Hey all!
Since I’m hoping that a large portion of my summer will include
sitting in the shade
with a good book, I’d love to know what everyone’s reading.
Would you take a moment and leave a note with a few of your favs in the comments section?
Here’s what’s on my coffee table so far:
Tell me, which books have moved you lately?
Remember when you were young, how long a summer day felt?
I can recall so clearly eating a bowl of cereal in my pajamas on my front steps … slowly. I remember getting out of those pj’s and putting on a bathing suit, and having that be my only outfit for the day. I remember afternoon iced teas that were extra sweet, and paperbacks being devoured like candy.
And despite the fact that I have a few more responsibilities than I did when I was 6 or 8 or 14, I’m in the mood for that kind of languid day again.
So I made my own summer bucket list. Truth be told, it’s more like a tiny pail, and it goes a little somethin’ like this:
Do you see the pattern? I need unhurried and easy. Relaxed. Lazy. I don’t need to be packing the trunk with every possible item The Boy might need during an outing, so we’re keeping it real and for the most part—aside from our trips to the sea—we’re keeping it close to home.
Kids need little help pulling magic from a summer day, after all.
And in the spirit of allowing ourselves to breathe and slow down in the coming months, I’d like you to join me for {wait for it, waaaaait for it} …
YES: it’s the keepin’ it simple summer @ this little light!
I think many of us can fall into the trap of switching into overdrive to keep the kids occupied once school lets out. Let’s not. Plan a few outings, yes, of course, but don’t immediately become Julie McCoy, Cruise Director thinking you need to fill every moment with orchestrated entertainment.
Keep it simple!
Starting Friday, June 1, this little light will be hosting a weekly KISS link-up! So grab the button, share it with your blog readers and/or Facebook friends {you don’t need a blog to participate!}, and keep yourself focused on keepin’ it simple this summer. Just let us know in a post or an update what you did that week to keep it old-school—fun without fussy—and to really embrace the joy of your summer days.
That’s it friends. So sweet and easy, like a good iced tea and a beach blanket circa 1982. Hope you’ll join me.
And now I’m off: heading out to the back patio to put my feet up and hold a real book open on my lap while The Boy and his friends run circles around me. Keepin’ it simple.
{So happy to be linking up to encourage here.}
These last few months have been tough for me.
Not tough tough, but tough, you know?
Just when I thought I had things relatively well-handled, life threw me one of those crazy curveballs, and the daily rhythm I’d honed for myself was broken.
If I were a juggler and you needed a visual, just picture six or seven balls moving in
beautiful, even, circular motion
then me tripping, sending each orb straight to the ground with a big ol’ bounce then a thud. I’m left standing there, looking around, wondering which to pick up first, which to table for a while, and which to pack away altogether.
My problem: I overwhelm easily. I want to do it all, and I want to do it perfectly, and if I think I can’t, I tend to avoid it entirely.
Thankfully, the most important stuff—The Man, The Boy, The House, my weekly date with Hawaii Five-O—doesn’t get overlooked. Priorities are priorities, right? But TLL got the boot—as it usually does when things get crazy—because for the most part, it was more than I could handle. If I couldn’t write the perfect post, find the perfect photograph, or relay the perfect message, then gosh-darn it, I was going to maintain radio silence until I could.
And this, dear friends, is one of my major character flaws. And I hate it.
So this summer I’m turning over a new leaf: I’m going to learn to slow down, chill out, and embrace the
good enough.
And that doesn’t mean I’m setting my own bar low: it just means that I think we could all throw ourselves a bone every now and then, stop being afraid to stumble, and just do it—whatever “it” is to you—anyway.
A little more moving forward despite the life-hiccups, lemonade, watermelon, and this in the months ahead
and a little less worry is what I’m aiming for.
I’m so over being overwhelmed.
On that note, please stay tuned for the Memorial Day introduction of my new summer series … I hope you’ll slow down, chill out, and play along with me.
When I was younger and dreamed of my future family, one thing I always assumed was that motherhood—since I aspired to it—would be intuitive.
When it came time for me to “train up a child in the way he should go” {Proverbs 22:6}, I’d be all Carol Brady-like: gracing every new day freshly made up in a stylish and sassy outfit, barely breaking a sweat when things went amuck, and always, always knowing the right thing to say and how to get a valuable lesson across before the sun set—all while having fun with my sweet, precious offspring.
Yeah…right.
What really happened was I realized motherhood was not as intuitive a career choice for all women, and I—for one—was in desperate need of a manual. AND an Alice.
Years have passed since my introduction to parenting, and I’ve gained some knowledge—and my composure. I don’t sweat the small stuff anymore, but boy, I still need a good hand-holding from time to time. My biggest issue lately:
putting the chores aside
and just having fun with my 42-pound bundle of joy. I get too caught up in the to-do list and the housekeeping and the busyness of life. And that’s where the lovely Sarah Reinhard AND her “manual” come in.
Sarah is a mother of three and the author of Catholic Family Fun: A Guide for the Adventurous, Overwhelmed, Creative, or Clueless. This easy read speaks to me on so many levels: as a momma, a caregiver, the teacher of our faith, and—at times—the sole entertainment for our “just one.” It reminds this Type A gal that it’s super-easy to incorporate play into your day and that each moment can not only be fun, it can also serve as the perfect opportunity to teach {and there’s no better way to learn than when you’re being silly with mom}.
Read it from front to back, or start with the category that interests you most—Silly Things To Do Together, Meals To Share, Outdoor Adventures, Ways To Serve, among others. Sarah breaks each concept down further by including prep times, how long playtime might be, and how much it might lighten your wallet {happy hint: most were “lows”!}. Short on time? Quickly reference the appendix, where she sorts activities by prep time or duration, and you’ll soon be sharing a silly story or having a speedy water fight just before dad calls out “Supper’s ready!” And though you don’t need to be Catholic to enjoy these ideas, she makes it more fruitful for you if you are by including ways to incorporate your faith into each project, game, or outing.
As the end of the school year approaches, I’m delighted to add this book to my summer coffee table, and I know it’ll be used joyfully time and time again.
Thanks, Sarah!
To learn more about Sarah and Catholic Family Fun, visit the CFF book website, which includes new activities and reflections each month, or the Catholic Family Fun Facebook page. And after playtime is over, the kids are tucked in, and you have a few minutes to yourself, don’t forget to check out her writings at the Snoring Scholar.
I received my own lovely copy of “Catholic Family Fun”—and no other compensation—for this review.
