night and the girls camped in the living room in our tent. They stayed up late eating popcorn and watching The Parent Trap, and we learned our first parenting lesson in overtired-sleepover-repercussions the next day. We’ve been to the zoo, the pool & the beach, and the adventures are just getting started.
But let’s get real for a second, we are all riding the summer strugglebus over here. There is a reason that moms have a love hate relationship with summer break. Our house is in a constant state of emergency, dining room chairs are tipped over and draped in blankets, clothes are strung down the hallway from whatever game of dress up the girls’ played this morning, and the kitchen floor is almost always wet now that Harper & Ellie have decided that doing the dishes is their favorite activity. Everything is sticky and covered in grass. Last week I found a dino nugget under the dvd player and a glue stick stuck in the back of Ellie’s hair.
Our kids have been waking up at six in the morning and doing ALL of the things before 10 am. I’m talking play dough, sidewalk chalk, pool, art, forts, books, snacks, fighting, hugging, snuggling and minimum three outfit changes. And I am looking at the clock thinking WHEN IS DINNER and we literally have four hundred hours left in the day.
Expectations & standards are at an all time low over here, and we are all ay-oh-kay with it. So cheers to all the summer fun, made of equal parts adventure & struggle. I hope you are all enjoying it as much as wee are, and as always, thanks for taking the time to hide in the bathroom from your screaming toddler to read this. XO
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Looks like a perfect summer so far! Were Ellie’s boots the pink sand color? If you can remember;) Thanks!
Hahaha I am totally hiding from my toddler gal as we speak! Happy summer!
Haha! Your last sentence is spot on!! As a stay at home mom to one little girl, I can totally relate to loving summer, but still looking at the clock like “what?! how is it only 10 am?” Here’s to making the best of it all!
Four hundred hours left in the day – AMEN! I feel ya!!!
Literally hiding in the bathroom to read this ? Thank you for being real!
You seriously made my day with this one.
Sometimes when the kids do crazy shit I’m like ” Go back to school already!”
I was tallying up the days on Monday and realized we were exactly halfway through summer. That means doing the last 6 weeks All. Over. Again. I almost (okay actually) cried.
But then I rewatched that Whats Up Moms Back to School video and made my Fall Bucket List aka list of shit im doing when theyre not here. It includes things like drinking my coffee while its hot, sitting quietly for 5 minutes, and uninterrupted bathroom breaks. Its gonna be great.
Even with all the chaos and stickiness, I’m glad that you all are soaking up every moment! I know your girls will remember these days and the time and effort you put in to making their Summer break so special. Now…can I please quit my job and come play with you guys?! π XO from Tamara in Tallahassee.
This sounds like the perfect summer π -XO
It sounds like a fun (yet stressful some days!) summer so far!
bahaha. I love the thank for taking your time to hide in the bathroom with your screaming toddler to read this …
Yes and Yes! So much fun but so messy and so much laundry. We have a sandbox so there is constantly sand EVERYWHERE in my house. I feel like I live at the beach except no beach, just sand sand and more sand!
OMG hahaha us too!
I love you for always keeping it real! This is exactly how my house is and how my day feels ALL THE TIME.
Yes! I’ve given up on any sort of clean or dry floors. And convinced the kids that swimsuits are perfectly respectable attire from sun up to sun down, because THE LAUNDRY! Omg. Drowning.
Between the outfit changes and the pool towels, the laundry situation is real over here too. There are so many piles on the floor it just looks like one huge mound ??ββοΈ. Hopefully they’re in bed for you by now! I’ve still got 2.5 hours…at least it’s after 5:00! Cheers!
This is the absolute best thing I have read in 4 years. And that includes a lot of New York Times best sellers. But you forgot to mention Summer ‘s most hated enemy. Ants. Y’all stay safe out there
Hahaha this comment made my night, ants!!! yes!! they’re the freaking worst, I swear they smell the fruit snacks on the floor from ten miles away! π thank you for the kind words. XO
Omg I got goosebumps when you called me out on hiding out in the bathroom to read this!!! Lol looks like your summer is amazing so far!
Thanks for getting real, Dino bites and fruit snacks are okay. There are some days where we run out of things to do and I have her favorite book 16 times a day and cringe when she pulls it out again.
The days are long but the years fly by.
She is learning words and running now. In the blink of an eye.
my floor is perpetually covered in chalky footprints and grass. All. The. Grass! the blow up pool in the backyard seems to be WAY more fun than the actual pool and also way more fun for me because i don’t have to sherpa all the towels, goggles, floating devices, snacks, water bottles, hats, sunscreens (bc there are multiple – face, kid, adult… when did this become a thing?) and i can stick them out there all but naked and they entertain themselves for hours! winning! happy summer!
So happy to hear I’m not the only mom hiding from my four-nager in the bathroom!!! What a relief!!!
I LOVE this post! I have been following your blog for a couple years now and have never commented until now π Seriously I love when you get so real in your posts! I know were all trying to make our little ones summer dreams happen but it definitely comes with soo much craziness. Social media/blogging can be so deceiving and we can start to think peoples lives are perfect. So I appreciate you telling us the good and the bad! Thanks!
Thank you, that means so much!!!
Haha right! Love/Hate for real sister! Cheers to that! I’m so thankful to be off for the summer but some days, hours, minutes are so dang hard !