I did a full on New Month dance in G’s room last room and she thought it was hilarious (it involved jazz hands, dramatic poses and jubilantly shouting: New Month! Neeeeew Month! NEWWWWW MONTH!).
But I mean come on: obviously a fresh start around here feels necessary. And July 1 always feels a little bit extra special because of the 6 down / 6 to go midpoint split, though I think the actual midpoint of the year is tomorrow at 1 pm.
Thank you for the kind words and wisdom on yesterday’s post. I am still processing all of my feelings, but generally approaching each day with positivity. I’m trying to think about: what CAN we still do and enjoy? vs thinking about what is not happening.
EXERCISE: I have resumed my usual workouts. I know for some self-care would be taking a break in this realm (and I did have 5 days with no workouts last week) but for me it’s really the opposite. I went to Pilates early this morning (checked on my patient first and he was okay . . .) and did home strength training on Monday and Tuesday. At some point, I’ll get back to the gym.
I am continuing to enjoy the Empowered workouts and have transitioned from her Summer Shred program (I did not follow the macros/diet at all – just the workouts) to her regular monthly fitness plans. I think the programming is solid and easy to follow, and I like that she offers gym AND home versions of each workout. I also find the app user-friendly. So, I decided it was worth the $25/month membership!
READING: Uh oh. I’ve been reading Dream State for too long. I can’t tell if it’s because I don’t like it, or just because we have A Lot Going On at the Moment (to quote TS). If no momentum by the weekend I’m switching books. My summer reading dreams can still come true! Bring on the propulsive fiction. (Recs welcome!)
KIDS: G/C have 2 weeks of day camp after this one, and A has 2 weeks of geometry. A will be going away to the beach with friends this weekend (glad that worked out!). I want to figure out some fun weekend activities we can do that won’t have us leaving Josh for too long. We can definitely hit the pool. We can go out for frozen treats. We can see Toy Story 5 when J is ready to be left long enough. We can hit the library + B&N. We can buy one of these Best Key Lime Pies (Davie is close!). We might not be doing long-haul travel but they will not be miserable.
The other two weeks they will be home. Our nanny will be away, but A will be home and Josh will be home, and I’ll be home for some of it (though I reinstated several patient days because I want my precious PL to be preserved for future ventures). MAYBE we will venture out on a short close beach trip if Josh is ready.
OTHER THINGS: We can use some of the time we would have been in Hawaii to tackle the kids’ rooms (decluttering). I know not the MOST fun, but I think worth it . . .
TV: Josh and I started watching Beef (Season 2, Netflix). It’s really good! Kind of . . . White Lotus vibes?
Life will eventually return to its action-packed self, but for now I think we need to just zoom in and appreciate the little things we can do. If this entire post is giving 2020/pandemic, I get it. But we made it through that, and we’ll make it through this.
(2020 was worse!)
((New Hobonichi July Start scheduled to arrive to day! DOUBLE fresh start energy . . .))
26 Comments
Yes, you’ll make it through this. What is Josh doing to pass the time??? Sounds like you’re doing fun things to keep the kids happy. Look at it this way… at the end of the summer, you’ll still have the Hawaii trip to look forward to, rather than feeling sad that it’s over (good re-frame? No?)
good reframe 🙂 🙂 Ha!
I was going to say Jenny, you rock! I love the positive attitude!
She wanted to get ahead a year – she’s great in math but wanted to advance a year. The only reason she wasn’t on that track initially was she was at a different school before. Her good friend is in it too which helps 🙂 it’s 6 weeks 8:30-1 4 days per week. With that and gymnastics she’s kept busy which I think she likes.
I’ve been getting my wallpaper from a site for YEARS…. I just realized that they are an Australian company and the seasonal themes are backwards from the USA! 😂
that’s so funny! so like snowmen in July?
Propulsive fiction recs from what I’ve read lately: the new Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say (or really any Elizabeth Strout), Ghost Town by Tom Perrotta, More than Enough by Anna Quindlen, Enormous Wings by Lori Frankel. Also, I loved My Dear You by Rachel Khong–it’s short stories so I wouldn’t say they’re propulsive in quite the same way, but some of them are delightfully quirky and might be up your alley.
ooh thank you!! I know the premise of enormous wings and i can’t tell if i’ll love it or hate it!!!
Yes it is indeed a weird premise but it kind of works somehow!
