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.
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.
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.
Oh hello there! It’s been too long! Like, really too long. Thank you so much to everyone who has written a sweet note or text or blog comment checking in. I feel very loved, and I’m so sorry if I caused you any worry.
I’m also a little embarrassed, to be honest. Because there is NO REASON for my very lengthy impromptu break from the blog world. I can say “I’ve been busy” because that’s true, but also: WE ARE ALL BUSY. And yet YOU have continued to prioritize posting and commenting and I somehow have not.
That doesn’t mean I don’t miss you. And it doesn’t mean that I don’t feel tremendous guilt about missing all the things going on in your life. There are a lot of negatives in there; I trust you get where I’m coming from.
1. Writer’s Block: Because I am currently struggling to think of ANYTHING AT ALL to write in this post, I might as well start with the Big Dumb Excuse, which is that I have been suffering a severe case of Writer’s Block lately. I sit down to write and there might be a few gasping spurts of words but then there’s nothing but hissing air and the sense that something might be broken. I have neglected all three of my writing partners this month, and I hate that. As someone who thrives when I know a friend is sitting beside me, tapping away at their keyboard at the exact same time, I hate that I’m not holding up my end of the clickety-clack. When I told one of my writing pals that I hadn’t written a word in eons, he mused that he doesn’t believe in writer’s block. I get it; he has been a professional writer for decades now, and when there is a deadline, you simply can’t have writer’s block. You find a way for the words to flow. And I managed to tap into that source this month – the cold, deep pool of responsibility in which swim your reputation and your income, present and future – for a work project, and again for an editing project. But I could not get it together to do any other writing whatsoever. I opened my document of blog posts and stared at it more times that you can imagine. I made lists of blog topics. I brainstormed a new story idea with a friend via text. I opened up in-progress works and stared at them. That’s as far as I got. My writer’s-block-is-not-a-thing friend gently tried to prompt me to just WRITE, anything, even if it’s crap, and – this blog post aside – I find that nearly impossible to do. I know that it’s like exercise: you do it, even if it hurts, even if your heart feels like it will explode the cage of your ribs, and the more you do it, the easier it gets, bit by agonizing bit. And yet I find myself staring at the cursor, blinking, blinking, and cannot remember what a sentence is or how to form one. Alongside the shame of any kind of personal failure, there’s something uniquely demoralizing about not being able to do something you’ve always done. ANYWAY. I no longer have The Chaos of May to blame for my not sitting and staring at the cursor, so I’m forcing myself to Just Do It, even if the results are Of Highly Questionable Value.
2. The Best Thing About My House: It has been SO FUN to see my yard come alive this spring and summer! The previous owners planted so many things and many of them are haphazard and a little weird (like big tufts of grass that seem to be plopped down in places with no rhyme or reason), but many of them are delightful. There is a lone forsythia bush in the back yard that burst into yellow in early spring. A lilac bush followed, and oh – lilac is one of my favorite scents. I collected big bunches of the blooms and brought them inside where they filled the house with spring scent. And then came a glorious surprise: IRISES. I adore irises. Alongside tulips, they may be my favorite flower ever. We had so many of them! They were gorgeous and smell divine. There is a magnolia tree in my backyard! I have wanted a magnolia tree since college, when I first encountered one outside my freshman year dorm. For several magical days each spring, you could walk through a shower of fragrant pink petals. And now I have my own! It’s white, though, but it’s nonetheless so lovely. We have roses! And daylilies! And peonies! Catmint and lavender by the bushel! And a bunch of flowers I don’t recognize! The hydrangeas are just starting to bloom and we have some butterfly bushes and I am just so happy with all of this color and scent and summery abundance.
3. Plans and Planning: A million years ago, I asked for advice about buying a planner. I am not a planner person, but I wanted to BECOME a planner person. So many of my blog readers are planner people, and they all seem to Have It Together, so I kind of deluded myself into thinking if only I had a planner, I could also Have It Together. I admit, somewhat sheepishly to everyone who was kind enough to leave a helpful comment, that I panic-ordered the first specific planner someone suggested. It was a Passion Planner, recommended by Kate (thanks, Kate!) and I got it in the 5×8 size because that’s what Gigi recommended. It arrived, and I looked at it, and it has since gone unused. Turns out I have no idea how to use a planner. Anyway. My daughter is beginning MIDDLE SCHOOL next year, and the Middle School administration recommends using a planner to keep track of their absolutely bonkerballs schedule (bonkerballs is my term, not theirs; presumably they think it is doable and normal), so I bought Carla a planner and we are going to learn how to use one together this summer.
