We are halfway through our second week of summer, and I am about 10 times busier than I was during the school year.
Today I’m teaching 8 swim lessons.
Number 3 and 4 have swim practice this morning.
Number 2 has baseball practice tonight.
Number 4 has another swim practice tonight.
And Number 3 has a baseball game tonight.
Sometime in there I need to get to the grocery store so my children don’t go on to day 2 without ingesting a single fruit or vegetable.
Oh, and there are those other 4 kids that need to be taken care of as well.
Tomorrow is the 4th of July.
We are going to just hang out and enjoy it.
Some friends are coming over.
We will eat, drink, swim, and just have fun.
I have a really amazing backyard.
It has a lot of July 4th decorating and ambience potential.
I have visions of rustic outdoor tables,
set with burgers that look like this
and annoyingly
patriotic desserts.
I envision crafty, handmade decorations that the kids and I had fun making together.
My beautiful, blonde children wearing coordinated 4th of July ensembles.
Using mason jars for table settings
and more desserts
and refreshing drinks.
But there’s just no time for that shit.
So I will mix up some ShopRite powdered fruit punch in this cooler.
The top is cracked, there’s no handle, and the pour spout on top has disappeared.
But the stuff inside of it will still taste the same as if it were in a beautiful glass pitcher.
And it will be red.
My tables won’t have tablecloths.
Or look pretty.
We will grill some hot dogs.
And eat some store-bought cupcakes.
If we’re lucky, they’ll have some red, white, and blue frosting.
My kids will look like this
and this. (at least their swimmies will be coordinated).
Nope.
It may not be picture perfect.
But we will have a good time.
And that will make it just perfect enough.
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Thanks for the morning chuckle! My oldest daughter, Emily with the three boys under 5, is checking into our soothing guest suite for her “kid free staycation” as she posted on Facebook last evening…her husband is taking the boys to his parents who live two hours away for an extra long weekend. She also admitted “using me for my A/C and sweet cooking skills” 🙂 Can’t wait to have grown up girl time! Have a great 4th!
Well think of it this way, it doesn’t need to be perfect especially if alcohol will be served! Have a happy fourth!
I thought you wanted to slow down this summer to be with your family. Yet, you’re posting you have 10 million swim lessons, practices, etc. YOU make the decisions, Susie. You’re in charge of your family. I admire your tenacity and determination for hard work, but do as you post. Don’t worry about your standards for a “picture perfect” 4th party–just enjoy with your family. Enjoy your summer. Like you said, it’s already passing–enjoy. Just because you’re a stay-at-home Mom, enjoy your family. You’re fortunate you don’t have to join the 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. teaching profession. I was fortunate too, to stay at home with my girls. But, now they’re grown and I’ve had to join the teaching rat race. How I wish for those days again with my little girls.
This post was written three years ago.