1. The First Day of Summer Break! Carla is done with school – done with elementary school, in fact, which boggles my mind; doesn’t it feel like just yesterday I was leaving cryptic messages announcing my pregnancy? – and now we are officially on summer break! The first day was a perfect day and I hope we have many perfect days just like it ahead of us. We slept in until eight o’clock, which felt decadent but also not too slothful. We ate breakfast and planned our day. Then we took a drive to Target for some provisions (a sun hat for me, a new pool toy for Carla, some popsicles for the garage freezer) and then to Home Depot for some additional planting supplies. We had all the car windows wide open while we drove and we picked summery songs to add to a summer playlist. We were both GIDDY with the promise of summer. Then, after lunch, we invited the neighbors over for a swim and the kids alternated eating snacks by the pool and swimming. (Note to self: everyone always thinks they want Cheez-Its but no one ever finishes a bag except the gluttonous ants.) While watching four children swim is not relaxing in any sense of the word, it was still a wonderful way to spend the day.
2. Cherry Smoothies. I have been drinking cherry smoothies for breakfast for months now, and I am not tired of them yet. They are SO GOOD, y’all. Not too sweet, and 33 grams of protein without protein powder. I also enjoy the lovely purpley pink color.
![](https://lifeofadoctorswife.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/cherry-smoothie.jpeg?w=773)
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3. My Cuisinart Stick Blender. Smoothie-relatedly, I am loving my stick blender. I am still very fond of my Ninja blender, which has its own smoothie cup perfect for making smoothies. But since I made a smoothie daily, sometimes the Ninja isn’t clean and I need another option. (The versions of the blender available now come with TWO smoothie cups, those lucky ducks.) I love this stick blender because it came with a nice, big carafe that I can use for the smoothies AND it came with a little food processor attachment that is perfect for salsa and dressings and other small-batch things not worth the hassle of my enormous food processor.
4. My Indoor Plants. I’ve already gone on and on about my outdoor plants, but my indoor plants are THRIVING. My orchid – which I got when Carla was in pre-K – is blooming again, the anthurium is blooming happily, two of the succulents that are leftover from Carla’s tenth birthday are still alive. I am a teeny bit concerned about Carla’s orchid cactus – it’s sprawling all over the place and seems happy, but from my limited research it might not be getting enough sun? Well. I don’t know if there’s a sunnier spot, sweetheart, so we’ll have to see what happens.
![](https://lifeofadoctorswife.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/indoor-plants.jpeg?w=1024)
![](https://lifeofadoctorswife.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/orchid.jpeg?w=768)
![](https://lifeofadoctorswife.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/orchid-cactus.jpeg?w=575)
5. A Comfy Summer Schlub Dress. I bought this dress on a whim and I am loving it. It’s my ideal summer lounge-around-and-go-to-Target dress – very casual, so soft it feels like jammies, but cute enough that I feel like I’m making an effort. Also, it has pockets.
What are you loving lately?
It sounds like a wonderful start to summer! My son-in-law makes smoothies every morning and the whole family (including the 1 1/2-year-old) drink them. They have similar ingredients except that he uses frozen berries/fruits and banana. He would always offer me some when they were staying with me, but I can’t abide banana in a drink. I can’t grow indoor plants, so I’m lost in admiration of yours. Even if I could, the cat would nibble on them which wouldn’t be good for her or the plants!
Hooray for the start of summer. Carla seems like she is at such a fun age. I mean she was an enjoyable side kick for errand running which is saying a lot. Ha. Actually Paul is a good side kick, too. Taco? Eh. I adore the kid of course but he’s not at errand-running stage yet. And I have to lie to him quite often about Target being closed because he wants to go there all the time for their dog-shaped/decorated cake pops and instead of saying no to a request for a dog-shaped cake pop, I tell a white lie about the store being closed. In his mind Target must have some very odd operating hours. Lol. 10 am on Sunday? Sorry buddy, it’s closed!
Paul has one more week of school but oddly today they have their end of school party after school which I am volunteering at. I like volunteering at school events as I get to meet other parents and observe kiddos. I volunteered at Field Day a couple of weeks ago which was very interesting… I was a volunteer for grades 3-5 and I was very surprised to find that the 3rd grade classes was by far the most competitive. We gave out color-coded stars for how they finished in their heat and there was so much “no I got first place” “no it was me” to which I was like, “ok blue stars for both of you then, I’m not arguing about this.”
That smoothie looks amazing and what a facepalm that I have forgotten to use cherries lately. They are amazing in smoothies. Thanks for the reminder! And the colour cannot be beat.
How do these kids grow up so fast? Our daughter only has one more year of middle school and I’m like…what?
I went back and read your “announcement” post and HOW CUTE!
Things I’m loving… My roses in the garden! Our new deck furniture, and a pool. A new journal I purchased in NY Botanical gardens. My haircut.
A perfect first day of summer! And Carla’s at a great age for shopping, lunch, playlists and pool afternoons!
I’m going to have to try to find frozen cherries and this smoothie.
