July Wrap-up & August Goals

Sometimes I still get overwhelmed by how many things are different this year than they were last summer (or even in February). But I swear my kids are basically living their best life. They’re not overscheduled, they get plenty of sleep, they get to veg out and watch movies, they get to ride bikes and make art and bake treats.

They also get to demonstrate superhero poses in the messy kitchen on a Sunday afternoon:

It occurred to me last week that this is quite possibly the only summer they will get to spend so much time at home. (Well, until they’re older, but you get the idea.) I hope they will remember coronavirus as a bit of a fun, if unexpected, adventure. I think they will.

July goals update:

+ Figure out a way to make Emma’s birthday special without a party. Done! We’ve got some presents (of course), a pool reservation, a mermaid cake, and a yard sign coming. We are also planning to go to the beach on Saturday morning — literally our first family outing beyond our neighborhood since March. She won’t have a party with friends but overall I think it’s going to be great.

+ Re-publish L Is For quilt pattern. Nope. I changed gears a bit and have been working on a revamp of my Triangles at Play pattern. That should be done this week!

+ Buy patio furniture. Done! I’m so happy about this one! We chose to invest in a pretty high quality table and chairs, with a powder-coated alumnimum frame and engineered wood table top that should hold up to the Houston heat and humidity pretty well. We also got an umbrella to give some mid-day shade. I’m super excited to use this more when the weather cools down and we can enjoy being outside again.

Other July wins:

+ Lots of pool time. The covid-driven reservation system for our neighborhood pool is not without its kinks, but I’ve been able to nab 2-3 slots per week and it is something all 4 of us get excited about. (And we have popsicles when we get back! Yum!)

+ Finished my 4th 100 Day project. Hooray! This was my most successful project by leaps and bounds, and as I’ve mentioned, even though the official project is over, I haven’t stopped making postcards.

+ Independence Day. It looked different this year without our neighborhood party and a trip to see fireworks, but we still had a great day with a backyard pool setup, sweet treats, and watching the Houston fireworks on TV.

August goals:

+ Figure out a school routine for Emma. School plans are somewhat set, you know, until they change again as I feel like they probably will. We are optimistic that she will get to do at least some in-person school, but I know we’ll need to set a good routine for the inevitable periods of time that she’ll have to do online school from home.

+ Divide & conquer with a new person at work. I’m anticipating getting a person on rotation. It will be amazingly helpful, but will also require some additional work to get them up to speed.

+ Publish Triangles at Play and L Is For patterns. Getting patterns ready always takes a bit longer than I anticipate, but Triangles at Play is nearly complete and L Is For just needs a refresh…so I think this is doable!

+ Power wash the back patio. Or rather, hire someone to do it. Now that we have the nice new furniture, I want everything to be ship-shape for fall!

Happy August!