Oof. I am sorry about Josh and your dad and the cancelation of your trips. Last summer we had literally just arrived at the beach house we rent with my brother-in-law and his family and I discovered my son had hand, foot and mouth disease. We had to reload the car and head home and we were all super bummed (except my daughter, who was devastated). We were able to salvage part of the trip and head back a few days later (my husband and daughter didn’t get it and were able to go on Monday; my son and I both had it but were able to go up on Tuesday afternoon). But on our way home I decided we were going to treat ourselves as much as possible without getting other people sick. We picked up pizza on our way home, paid to rent a movie we had been wanting to see, and pulled out some activities we had set aside for times like this. I worked on some craft projects I had been wanting to do and picked some real escapist reads (I really like Annabel Monaghan for some fun but heartwarming romances). Sounds like you are already on this page and obviously our situation was not on the same level, but it was tough at the time (and then I got Covid two weeks later…🫠)
Anyway, hoping you can still find some bright spots and fun things to do!
you totally made the most of it – and thank you for the book rec!!
I love the thought of a new month dance! I told a friend this morning I was very pleased it’s July because that means the stress of June – the the end of our fiscal year – has gone.
NEW MONTH!!!
woohoooooo happy new month to you too 🙂
What about video games? Does Josh enjoy them? During COVID we got a classic Nintendo which helped pass some of the time.
Could you brainstorm ideas for your next book?
Drawing/painting? Knitting? Crochet? Whittling?
Card games? Board games?
Do you think Josh might be able to go to a movie in a couple of weeks (especially if they have fancy reclining chairs)?
I repotted a bunch of plants last week and it’s been fun watching them grow. We also have a number of bird feeders and watching the birds has been nice too.
For you, I’d lean into exercise. It’s my favorite coping mechanism.
ooh i LOVE to play dr mario on our NES (neighbors gave it to us and it works perfectly) – thank you for the reminder! and yes to the other analog fun.
a movie would be a good milestone to shoot for – def not there yet but eventually!
and yes to continuing my strength training / pilates journey. it’s a lovely distraction and def helps.
Hooray for a fresh start new month! Glad you are processing your feelings, but also looking at what fun things you can do with the time. And taking it day by day is a good strategy too. My best friend broke her tibia plateau skiing in Japan in January and that’s our summer in Australia, so her summer plans with her kids were ruined too. She’s a single mum so I spent some days at her house helping her recover after surgery – a tough time but a few months later she’s fully mobile again, away on holidays with her kids and now she has a story to tell. Thinking of you all and wishing Josh and your Dad a smooth recovery.
what a nightmare to fracture out of the country 🙁 at least J was local this time!!! thank you for the good wishes. My dad had a good day yesterday so-progress!!!
I have a milestone bday this month and had fancy travel plans myself and then it turns out my kiddo is going to have some unpleasant medical stuff this month and so we called it off bc like Josh and Hawaii, she could do it but not enjoy it. So, know that you have a bummer summer buddy, even though, obviously, everything will be fine.
Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett!
New month energy is so cool!
How did you convince A to do 2 weeks of geometry?!
We plan to watch Toy Story 5 too. Much be a fun movie to watch with the kids, and not in português!
Agreed re: Dream State – you and I tend to like the same books so I picked up Dream State when you mentioned it, and then decided to abandon it about ~20% way through. I recommend Summerland Cove (set in Maine) or Dolly All the Tome (set in Newport RI), both from Mrs. Darcy’s summer list!
okay thank you! And glad to know I’m not alone on Dream State. Somehow I feel like I SHOULD like ti and I”m still finding it a slog . . .
Gonna throw out a family project idea inspired by my own mom: what about a film fest of movies you all watch together so Josh can be included? We did this the summer my siblings and I had the chicken pox (before the vaccine existed!) and watched a TON of old Hollywood musicals.
Not sure if Josh is a big movie guy but maybe he could pick some movies he has enjoyed over the years. Or you could just rotate picks.
thank you – the “movie project” idea does appeal to me!
I suggest “Dolly All the Time” for a light, fun, summery read! I gave it 5 stars. It is romance so you have to like that genre, and I am not confident you do?
I hate that this is happening to your family but I admire your attitude!
Love your positive attitude, Shu. I know it’s hard to come back from disappointment, but it definitely helps to look for the little things that can lift our spirits! 🙂