4. More Gardening Talk! My husband and daughter got me a garden center gift certificate for Mother’s Day, so I spent one entire glorious day shopping for and planting a whole host of annuals. The previous owners left quite a few containers behind (some of which are in poor shape; one disintegrated the instant I moved it) and I had some containers from my old house. So I had a lot of real estate to fill. I bought plenty of flowers but I also bought a bunch of vegetables. It’s been a few years since I tried to grow veggies, but our backyard is fenced in, so there is no danger of deer (chipmunk danger is, however, rampant) and I’m excited to try again. I have a zucchini plant, a broccoli plant, two different cucumbers (I asked A Woman Who Seemed to Know Her Stuff for cucumber advice at the garden center, and she recommended two types, and I felt like I couldn’t not take her advice), a strawberry plant, a jalapeno plant. I also planted a few sugar snap peas and a bunch of herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil, cilantro). THEN our old next door neighbor texted me that she’d grown a few tomato plants from seed just for Carla. The neighbor is an avid gardener, and Carla used to go over to her house to play with her dog and they’d end up in the garden, where Carla would eat so many tomatoes. This former neighbor is also solely responsible for Carla liking broccoli, which is a thing she now reliably eats, so you will understand that I have undying love and adoration for this person and her magical powers. We just got to visit the ex-neighbor and her dog, where we also collected three beautiful tomato plants, and as soon as I’m done typing this nonsense I am going to go move them from their tiny pots into bigger containers.
5. Summer Priorities: Carla and I sat down the other day and came up with a list of summer priorities. I feel like I have too many priorities, though, and feel a little pre-stressed about failing to prioritize any of them. Anyway, my daily priorities are: writing, exercising, spending time outside, spending time with my kid, reading, dusting off my rusty French. Weekly, I want to swim, go for a drive, and have a family movie night. Carla’s daily priorities are: biking, playing with the neighbors, reading, and swimming. (She is also studying French daily, though for some reason it didn’t make it on the priorities list.) Each week, she wants to walk with me, swim with me, get ice cream, and have playdates with friends. Some of these things can be done in combination. Like, if Carla and I go on a walk or a swim, that covers three priorities at once. I could even try writing outdoors, which could be fun? (I just ordered this bug spray because our lovely yard is humming with biting insects.)
6. Why French? Carla and I are both studying French because we have a loose plan to go to France as a family in 2025. My husband and I have both been lucky enough to visit France several times apiece. We also spent our honeymoon in Paris. We love the country and we both feel fairly comfortable getting around. Right now, we are in the planning stages and we haven’t yet narrowed down where we want to go. Paris is a definite, since Carla has never been there and wants to see the Eiffel Tower. But then where should we go? My husband and I have both been to a lot of places, but there is surprisingly little overlap in where we’ve visited. Do we go somewhere one of us has already been? Do we try to stick to places neither of us have seen? I’m also kind of excited about the idea of picking a historical French subject for us to study as a family and then explore in person. Joan of Arc! Marie Antoinette! Eleanor of Aquitaine! Marie Curie! How cool would it be to read about a historical person and then see where she lived? My family is (so far) less enthused about this plan than I am. Carla has never been abroad and we are all super excited about introducing her to the joy of international travel.
That’s it for today, Internet. Carla’s tomato plants are calling. Thank you again for being so kind, and for caring about me.
If you could go to any non-Paris city in France, where would you go? Do you have any summer priorities? Do you use a planner and, if so, do you have any hot tips for a planner neophyte?
I know it’s such a cliché, but WHERE DOES THE TIME GO? This week marks the beginning of May. MAY, people. May is going to be utter mayhem, that’s for sure, and I am already bracing for impact. Carla has so much going on. Three performances, a school presentation, a school trip, a fifth grade “graduation” ceremony, TWO class parties. On top of all the normal day-to-day chaos, of course, with three extracurricular activities that each meet twice weekly. And then BAM!, it will be summer break.
I tried to plan this summer so that it would be easier than last summer. Last summer, of course, we both bought and sold a house, so at least we won’t be dealing with THAT nonsense again. But I think we also over-scheduled Carla last summer. She had summer camp, plus she continued her music lessons through summer. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but I felt like we were constantly on the go – like there was no “break” from the busy schedule of the school year.
This summer, I want time to relax by the pool and have friends over. But… Carla still wants to do summer camp. I am FULLY in favor of camp. While it sounds restful and decadent to spend the summer doing nothing by the pool, I feel like our days would end up being filled by a lot of screen time. And how many playdates can I really handle? Not enough to give Carla the same kind of social interaction she’ll get at summer camp, that’s for sure. So. Summer camp it is.
Okay, so summer camp by itself still gives us evenings and weekends to play and relax. But… Carla is considering trying out a new sport and maybe a new musical instrument. On top of that, we have two other commitments that will take place weekly after camp. Ugh. Now summer is sounding just as hectic as the school year!
Maybe this is simply a busy season of our lives and I should learn to lean into it, instead of trying to force things to slow down? (Note: I realize that, once again, these are the Champagnest of “problems.”)
One thing that’s always constant: the need to plan and prepare meals. Once again, we’ll have two nights of takeout. I am ready to be done with THAT aspect of this school year. Takeout is fantastic once in awhile, but I am weary of it by now. And the annoying thing is, no matter how much I try to pack my day with nutrient dense foods, by the time dinner rolls around, I am so ravenous I scarf down a bunch of fries or chips. I love fries and chips, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t want or need to be eating them twice weekly. Well. Just a few more weeks of this nonsense left.
