July 2012 Update

HOT! That’s how I would describe this July. and busy. REALLY busy.

We’ve had temps well above 100 and then we thought things were getting back to normal but we’ve somehow settled into a pattern of consistent 90s. I’m definitely a summer-loving gal but I draw the line with triple digits. We went weeks without rain and then it poured for days. And then there was that one night where the thunder rumbled around All. Freaking. Night. Long. I wasn’t a fan. In fact, the storm took out our electricity a few times and I didn’t have my fan, which pretty much equals no sleep. :/

Skylar spent a week in Birmingham for 4th of July and had a great time with my parents. When I was dropping her off I was able to see my cousin from Texas and his new baby girl, which was a nice surprise. A full week is the longest Skylar has ever stayed away. We’ve worked up to this very slowly over the years but I still miss her all the same. I get the feeling that she doesn’t miss us so much but that’s because her every whim is being catered to and she stays in a constant state of entertainment. Yeah, I wouldn’t miss home either. Ha!

Mike and Neighbor Wade have been rock climbing rather consistently this month. They usually go at least once a week and have been doing some pretty difficult rock faces. It’s certainly good for them and I’m glad he’s enjoying it so much. They are always safe with their gear, but I prefer not to hear about the times when he falls. Skylar went with him this last week and did a teensy bit herself but she’s a lot like me and isn’t fond of heights, which is mind boggling because she loves the Ferris Wheel. Hmmm….

This month we also took our summer trip to the drive in and had Skylar’s friend Sydney tag along. It was a perfect night and we met up with some church friends too. They had a blast and promptly konked out on the way home. I love summer activities! We also made our last Friday trip to the lake. *sniff, sniff*

School starts back tomorrow. I still can’t even fathom an August 1st start date. Darn you Metro with your balanced calendar. The moms from Wilson County swear that I will love the two-week break in fall and spring. I still maintain that it is a logistical nightmare for working parents. Speaking of work, it appears that the breaks occur at the most inopportune times as far as my conference schedule is concerned. Fall break is the SAME EXACT week that I will be traveling and spring break is the two weeks right before I go to conference, which is when I’m up to my eyeballs in last minute details and putting out fires left and right. So, I highly doubt I will be swayed to endear the new balanced calendar.

Skylar is rather excited about going to Kindergarten. I’m excited that she’s excited. As much as I’ve loved seeing her more this summer, I do miss the routine. I’m also looking forward to uninterrupted work hours. I swear, this summer has been a constant shuffle to manage logistics trying to figure out how to squeeze in 20 hours of work when I only have 15 hours of childcare and to figure out who is covering childcare each day. Plus, I filled in at my old transcription job for a few weeks to cover someone’s vacation and I’ve also been getting my doula business off the ground, which is going very well. Oh, and I somehow landed myself on the PTO board which comes with a few hours of responsibility every week. As usual, there is never a dull moment around here. I would highly urge you not to scrutinize the cleanliness of my house at the moment. We’re lucky we all have clean clothes to wear and food in the fridge. Thankfully, Yah Yah took care of getting Skylar’s uniforms and Grandma gracefully accepted when I asked her to please take care of the school supply list. I simply did not have time to be driving all over town. Yay for grandparents! I did manage to squeeze in a little fun for myself this month by doing a “Christmas in July” painting with the ladies from our LifeGroup.

In preparation for the 1st day of school we had our annual visit from The Magic School Bus who brought a lovely all blue backpack. tLG was thrilled! One big difference from last year is that she was able to read the note left by MSB. I can’t wait to see what all she will learn this year!