Lately I’m loving: a little mindfulness coloring book, Chipotle hummus w/Wheat Thins, and my Olive & June nail polish. 🙂
ahhhhhhhhhh I can’t believe Carla is finished elementary!!!! HOWWWWW! But bring on summer, I say, and wow, did your first paragraph ever get me excited. SUMMMMMEEEERRRRRR.
And look at your indoor plants! Swoon! I can’t have flowers in the house as my husband has brutal pollen allergies but I have some nice houseplants; a friend gave me a Christmas cactus that was 17 years old when she gave it to me, and it’s almost 19 now, and it has yet to bloom. But it’s still living, so that’s something, and it has new foliage. But I wonder if poor Noelle is on the way out. Do you name your plants? All of mine are named.
Summer schlub dress – yes, girl, I am here for it!
The cherry smoothie looks amazing! And wow! Your orchid is gorgeous! Your summer is off to a great start!
Wahooo!! Summer! Stop it – Carla cannot be heading to middle school next year?! Already?
A cherry smoothie? That may be the thing that could make smoothies a thing in this house.
I’m wondering if that cactus orchid might be more happy on the back porch or somewhere outside for the summer?
That dress is really cute and I’m really considering adding it to my cart. Pockets definitely make it a win.
That dress is super-cute and thank you for sharing the cherry smoothie recipe. I’d love to try that. Do you use frozen cherries for that?
I’d love to come over for the swim afternoon and I’d also happily finish off the rest of the cheez-its. Just saying 😉
I’m with San in that I will help out with the cheez-its. I especially like the white cheddar ones, for some reason.
My smoothies are usually frozen strawberries, some banana, yogurt, and orange juice. I like the extra protein from milk instead of juice though! I’m going to try your recipe, I think it could be a hit around here. Can you make it ahead of time, or do you use frozen cherries to make it frosty?
That dress is super cute. Happy Summer! I love your first day, play list, pool party, and friends. Could not be better.
Woohoo!!!!! The first day of summer is THE BEST ONE. I love that feeling, that it’s just beginning and the whole rest of the summer is stretching ahead of you. I love that you went to Target for summer-y supplies (while wearing a cute summer dress) and spent the afternoon at the pool.
I’ve been loving our more relaxed summer vibes around here- even though I still have work, I can sleep a little later- I especially LOVE getting up in the daylight instead of the dark!!!
Love your post! Speaking of flowers, do you have a favorite?
What a happy post and promotion from elementary school is a big milestone. (I always had mixed feelings about summer break when the kids were younger– it was so hard to work with them at home.)
So funny that you mentioned Cheezits because I just bought a gargantuan double-bag box from Costco yesterday. Between my own kids and the neighborhood tribe that runs through every day in the summer, I feel like we’ll still manage to go through it!
That cherry smoothie looks amazing. Do you use fresh or frozen cherries? The addition of Fairlife milk is so smart.
And sounds like you had the perfect way to kick off summer break. We’ve been doing the 8 o’clock wakeups too (on my days off from work) and you’re exactly right — it’s so nice not to be up at the school day 6:45, but it still feels pleasantly early!
Having a pool in your backyard sounds divine. Such a great place for Carla and her friends to gather. I am loving the pool we joined this year. It appears they heat the pool which is a step up from our last pool. We belonged there for 23 years but the prices almost doubled within the last few years. It made no sense to pay that for what we got. There is more space around the pool for people to spread out.
Hooray for summer!
I make smoothies in the blender, have never tried a hand held immersion blender which looks convenient. Your new dress looks adorable and perfect for shopping at Target. I’m loving our temps in the 80s during the day, 60s at night. Perfect weather.
I want more info on this dress. The link says “cotton blend.” What is this blend? It looks perfect for me, but I’m nervous it’s like 10% cotton and 90% plastic. Tell me more!
That dress looks comfy. Perfect for summer to live in. Sounds like you are of to a good star. Blasting music, running some fun errands while the windows are open sounds like an intro to the next teenage movie.
I do own a stick blender but have never managed to use the attachments. all my herbs and stuff I want to blend end up in a lump and I spend tons of time picking it out. Maybe mine is just cheap. I have never thought about making smoothies with he stick blender. I may need to give that a try because I killed my blender and keep saying Ill repair it (for five years now…)
I went right ahead and added that summer dress to my Amazon wishlist. I’m on a slight spending freeze right now, but that looks like such a comfy lil dress!
Bring on summer! I hope this is a great one for you and Carla. I can’t believe she’s on to middle school next year!
This post speaks to me! First, your plants look amazing! Second – smoothies with a stick blender? Do you put ice in your smoothie? Does that hurt the stick blender? Inquiring minds want to know. We use our blender a lot but it is noisy. I was contemplating getting something else but I am now wondering if I haven’t fully embraced the immersion blender as a method of chopping?
Love the summer dress! I recently got a pair of summer dungarees (overalls?) and I am loving them. Bring on the schlub! Also, 100% yes to dresses with pockets.
Omg, I’m so happy you linked to the cryptic pregnancy announcement post! How adorable.
Things I have been loving: narcotic cough medicine, Angus being home briefly, Eve being home less briefly, Eve’s friends being home and watching bad reality tv in my family room, cherries, and finally having some flowers planted, although something keeps eating my Gerber daisies and needs to STOP.