We’re halfway done with summer school and almost done with June, and I finally feel like I’ve got a little bit better of a grip on summer life. I tried to be really in tune this week to what I needed and made it happen. I took the days a little slower, didn’t push myself so hard – at least not every day – and enjoyed everything a bit more. I hope to get better at this in the next few months, fully taking advantage of this short season of life before schedules get rigid and hectic again come September.
On Monday I had an early dentist appointment and ran a few errands. It was raining (most of the week, actually), and I was exhausted, and I was finally able to take an afternoon nap while the boys did some gaming. It was weird to take an entire day off of work. I didn’t really know what to do with myself, which was a bit disconcerting, but also a nice change from the frantic stress I usually feel every day.
Tuesday was pretty slow too. I’ve been trying to start my days by reading instead of working. It’s so hard to get past that NEED to be productive the second I’m out of bed. But I feel so much happier and more calm when I slowly ease into the morning instead. The only other thing of note that happened Tuesday is I walked to the library! Exciting stuff this week, guys. 🙂
On Wednesday, I was in the mood for a little fun! I stopped in the morning at a grocery store to buy a bunch of produce. Then I went to the Pardeeville Antique Mall and found all these goodies for my dolls. I haven’t been there since last fall, so it was fun to poke around. I haven’t been feeling super inspired with new ideas lately, and finding fun accessories always sparks my imagination.
On the way home I stopped at Johnson’s Sausage Shoppe for the first time. I was way too excited to go into a big meat market filled with pre-marinated meats and new flavors of things we love. We haven’t tried any of it yet, but hopefully this will be a new source for meal inspiration!
I then spent the entire afternoon cutting up produce. Literally. I wish the pre-cut stuff wasn’t so expensive! My reward for all my hard work was a big batch of mango salsa, which was DELISH. Also – have you had honey mangoes? I’ve never bought them because they look smaller than normal ones and if I’m already going to the work of cutting mangoes I want the biggest value! But honey mangoes were on sale too and Caden and I LOVE mangoes and oh my goodness, these were amazing! The sale is on for a few more days, so I’m planning to go stock up on a bunch more tomorrow.
Wednesday was also another pretty lame at home date night. I made bourbon chicken and we took Annie to the dog park. I think it’s about time we have another real date one of these days. It’s already been a month since our anniversary!
Thursday was a BIG work day. I had a Craft Night planned, so I needed to get my dolls to a certain point (stained and dried) before the craft night started, so I’d have something to work on that didn’t take up the entire table. I thought I’d reach that point by like 11am, but I was still madly rushing to finish at 4. I was stressed out and mad at myself for not planning better. I kept thinking I should just work on a different FUN project in the evening. I used to have those! Embroidery and mohair animals that take up minimal space and give me a break from doll making. But…I wanted to finish the dolls. Anyway, Laura is the only one who came to the craft night, which was just fine! We had a good time catching up while getting a little bit of work done!
I finished dolls up on Friday morning and after school we went over to my mom’s house to help her babysit Hudson. Except the boys were in awful moods and I’m sure we just made the afternoon a lot more exhausting to her!
We only stayed a few hours and then went home.
Still trying to have some positive and memorable interactions, I had a farmer’s market date planned with Caden. But then despite the fact that he was fully ready to go at 6:30 on Saturday morning, he refused to walk out the door. So after an exasperating five minutes of pleading, I left with Shepard. Again.
It was a good morning for the market! The weather was great after raining all week and it wasn’t that busy yet. Shepard was LOVING all the samples, especially cheese. Which was funny because he’s not really much of a cheese eater. But samples are samples, right?! He picked a giant cinnamon roll for his breakfast again and we got another one for Greg and a donut for Caden. I had my delicious morning bun, which I saved for today. And cranberry walnut bread, which is my all time favorite. We splurged on those homemade crackers which are AMAZING but so expensive. Shepard thinks we’re sharing them, but I hid them away to eat with brie because he can’t appreciate how good they really are. 🙂 We also got radishes, cilantro, and two kinds of that bread/fry cheese. Shepard was so obsessed with it!
Saturday turned out to be a lot crazier than I was expecting! If I knew we were going to be so busy, I wouldn’t have gone to the market. But it was all a lot of fun! Around noon Timmy and Hudson came over for a pizza lunch and then we went to the pool. Hudson wasn’t much of a fan, so I spent most of the time sitting with him and observing the swimmers while he downed a ton of goldfish crackers. The guys all got to do some real swimming then.
We went back to my parents’ after swimming for an impromptu cookout and campfire. It was a little chaotic, but a fun evening!
My mom found the first doll I ever made when I was around eight years old! A few years ago when they were thinking about moving and we were looking through our old things, I was trying to find this doll. I didn’t, so I assumed she was gone forever. Nope!
I was finding great amusement in watching Hudson try to feed himself sweet potatoes while the dogs swarmed around trying to get a taste!
Finishing the night with s’mores around the campfire.
Annie was trying to get into more things than Hudson, so it was kind of an exhausting day! I’m pretty beat today! Between keeping Annie from jumping fences and eating food off tables and stepping on Hudson, carrying Hudson around a lot, being outside most of the day during the worst of allergy season, walking on uneven surfaces all day without my brace on, and just plain not getting enough sleep – I am pretty much dead today. But I think it was worth it! 🙂
Sunday Intentions
It’s a pretty quiet week again – thank goodness! The only real thing on the calendar is another therapy session for Caden. I can’t believe it’s already been a month since the last one! The peach and blueberry truck comes on Thursday, so I’m looking forward to getting more fresh produce. They have the best fruit! And Greg took a random vacation day on Friday, so I’m hoping we can maybe have a morning movie date while the boys are summer school. And Saturday we’re going to a Mallard’s game with Greg’s parents.
My intention for this week is to keep being aware of what my body and mind actually need, instead of just pushing to keep checking things off my to do lists. I’d like to walk a little further each morning with Annie. My orthotics have really been helping keep the plantar fasciitis pain at bay, so I think it’s time to challenge myself a little bit more. But also take rest days when I need it. Like today, when I’m swollen for the first time in weeks. 🙁 I want to start a fresh batch of dolls, but also not freak out about getting to a certain point every day. I think the best way to keep myself in check is to stop letting myself work in the evenings. I rarely do these days, but I know from experience how much better life goes if I insist on giving myself actual work hours with a real stopping time. So, 1:00 when the boys get home, or 4:00ish when I need to start dinner, if they’re off with their friends in the afternoons.
Well, I think I need to end this post. I’m just feeling SO fuzzy and out of it today. I need a reading break! And maybe a nap. 🙂
