Photo-A-Day Challenge: Day #11: I love doing this!

No explanation necessary. I love doing this. 

Simmer down, Summer

Recently, I'm pretty sure I used the phrase "stop and smell the roses". I also, on multiple occasions, have soap-boxed the evils of the over-scheduled life. And let me tell you - after the past 3 weeks around here, I am even more solid in my belief that quality has nothing to do with quantity. 

Lake trip to Bull Shoals with Aunt Ali, Uncle Mike, and Cousins: Stella, Bret, Mia, and Max. Elise LOVED going tubing with Stella. Abby thought our "cottage" was perfect.

John's drum performance at the pool with our sweet, sweet Baby Charlie (not our pup, obviously!)

First trip to the Kansas City Zoo with the Littlejohn crew! We traveled to Africa and back with Auntie Sara, Kate, Julia, Lucy, and Anderson.

We also started piano lessons - twice a week this month. I'm teaching two Baby Sing and Sign classes a week right now. There was a week-long morning class at the Arts Center...

Please don't read what I'm NOT saying - the people and the places that have filled our days so far this summer are making memories with us! Would I be filling your screen with the these pictures if we had any regrets???? Do the faces in those pictures look anything but happy???? But that is the struggle - finding a happy medium without turning down invites or opportunities that might be too special to pass. I know that we're tired. I know that we are off-kilter. I know that we are homebodies who thrive off of the comfort of each other in our own home. 

This has been a great learning experience for me - we don't "do" over-scheduled. Abby is having night terrors this week - they'll pass, but I have no doubt that she is unsettled and exhausted. Her shrieking then wakes Elise in a terrible what-the-hell-is-wrong kind of way. All of that then wrecks me in a my-poor-baby kind of way. 

Deep breath - in and out. Calendar cleared. Summer simmering down. 

Now entering "Summer Mode"

"Summer Mode" requires some changes to be made to the ins and outs of the days. For example...

• The washer/dryer runs only first thing in the morning and again after sunset - one load per day, in the wash at sun-up and in the dryer at sun-down
• The oven goes into daytime hibernation as well. This has big implications for mealtimes but it also limits my baking, which is somewhat sad for me. I'm hoping to come up with some new ideas for dinners that don't require a "preheat to X-degrees". Over the weekend, we had egg-salad sandwiches:
• Egg Salad Sandwich
• 5 hardboiled local eggs
• 1/4 C (or so) miracle whip
• Few squirts of organic yellow mustard
• Pepper
• Toasted whole wheat bread
• Chopped organic onion and peppers
• Organic baby spinach
• BACON

• Outdoor time continues to be required EVERYDAY. We accomplish this either with an early-morning walk or bike-ride OR with water. It doesn't take much H2O to make a summer afternoon enjoyable. 

(It also doesn't take much to make a summer afternoon
enjoyable when these two are involved!)

• And, most importantly, firefly-catching is mandatory. 

Welcome to Summer Mode 2012.