(You may be thinking, Suzanne, simply DON’T ORDER the fries or chips. And yet… I find this hard to do??? When it comes down to it, I am extremely picky. My child, also extremely picky, only has two or three places where she will deign to eat on these takeout nights. And there are only a few options at each of them that I can stand to eat. Plus, I have a lifelong resistance to paying good money for food I don’t like. If I’m going to spend extra money on takeout, I am going to enjoy it, dammit. So. Loading up on fries and chips. I am my own worst enemy, etc.)
I DO have control over what I can make at home, though! So I will try to compensate for the takeout with some protein and veggie packed meals.
Caesar Chicken with Salad: I cannot for the life of me remember where I saw this idea, but it sounds easy enough: marinate some chicken in Caesar salad dressing and roast with a little parmesan sprinkled on. Pair it with a salad. My only question is whether I dress the salad with the Caesar dressing? Or go for a light vinaigrette instead???? I don’t want to over-Caesar myself.
Baked Pork Chops and Zucchini: Another sheet pan meal! This recipe calls for asparagus, but I already have some zucchini on hand, so I will probably use that instead.
Golden Cauliflower Chickpea Bowls: These sound so nourishing right now. I bet my husband will want a chicken breast alongside his, and maybe I will add a salmon filet. We’ll see. I wonder if I could coax Carla into eating this? She likes crispy chickpeas…
What are you eating, these last few days of April? How’s your summer shaping up?
Yesterday’s comments echoing my thoughts about Fourth of July made me a little gleeful, to be honest. I really dislike this holiday. Mainly for the fireworks and the heat, but I can see how the patriotism aspect might leave you a little sour these days as well.
The other thing I hate about July Fourth is parades. We have been going to an Independence Day parade with Carla since she was a year old, and apparently we can’t stop. But I haaaaaate it. It’s always so hot. We have to arrive an hour early to get a decent spot in the shade, but no matter how we plan it, the shade has always deserted us by the time the parade is going on. There are too many people. The parking is terrible. We inevitably forget something critical, like water or snacks or a picnic blanket. Carla always gets too much candy. The parade itself drags on for days. I am a sweaty mess by the end. The only positives about the parade are getting to see a good friend of mine who brings her kids to the parade too, and Carla’s enjoyment (which is inextricably linked to the aforementioned candy). I wonder how old Carla will be before we decide to nip this tradition in the bud.
My curmudgeonly feelings about July Fourth and parades got me thinking about other summer “fun” that I also dislike. In ElisabethanTop Five/Bottom Five style, here are the summer activities I hate most.
Water parks. This might be my least favorite thing ever. Too many people. Bathing suits. Water afloat with unmentionable horrors. Bathrooms where people feel comfortable not wearing shoes. I used to love going to pools and water parks when I was a kid. Now, I shudder at the thought.
Amusement parks. Crowds. Germs everywhere. Rides of questionable safety. The possibility that someone could vomit at any moment. This is like all my anxieties going clubbing together.
Beaches. Sand. Gets. Everywhere. (Plus, the ocean is an unfathomable abyss and I would prefer to stay far, far away.)
Fishing. Everything about fishing gives me the squeams, from baiting the hook to catching the wriggling living creature. Also, it is kind of boring? And I live in constant terror that someone will cast the line and catch me or another human by the cheek with the hook.
Camping. I am a terrible sleeper in the best of conditions. Put me in a tent surrounded by trees and apex predators and I will not sleep a wink. Poison ivy. Peeing in the grass. Hanging your food from a tree branch. Carrying your sleeping roll and food on your back. None of this appeals to me.
Despite my bad attitude about most summer activities, I do love some of things you can only do in summer.
Boating on a lake. My parents’ house (well, their summer home, now!) is near a lake and I love tooling around the crystal clear water in their little motorboat. I would not like to be on a boat in the ocean, or on a boat in a larger lake (the Great Lakes might as well be oceans; I need to see both shores of a lake thank you very much). But their lake, the lake I grew up visiting in summer, is perfect.
Waterskiing. This is, again, an activity for a very specific kind of mountain lake. But when the conditions are right, I love to waterski. There is something so thrilling about skidding over the surface of the water like a sea bird.
Drinking iced coffee/tea. Okay, so technically you can do this in winter. But I prefer to save my iced drinks for summer. I love a tall glass of iced chai.
Hiking. My feelings about bugs notwithstanding, I enjoy a good hike. I try to get outside every day to walk, and hiking is just walking with a pretty destination in mind. Bonus points if there’s a waterfall involved.
Bike riding. I will admit that riding a bike still makes me a little nervous. But I do love finding a nice, car-free path to bike along with my family. It feels virtuous to be doing something active, and it feels wonderful to be doing something together.
What are your favorite / least favorite summertime activities?
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life of a doctor's wife 