Summertime! Yes!

That is right, school is out, swimming pools are open, the lake is full of boats, sun is shining, pollen has disappeared (for the most part) and vacation season has officially begun. But that is not why I'm excited about summer. For me, this year at least, summer has an entirely different meaning.

Over the school year, schedules are crazy. They start at 5:30 AM when the alarm goes off (and I affectionately turn it off with minimal force). It is rush, rush, rush. Hurry up, get the kids out of the door (and always late to school), get on the road, go call on customers, rush to get the kids from daycare by 6:00, go home, try to throw something that resembles healthy together for supper so that you can eat before 8:00PM. Usually that doesn't happen because I will have forgotten to take the meat out of the freezer so Papa Johns to the rescue, or a quick Sonic run. Then we STILL end up eating at 8:00. I will stay up way to late catching up on the work I didn't get done, go to bed, not sleep, wake up and do it all again. Exhausting, right? (and that isn't even all of it!) And before you get all "Oh Lori, you can do better, you just have to manage your time better" on me, believe me. I know. I've got it all figured out! On paper. But that is usually where it stays. Forevermore.

But summertime. Oh glorious summer. The alarm doesn't go off. I wake up at 5:30 AM all by myself. The kids are laid back, my mom takes them so no rushing off to school. I can actually eat (gasp) breakfast and make it to my first customer PREPARED! Wow. Miracles happen in the summer. For some reason, I get home at a decent time. I pick the kids up and have plenty of time to make dinner. Tonight, I made fish! And it didn't suck! And fresh veggies, and cous-cous. Oh my goodness, an entire home cooked meal, on the table before 7:00! I don't know what it is, but it is almost as though a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders and I have the resounding feeling of peace. The "little me" on my shoulder is cheering me on "You've got this Lori, you've got this!" And I do.

So the meaning of my summer is the opportunity to slow down. I vow (ha!) to not make unachievable goals. I vow to at least eat dinner at the table four of the seven days in a week. I vow to make use of the looser schedules that come with longer days and shorter nights; to use this time to work HARDER to achieve my goals. Do you know when you just have a good feeling about something, but you can't really pin point what it is, or why? Well that is where I am. So YAY for summer. Yay for getting my act together and for the relief of knowing I've been ridden of at least one of my recurring excuses.

Happy Summer!

~Mommylah~