July has come and gone; August is upon us. I turn the calendar page with a sigh… I hate seeing that first day of school written in. There is still so much I want to do! I have a list of simple pleasures for us to enjoy during our last days of summer and hope to accomplish them all.
I must admit it took me by surprise to realize this is Report #30. Thirty is a lot of weeks! My step count this week: 94. It feels good to type that. July’s total was 354. Highlights:
1. I finished my Chirp Chirp quilt. Pictures to come in another post.
2. The gym was closed this week, offering a full week without morning gymnastics. We loved the time off!
3. It hit me this week that we have a house full of girls, and that they love beauty as much as I do. They spent the entire week playing together with their American Girl dolls, designing clothes, doing hair, planning meals, going on outings, and turning the toy room into their own little house. I ignored as much mess as possible and my husband and I kept the boys at bay so it could last as long as possible. I am grateful that they have each other, that they can submerge themselves in a world of imagination and practice their own version of homemaking and mothering. It’s just so wholesome , and I felt better about the future as I observed them. I walked around the corner and had to smile at this sight. Like mother like daughters?
4. I paid someone an unexpected visit this week to thank her for something she does all the time. To her, it’s probably nothing, but to me it meant a lot. It was a visit I intended to make for weeks, and I’m so glad I finally did it. I loved the look of surprise and happiness on her face. It feels good to be thoughtful. It feels good to show gratitude.
5. I took my two year old outside in the dark to look at the moon. She loves the moon and is usually the first one to spot it. It was large, low in the sky, yellow in color, and was framed by the silhouettes of trees all around. It was precious to whisper together in the dark, drinking in the beauty of the moment. She said, “It’s pretty. It’s mine!”
6. I did a better job of remaining calm inside when I was interacting with one of my children who has been a challenge lately.
7. I did a better job of prepping dinner earlier in the day, which meant both better meals and happier evenings. I’m slowly working my way through all of the recipes I haven’t made in a while, to see what everyone still likes. It will take a while, but it’s fun to do.
8. Have you ever had a moment when you understood something about yourself that needed changing, and perceived exactly what you needed to do, yet when the situation arose in the middle of life you watched yourself react the same old way all over again, in spite of yourself? I did that this week. Sometimes I feel frustrated by the distance between understanding and full implementation, but all I can do is set more early warning signals and do better next time.
9. I shed some tears this week for the ache of watching my baby develop at lightning speed. In spite of all my efforts to hold her and play with her, I still feel like the baby in her is slipping through my fingers. All of you moms who have lived through this and come out on the other side, I marvel at your hearts. I don’t know if mine is going to make it.
10. I’m trying to learn a lesson from my grandpa. For as long as I can remember, he’s taken time to appreciate the sunset. He always knows when it will take place, and allows a pause in his evening to watch it. I want to be like that. I want to savor the sunset each day.
I leave you with a glimpse of tonight’s sky…
Have a great week!
Jennifer
