Summer Lovin'

Heading back to school/work in a few days is overwhelming to say the least. Though staying at home with four kids all summer has moments of lost tempers and grated nerves, it also tempts me to try staying/working at home full time. It is a conundrum for so many mothers. I am thankful I am able to make a choice about this matter. It is very empowering to be able to decide. One wonderful aspect of teaching is that it does give me a taste of both worlds. I am so grateful that I get months to be a stay at home mom and months to be the teacher I know I was born to be.

This summer has been one of the best. Last summer I was super pregnant and then Charley was born. I was also teaching online summer school and working as an event planner. I took my computer to the hospital with me to finish up some things! It was not overly relaxing; well, it was not relaxing at all. Not one minute, really. This summer, however, was an opportunity to really enjoy spending time with the kids and John. Last night I said to him, "Bye, honey. I'll see you next June." He is working like a mad man (thank you, Honey) and it has been nice to stay up late together and to actually see each other in the morning. I will really miss that!
I really like schedules and routine, so I started off the summer with a strict schedule and lots of activities: I ended the summer with daily naps, frozen yogurt, and reruns of "Will and Grace". This combo you'll see in the favorite things of the summer list below.

Things I loved about this summer:

• meeting my culinary agenda: pesto and tomato sauce from scratch(ish) and cooking a whole chicken
• witnessing Mason's goal at LAX tourney!
• early morning jogs= solitude and a more flexible caloric budget
• Sunday afternoons at the lake with mom and dad and the fam
• being able to drink my coffee in a cute mug not a travel mug and have time to finish the whole thing
• time with my Kindle though there is never enough time for all the things I on my Read Me Now list
• Ikea
• watching Charley go from taking a few steps to running after the big kids
• taking Avery to MegArt and watching her create
• snuggling with Hadley
• daily nap time (for all)
• Will and Grace reruns-thank you Lifetime
• frozen yogurt-God bless TCBY and Ben & Jerry
• watching Millionaire Matchmaker with John...a lot
• Rachel and Mike's wedding
• The Help and Eez with the ladies
• devouring issues of "Runner's World"
• my peekaboo highlights
• The Landing/boat/cocktails date night with John
• Dana's crab cake dinner party
• Charley's Have a Ball First Birthday shenanigan
• presseco and Popsicles
• 4th of July with my homies
• dinner with Suz and finding out we're getting a Lucy girl
• spending time with my Butler ladies (not the workshops, the lunches)