I have been in the Sunny Sunshine State for almost 13 years now...and have spent most of my summers since 2001 down here, trying to duck the late afternoon thunderstorms that are so characteristic of Florida. When I was in college & grad school, summer didn't mean much to me here because it was just hot, hot, hot and I was either working or in classes in the cool A/C. When we got married, I was unemployed for a time and so summer meant sort of sitting on my bum watching ridiculous videos on YouTube, scanning website for meal planning ideas, and trying to figure out how to make an errand to the grocery store seem exciting (time for a new spice, alright!! this pyrex glass container is on clearance? score!)
Once we had kids, though, summers in Florida were somewhat like torture. All things in good time, I know, and Florida has the benefit of having extremely mild winters and I live for the days between November and April. They are mostly pure bliss, whereas I know the rest of the country is bunkering up for the umpteenth snow storm (been there, done that -- did I mention I grew up in Minnesota? I get it, and I survived, and I thought no different of myself until I started living down here).
Why were summers in FL torture? When your friends anywhere north of the Florida-Georgia line (with windows down and cruisin', no doubt) think of summer they think of being outside all day, running through the sprinklers, playing in the kiddie pool, running inside for Kool-Aid and then running back outside to play some more. That is just not quite as...easy here. It's hot. It's HUMID. And it might be raining. And I don't have a backyard pool (which is totally okay). So instead we try to find fun "indoor" activities that don't involve 17 episodes of Angelina Ballerina on repeat. I, again, try to find the fun in running errands to the dry cleaners or Target (ooh, I wonder what's marked down on clearance this time...will it be burt's bees chapstick or 77 packages of applesauce?! Excitement pours out of my skin like delicate ladylike perspiration). It's a season, and this too passes.
Summers back then were for shopping, learning electric guitar, extra trips to the library for impending early childhood literacy, and staying cool at the splash pad at Busch Gardens at all costs. (Photos courtesy of summer 2011).
However, this year, we've hit a milestone. A major milestone. For one, both my children are mobile. Obviously this has been the norm for Mia for quite some time, and Gabe was mobile last summer too, but this year he's really mobile and more self-sufficient and not every outing requires a huge diaper bag and major ensemble this year. I am actually using a cross-body bag/purse for most outings instead of a backpack or weighed-down shoulder bag, and I am
loving this freedom.
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| pool, jump, repeat |
Secondly, both of my kids took swimming lessons this spring for 6 weeks, and Mia is doing pretty well, and Gabe has gotten way more comfortable with getting in the water (he's an "earth" boy--I think he'll be happy around trees & mountains someday as opposed to the water), and he's good with having a puddle jumper on.
Thirdly, thanks to
Stroller Strides, we have now found a little community within our community of mamas & friends who have access to our very wonderful neighborhood pool & splash pad, so we have pool parties like once a week. Guests can come too, and we often invite non-residents, even though they have to pay a tiny fee to get in with us. (We're talking like $5.)
And since my kids are more comfortable in the pool, not to the point where I'm
not keeping an eye on them, but to the point that I can actually look at another person in the eye besides my own child, these outings to the pool are actually
fun instead of stress-inducing! It's taken 5 summers to get to this point but sometimes you have to know where you've been to fully appreciate where you are!
So I am going to enjoy my summer to the fullest and oh, wait, mail's here, hold on a second...
Lands' End, what have you done?! Are you trying to murder my joy? My summer sunshine? It is not time to hit the books, my friends. Yes, we are trying to retain some of Mia's PreK knowledge but no, no, no, it is not time for backpacks. It's not time for freshly sharpened pencils, as perfect and delicious as they are. It's time for summer. Last time I checked July 4 was three days ago, when we were covering our ears from the sonic booms of our neighborhood fireworks and eating watermelon and smelling like mango because somehow my organic sunscreen is scented as such (from the essence of pure organic mangos, no doubt). IT'S SUMMER.
Give me a few more weeks of my freedom. Sure, go on, do what you need to do to "survive as a business," and send thousands of moms into a frenzy that their child will not have the perfect monogrammed backpack this year, but please,
please, let me have my July. IT'S JULY. Summer officially started 'bout 2 weeks ago. You can call me August 1. I won't answer. So you can leave a message with full details about what I need to buy, and then I will. Probably from Target. Which I hear has already proclaimed their back-to-school madness as well. Angry tears. Minneapolis, you're getting a call from me. Regardless. I will enjoy my family and this time, in the words of Olaf, in SUMMERRRRRRRR!!!!!
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I'll be a happy [mom] in SUMMERRRRRR!!
photo credit: http://bit.ly/1oC1NqV |
PS: You know I love Lands' End. I practically grew up in about half their catalogue. I'm surprised my mom isn't somehow on the board of directors. She might be indirectly responsible for their success. So this playful tongue-in-cheek diatribe really hopefully doesn't come as a slight to them, because I heart what they do, just...not yet. Said in love lest some Lands' End social media person thinks I'm trying to take them down, because, I'm not.
PPS: Now go on and enjoy your summer like you should!!
My inner Minnesotan child wouldn't believe it, but our family officially went back to school earlier this week. Up north, it was not uncommon to start school the day after Labor Day. I was in shock when I went to college and I had to report down to school mid-August! We didn't get out of high school until the first week of June, so where went my summer??
6. And for as on-the-go as we were, also having downtime to do stuff like this:
