Summer Update
Youngest child took this photo of me looking like a character from a Ghibli film.
Hello Friends:
You may, or may not have, noticed that I disappeared from this space for some time. For those that have noticed, I have missed you. And, if you too, have a full life and were too busy keeping the ship afloat to notice one less email in your inbox every month, I get it. I am right there with you. Here's a recap:
Some years ago, a mom with kids older than mine, referred to the month of May as "Mayhem". That resonated with me then and rings more true for me now given the ages of my kids. My May was filled with concerts, ceremonies and send offs at least every week. I am not fond of rushing around or leaving my home after dinner. And, the month of May pushed me outside of that comfort zone.
When June rolled in, my focus was on supporting the kids to finish the school year strong, along with preparing them for an overseas exchange through our local public school. Two days after school let out for the summer, for the first time ever, my husband and I put both of our kids on a school bus destined for the airport.
The kids had a fantastic time with their host families. Along with several other parents from our community, we were able to meet up with our children on the other end. We were also fortunate to spend time with overseas friends and have some much needed rest. These travels involved very little shopping; lots of eating and walking, as shown in the photo above. Our travel style has changed over the years.
When I wasn't driving my kids from one thing to another in July, we were preparing the second floor of our home (or first floor, depending upon where you are from) for the carpet cleaners. In our family we need external accountablility. Earlier in the spring, I booked the carpet cleaners for August 1st and let my kids know that they needed to clear the floors including inside their closets by that date. Of course, their four pieces of furniture (bed, dresser, desk and chair) could stay. This strategy worked for us! I am happy to report that we have clean carpets AND my kids parted with massive amounts of stuff.
To make this process easier for the chilldren, they were encouraged to planfully neglect this job until we returned from our travels. I added "carpet cleaner prep" to their daily lists for July and provided a bin in the hallway for items they no longer wanted. They always have access to a trash can, shredder and recycling. I am now going through the bins (yes, plural) of stuff they no longer want to determine if it goes to the resale shop, FreeCycle or Goodwill. Mostly, I just want the stuff out of our home, save for a few items I find sentimental that will be stored in my own space.
Also, near the end of July, we added a new family member to our home. More on that later and over on Instagram, if that's a space you enjoy.
How have you been making the best of your summer days? I always love hearing from you.
All my best,
Carolyn
P.S. Thank you to those of you who have supported my work on Ko-fi! I love providing valuable, ad free content, at no charge to you. If you feel compelled to contribute, please consider providing me with a one time or monthly tip on Ko-fi. I don't drink coffee, but am fueled by tea and dark chocolate. I so appreciate your support in any way. It helps keep my message complimentary and ad free.
