It's summer. Here are some things we've been doing to try to stay sane...
Scheduled weekly date nights all summer long. It's an expense, but it's a definitely a good investment. Last night was (our own personal) Battle of the Nachos at the Great Dane. We decided we didn't love either of their nacho flavors, but the weather was perfect, the Pepsi was good, they had gluten free hard cider on tap, and the deck was a lovely place to visit and plan more dates.
Taking the kids outside A LOT. Neighborhood park, splash park, kiddie pool in our backyward, walks, camping with friends. We are talking a little about buying a pop-up camper (someday) and trying to spending most weekends camping while it's nice out. I was always a tent camper and never thought I'd be a pop-up/RV kind of person, but after having two kids, my definition of comfortable sleeping arrangements has changed dramatically. I am thankful that the weather has been amazingly wonderful for playing outside almost every day.
Letting things go. I usually can't tell if I'm completely spoiling my kids or being too hard on them. Maybe I'm doing a lot of both. Having an almost-3-year-old in the house is a completely new challenge for me, and I don't have the hang of it yet. So I'm trying hard to let things (my preferences) go that don't really matter. It would be nice if the kids ate a nice round lunch and supper every day, but if sharing a fruit and yogurt smoothie with them for one meal a day means one meal with no battles and no plates full of food uneaten or thrown on the floor, then so be it! (Plus, I love smoothies, too.) I am thankful for some friends and neighbors who have assured me that their oldest child is always their most challenging.
Rejoined the gym. I was hesitant to do this in the summer, but I'm still working on strengthening my knee, and it's been WONDERFUL to be able to drop the kids to play AND get some exercise and adult socialization at the same time. Tate used to have a hard time at the gym child care, but he actually asked me to go there once this week and is really enjoying it! So it's a win-win-win. Also, I think it will be fun to take Mike there for a workout class some evening for date night. I'm thankful that we live near a gym with childcare and that a membership is affordable for us, especially with the discount our insurance offers!!
Practicing gratitude. I have a tendency to get negative, critical, and bitter about things easily, even if I've pretty much had a great day. It's so easy for me to dwell on the 10 minutes to one hour of the day where one or both kids was screaming / tantrum-ing / not sleeping / not listening and get in a funk, instead of being thankful for the sunshine, trees and birds, that we get to spend time together every day and outside every day, that we have yummy food to eat, fresh water, healthy kids, and a God who knows us and loves us and is always with us. I'm trying to spend time intentional time being thankful to help keep perspective.
Reading uplifting blogs also helps:
http://barrentobeautiful.wordpress.com/
http://mrsgoresdiary.com/
I am thankful for uplifting blogs.
That's it. Nothing thrilling, but that's what I'm up to, and it feels good to write, even if it's quotidian.
