Summer Break 2015

I had pretty big intentions when I started summer break. My to-do lists had to-do lists, I kid you not. Spoiler alert: all the shit? It did not get done. This happened for a variety of reasons:

1. My child is crazy. He's a little over one, so that's allowed.
2. When my crazy child was sleeping or at daycare (I took him two mornings a week) I lost all motivation to be productive and wanted to float around on my raft in the pool, reading books.
3. After a few weeks of getting into the whole stay-at-home mom thing I started making fun plans for us and never looked back.

That being said, I did get some things done:

1. I read fourteen books. Reviews to come. My goal was twelve, so I'm very pleased with how I did. 

2. I spent some really great quality time with my little guy and got a better system down for naptime, which was life-saving. We played A LOT, went to parks, walked miles around the neighborhood, and spent some afternoons in the pool. We also went to the fair, the beach, an indoor playground, and lots of PT appointments. I also successfully got him sleeping in his crib (finally) and not in his pack-n-play. As corny as it sounds, I feel like we sort of got to know each other better, a result of him just growing up and developing a personality and also because we were around each other more. 

3. I saw lots of my friends, mostly for lunches, although some for night outs. I actually saw every single close friend I have in the area at least once, minus two I had to bail on for lunch when Sawyer hurt his arm. I made it my goal to plan something social at least once a week and I totally surpassed that. It feels good to reconnect with people and catch up on everyone's lives. I am so, so thankful that I have these people in my life; I went from zero local friends when I first moved our here to a dozen or so that I consider close. 

4. I did all the refi paper for our house and started the process for solar panels. I finished up my life insurance paperwork and the account for Sawyer's college fund. These things make me feel very adult. 

5. I did some small things around the house. I cleaned out a huge closet, our desk area, Sawyer's room, and worked on the garage. I also did a huge cleaning of the laundry room, which had slowly become a dumping ground. I worked on my silly little shelf full of weird prints and fantasized about remodeling.

6. I visited with family- my mom came down for almost a week and I also saw my brother a few times. I popped in on my grandparents and saw a few aunts as well, briefly.

7. I maintained my blog and tried to comment more on other peoples' posts. I so greatly appreciate those of you who read and I wish I was a better contributor to the blogging community in this regards. I do give you page views, for what it's worth! 

8. I watched several TED Talks (review to come...?), although not nearly as many as I would have liked. Every time I watch one I think "Damn! This is so easy! And interesting! Watch more, Christine, more!" And then I don't. I probably watched one or two a week, though. I learned some things, so that's a win in my book. 

9. I wrote 56 letters of recommendation for the seniors that anticipated needing them this fall. That will be a huge load off my back come this fall.

10. I was able to somehow take more time out of myself than I expected; Sawyer went to daycare two mornings a week, I spent a lot of naptimes out by the pool, and I continued my habit of leaving him with my husband every Sunday morning so I can grocery shop. 

11. I averaged almost 12,000 steps a day, between our walks outside, my treadmill, and keeping up with Sawyer. 

12. I made some great new recipes from the different food blogs I read. 

Shoulder pat, shoulder pat, shoulder pat. But, let's be fair. Here are some things I failed at:

1. I barely wrote anything on the project I'm still excited about. I'm not sure how I'm going to be become a famous, or at least published, author if I don't make the time to write.

2. I wanted to do more around the house; my work-out room is still a mess, there are some cabinets that need some help, and just some basic chores that get done a few times a year that didn't happen. I have this constant urge to hire a housekeeper, but am too cheap. 

3. I wanted to take a class or lesson, but I didn't. I barely made it to yoga a few times.

4. I also wanted to sew something. Let's just say my sewing machine didn't get uncovered once. 

5. I thought I would have spent more time planning and prepping for the upcoming school year. Why I thought I'd do that, I'm not sure, since over the years I've mastered "teacher vacation mode." I did try to keep up on emails, though.

6. I wish I would have done more PiYo, but I failed miserably. I also wanted to be able to hold a two-minute plank, but I'm plateauing at a minute and twenty seconds.

7. I wanted to use my cookbooks more to try new recipe. I feel bad for them, as if I'm neglecting them by using Pinterest. I also thought I'd become, like, this Ice Cream Making Maven, which sadly did not happen. 

8. I have like three or four LEGO video games that are unbeat/unplayed. I know it's silly, but I like those games and good money was spent buying them.

9. I wish I would have exercised the dogs more. I did better than the school year, but I still feel guilty. I'm going to try to bring out the ergo and get Sawyer on my back so I can walk both at once one of these days. I can only imagine the neighbors laughing at our parade of craziness.

Summer 2015, you were different than what my summers in the past have been like. In the past I've traveled to Europe, I've hiked up mountains, I've taught summer school, I've floated around the Caribbean, and I've suffered from cabin fever with a tiny baby. This year that tiny baby turned into an opinionated, wild, hilarious little person that helped me work on my patience, empathy, and ability to find fun in the little things. Fingers crossed we have a good school year and developing a new routine isn't too painful!