I Have to Admit.....

This summer has been one for the books and it's only mid July! I'm normally a pretty regimented kind of girl. I don't have set schedules, but I like to try and adhere to some sort of schedule within the house. Especially during the school year. We have dinner by 6:30, McKinley gets a bath every other day, we read a book a piece before McKinley goes to bed, and he's in bed (not necessarily asleep) by 9:00. 

As for myself, I'm up and dressed by 7:30 or so, again during the school year, and generally showered every day. But this summer has me the most laxed and without any form of routine whatsoever! And I fear that I might be liking it! August is going to be a rude awakening around here and it will be here all too soon.

Let me give you an example of this past week. I'm finding that dinner is on the table sometime between 6:30 and 7:00 and no one is really complaining. McKinley is maybe getting a bath every couple of days, I figure that the chlorine is giving him sort of sanitary rinse off on a daily basis, and he's not really getting in bed until closer to 9:30. He's sleeping through the night (I might have just jinxed myself) and getting up around 8:00 or so. Breakfast hasn't been super healthy, powered donuts or pop-tarts at times, but it's summer! Who needs brain food first thing in the morning, right? And we might be getting dressed and heading out of the house around 10:00. The last two weeks were admittedly rough because swimming lessons started at 10:00. Thank god all he needed was a swimming suit and brushed teeth for that. If I had to think about outfits, which I normally lay out the night before during the school year, I think I would have put him in a swimsuit anyway.

As for myself, I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that my personal hygiene has been in question as well. I might shower every other day, I might wash my hair less frequently than that (thankful for cute summer hats), and I couldn't tell you the last time I actually applied makeup. And to be perfectly honest, I'm not questioning it either. I'm not unhappy. If my legs are shaved, and I've brushed my teeth, I consider the day to be an amazing success!

 I used to see photos of friends and their kids on Facebook and think horrible thoughts about myself as a mother. They were up, dressed, makeup applied for the mom, and at their destination of the day before 9:00. McKinley would have at least been fed, but as for what we were going to actually do for the day, was a complete mystery. And being dressed wasn't anywhere in the cards for at least an hour. I thought getting out of the house before 10:00 was a major! Today, as I write this, it's 9:15, my son is playing in his playroom, I'm drinking coffee while he has apple juice, and we've discussed going to the Farmstead at some point this morning. And guess what? I'm totally okay with this plan. 

Is it that I'm getting older and simply don't care anymore? That I'm me, and not my friends, and I don't have time to try and be someone I'm not? I'm much more relaxed because of it too. I'm not stressed that my day isn't planned to the minute. McKinley is content to stay in his pajamas all day, playing in his playroom, and I'm perfectly happy that he's happy. Isn't this what summer is all about? Lazy days with little structure? Playing hard and hardly working? If that's the case, we are killing it this summer!

But I do have plans for the first of August. We will begin to reform our former school routine. Dinner will have to be at 6:30, with a bath every other night for now, and bed time will have to come earlier. I'm thinking closer to 8:00/8:30, with an earlier wake up call to come. We will have to be up, fed, dressed, and out the door long before the summer wake up call of 8:00. And structure will be a must! But until then, I'm going to milk this dog days of summer attitude. I'm going to embrace the fact that I'm a little crusty at times, a little moldy from chlorine baths, and that my son is the happiest little boy on the planet! 

I have to admit it.....I kind of like this way of life! Too bad we have to go back to normal soon!

We will be on "vacation" next week and blog posts will be very limited. But just know, we are making memories to share, and some stories to tell in the weeks to come, and that summer is all about taking it easy. I hope you're taking it easy as well!

XO,

Andrea