I guess the month really gets away from you when you spend a week of it on vacation. It was the perfect vacation and we had so so much fun. And then it took me like a week to actually come home. Well if you saw the state of my kitchen right now you’d think we still haven’t returned. There’s just something about summer that makes me want to shirk all responsibilities and chores and just go to the pool. Oh yeah, its the 90 degree heat.

We have been spending plenty of time at pools and splash pads lately and it’s so nice. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that being in a swimsuit 1-2x a week is helping with my weight loss. It’s easier to pass up the bread basket if you saw yourself in a bikini the previous day. I’m all about self-love and I feel great about my mombod, but I also need a reminder sometimes that everything fuels or fattens my body. I’m back to working out a little more, eating healthier, and I even wore shorts to the gym this week for the first time in YEARS.

Between pools and softball games we’ve spent a lot of time in the sun. Everyone comments on how tan Reese is – she browns right up! She even has a little tan line in her thigh roll. This summer is paradise.

Good

• Mom Swim Club – I’m realizing now that playdates are like 80% for the moms, 20% for the kids. This weekly swim date with other young moms has quickly become something to which I look forward all week!
• The Beard’s softball team won their league championship, which was hilarious and a lot of fun. We had to sit through a lot of very hot softball games, but our happy husbands made it all worth it.
• I’m re-watching Bob’s Burgers again and it is just SO FREAKING FUNNY.
• I also just started watching UnReal on Hulu and it is BANANAS
• We have our 5 year anniversary trip all planned! I’m a little nervous about leaving Reese alone overnight for the first time, but it’s probably good. Right?

Bad

• The Game of Thrones finale is on Sunday and then it’s like 8 months until a new episode 🙁
• Reese has moved on from Hakuna Matata and Let it Go to these bizarro pregnant Elsa Spiderman YouTube videos. I don’t want to even explain it.
• My hair has not been cooperating lately in this heat
• I’m back to not sleeping well, but thankfully it isn’t due to anxiety or mom brain. We think it’s my thyroid garbage so I’m headed back in to make sure the dosage is correct. Hormones are the worst.
• I LOVE my Jeep! I HATE that it’s black with black leather when I can’t find a shady parking spot during these Satan months.
• It’s June 24 and I have only finished 1/3 books for the month.

On My Brain

• Am I posting too often? The 3x a week thing has been so good for me in a lot of ways. I’ve learned a lot, kept the creative juices flowing, and been more intentional about ideas to share. But at the same time it can feel forced and dry when I am low on inspiration. On busy weeks I hate feeling like “UGH I have to write and post 3 different blogs on top of everything else?! UGH!” For the most part I think it’s been good, and it’s a New Years Resolution to which I’ve stuck pretty well. At the very least it’s been good blogging/writing practice for me. I’m not making any changes for now, but it is on my brain.
• YouTube! I want to learn to make and edit YouTube videos for the blog. I’ve been dipping a toe but I’m ready to dive in. If you have resources for me HMU.
• Gun Control. I’ve been spending a lot of time reading up on different sides of the issue, the way different countries handle guns, the way crime rates are affected by different types of legislation. I grew up in a red state and I feel safe knowing there is a gun in my house. As a teacher I would have felt safer had there been a few concealed carriers in the building, or if the cop was full-time in the school. At the same time I find my heart breaking with each gun crime and refuse to believe we can’t do anything about it, and I don’t see any type of need for assault weapons under any circumstances. Really I think the research is just making my head spin more, but I have learned a lot about both sides. (ProCon.org is my go-to website for two sides of each issue.) Fun Fact about Danica: she sits on ALL of the fences and has a hard time picking either side on any issue. Except the NFL. The NFL sucks.
• The Bachelorette is so boring. How could it possibly be more boring than sugar free vanilla ice cream with no toppings Ben Higgins? I don’t know but it’s somehow happening.