I’ve heard families talk about May, describing it as a crawl to the finish line, but I lived in oblivion until now. 2021 was the first time our family experienced May in all its crazy May glory. Spring activities like soccer and a dance recital collided with summer activities like swim team all while trying to find some conclusion to school. Weekends were booked solid, schedules were color-coded, and Stephen and I were chauffeurs passing in the driveway. June 1 felt like a deep breath. We made it to summer.
Reading
I am a big fan of Rainbow Rowell, and while we were at the beach earlier this month I devoured Fangirl in just a few days. True confession: I had no idea what fanfiction was when I picked up this book, and I guess I wasn't really expecting to love it, but Rainbow's writing is so good, specifically her unique characters that always end up feeling like friends. I felt the same way about Attachments and Eleanor & Park. It was the perfect vacation/beach read!
I work very part-time for Connections Academics, a local tutoring company, and this month I wrote a blog post with some summer reading recommendations for kids of all ages. You can check it out here!
Eating
May was a month of tried and true recipes for us. With the craziness I mentioned above, I had no time for kitchen creativity. Our only new recipe was this couscous salad, and we used pearl couscous instead of regular. Other than that we stuck with some classics: ricotta surprise, vegan stuffed pepper soup, and cashew pasta (we use pasta, not spaghetti squash).
This month was also the month I started add whole lemons and a ton of grated ginger into my green smoothies. I hang my head in shame for the years of “pretty good” smoothies that I will never get back. Lemon and ginger are bringing up my smoothie game big time.
Listening To
I’m not a faithful follower of the royal family. I didn’t get up early to watch the royal weddings, and I fell asleep during the second episode of The Crown. But I did watch Oprah’s interview with Harry and Meghan, and when Prince Harry’s name popped up in Armchair Expert, I listened right away and enjoyed every minute. (Warning: Armchair Expert and little ears do not mix. Earbuds or a solo trip in the car are a must for this one.)
Making Me Smile
I spent my entire childhood dancing and the past ten years teaching Zumba. I don’t even care how cheesy it is to borrow from Chariots of Fire and say that God made me to dance, and when I dance, I feel His pleasure. (The original line from the movie is about running; however, I never feel God’s pleasure when I run, only His wrath.) Charlotte is eight-years-old and has never expressed any interest in dancing (despite my “subtle” attempts) until last year, where out of nowhere she told me she wanted to try a dance class. Within fifteen minutes, I had her all signed up. Then Covid hit, dance classes moved to Zoom, the recital was canceled, and it was all rather lame. To my surprise, she wanted to try again this year, but because of safety guidelines, I couldn’t come into the studio. She has been taking classes all year, and I had never seen her dance. Her very first recital was this month, and it was just about the best time ever for her (and me!). Stephen got this photo after the first show, and it pretty much sums up all my mushy-sentimental-proud-mama feelings.
We had a ten-hour drive back from Hilton Head earlier this month and spent a solid chunk of it learning the lyrics to Hamilton’s Guns and Ships. This video will always make me smile.
The 10th annual Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide came out this month, and I am here for a summer reading list!
We have family scattered around the country, and this was the first time all 11 cousins were together for Memorial Day weekend. We were so close to getting them all into this pyramid, but one little face plant isn’t too bad.
Because One Day You Won’t: A Shortened Version of This Series
I am feeling all sorts of emotional about our homeschool year wrapping up. There are so many days I feel like “Arg. You are all always here.” And there are so many day is feel like “Awww. You are all always here.” On the harder days, I keep remembering how soon this year will be over.
Because one day you won’t be in this house for school, learning around this table and on this couch and all over this floor. Because one day you won’t be taking over the walls with your artwork, your maps, your charts, your murals, and your calendars. And because one day you won’t be here to sit together in the front yard for lunch.
We made it to summer. Cheers.
Until next time,
