Summer Lessons

I am jumbling the summer months together here for you, but here is what I learned this summer…

DVDs in a car are the best invention ever! Absolute silence on a car ride sometimes saves the day. And yes, occasionally I have taken a long drive with a DVD playing just to stop the insanity for 30 minutes.

I love antiques or objects with history. I was finally able to take my grandmother’s china out of the box and display it. Each dish has different cracks or knicks and I love each one.

I think in solitary they should play the sounds of a 3-year-old having a fit because seriously if that doesn’t completely break a human being I don’t know what does. I endure at least two of these daily and the ones on the sidewalk in front of the whole neighborhood are charming – or at the Mystery Spot tourist attraction priceless.

Sometimes I am pretty sure they are working together to get their demands met.

I am so thankful for work vacation days in the summer. Summer days off with my kids = heaven on earth. Beach, swimming, local tourist attractions, parks – so much fun. Most other days I look something like this:

Boys are so physical. I can’t understand how WWF Smackdown is playtime. I am constantly breaking up wrestling matches and explaining how some piece of furniture is not part of an obstacle course. Living with 3 boys, two the same age, is seriously like living in a mixed martial arts studio.

Watching your child learn how to do something for the first time is awe-inspiring. My sweet D can ride her bike without training wheels and after just a few days of practice rode 4.6 miles this weekend. AMAZING!

Oprah is right once again – you can have it all; just not all at once. Make sure you appreciate those moments when you have them. The sweet look your baby boy gives you the minute he wakes up and sees it’s you looking at him. The moment when your oldest son confides in you, the moment when your daughter reaches out to hold your hand, the beauty of your family sitting altogether at the dinner table, looking out across the ocean on a beautiful 70+ degree day when you are surrounded by family and friends. They are right that you can’t have it all every minute, something always falls through the cracks, or bad things happen, but there are moments that are golden. Soak those up when they happen because they can sustain you until the next one.

And last but not least…