Self Care

I signed Minnie up for a preschool dance camp at her dance studio every week in July. (So... all of the camps-- there are only 4). In terms of budget, I counted it in my own self care column (LOL), and I decided to pair pick up with a Starbucks run. LOVING IT SO FAR.

3 hours was niiiiice, even though I did have to run Dorothy to to the pool and back during that time.

This week's theme was Moana, and they danced to 2 songs from the movie-- I should have videoed the performance since they did the dance twice, but it was too fun to just watch and take the occasional photo.

Iced cafe americano 1/2 decaf with a splash iof skim milk **chef's kiss**

Because I am only a fake adult, that crisp t-shirt did not make it all day-- eventually, I was covered in cherries and peanut butter, which is pretty par for the course around here.

I have a new favorite afternoon snack: a sliced apple (I prefer honey crisp, but I got a bag of cosmic crisp from Costco, and they are excellent) dipped in a tbsp of melted peanut or almond butter with a tbsp of chia seeds mixed in. SO GOOD YOU GUYS (and only 6 grams of protein but 10 grams of fiber!). Sometimes I eat this right after dinner if my afternoon goes by too fast, and it is an excellent way to round out the meal.

4 Week Health Challenge!!

 Mondays are always fresh starts for me-- even more than new months. And so! THIS MONDAY! I am starting a 4-week healthy habits streak. Here's the plan:

• Eat from 10am-6pm every day (going back to black coffee **whom whomp**-- I have been adding my fave chocolate milk again)
• No added sugar (but fruit is great!) (also I eat some dark chocolate every night after dinner because I am who I am)
• No alcohol
• TONS OF FIBER (I am aiming to eat 25 grams a day and also take a supplement, which I do not count toward this total)
• 10-minute strength workout every day
• At least four 15-minute dog walks with my weighted vest and/or ankle weights every day
• 30 minutes of cardio (elliptical machine typically) every day
• Calm app every day
• Progesterone every day (lol but this must continue indefinitely-- not just for 4 weeks)
• Magnesium, fish oil, B6, and fiber every day

I lost 12 pounds doing the Galveston Diet-- but then! Instead of doing the maintenance phase, I started just adding little mouthfuls of garbage here and there and the occasional glasses of wine, etc. Which is fine! And human! But also! I am noticing the effects of inflammation again (joint pain, swollen fingers, red skin around my mouth). SO. Back on the horse. I usually aim for 5 days a week for cardio (and just added strength like 6 weeks ago), but for the next 4 weeks, I am going to do everything every single day.

I am committing to 4 weeks of health (during the busiest 4 weeks of our summer) and plan to reward myself with fabulous new hair and some delightful Lulu pants (Athleta has been my gateway drug).

I am very much a don't break-the-chain kind of gal, so we shall see what happens if I interrupt my streak or get sick or something-- hopefully I will figure out a way to extend the challenge or keep going with less than perfect results because this would help me in pretty much all aspects of my life.

Anyone else up for a 4 week streak of something?? 

I listened to my Calm app daily meditation while blowing this thing up, and it was PERFECT. The voice was like imagine you are blowing up a balloon and I was like I'll do you one better

Family float day!!

Also my tiny bestie and I watched all of the The Comeback in anticipation of season 3. Best show ever. If you've never watched it, treat yourself.

Ben has the Vid, volume 3

 Did I make Ben's illness a lot about me by sulking that my anticipated solo parent rescue did not come? YES I DID. Despite mindful mindfulness practice, I am still an asshole, I guess. It's like in ATGIB when Francie calls Katie on her North Pole rescue bullshit and is like um we are still poor and not explorers after all. I AM STILL UP TO MY NECK IN KIDS AND BEN LEAVES FOR WORK LIKE NORMAL NEXT WEEK no matter how brave and fun I am.

BUT I SOLDIERED BRAVELY ON into a holiday weekend that suddenly had no plans and kids with HOLIDAY EXPECTATIONS.

Bah humbug.

Ben did have the energy to blow shit up in the street, so that's a relief.

Socially distanced smores!

A truly batshit puppet show

Truly

Batshit

And delightful!

CAn you beleiev Minnie never had a smore before??

Soooo 2020 this set up

Annabel is a huge fan of the new grill and its dangling appliances-- she licked the spatula clean.

We made a trip to a Walgreens open on the 4th for more covid tests because Ben wanted to test his way out of covid jail (NOT YET WHOMP WHOMP) but made it fun by stopping at DQ. I AM SO FUN GUYS SEE?

Are you a Midwest mom without a cookie pizza? Apparently not because every place was out of Pilsbury sugar cookie dough, and I had to use the funfetti version.

Cooper sliced a watermelon, balled some of it, AND made slushie popsicles with it.

Not messing a round with their puppet constrcution

Seriously, there was much melon working.

Ben tested positive on Wednesday (while I was getting a pedicure with a friend), and we have spent our time at the pool a bunch. A bunch more than normal even.

We even branched out and went with Harry to the other pool and tennis club he also works at (both pools owned by the same dudes) to see if maybe we want to switch our memberships.

We loved how dead it was!

Kids were a fan of the garbage dinner.

We bought lots of things to blow up when we had to cancel our out of town plans.

I should be online grocery shopping right now, friends. We are spending about $100 a day at the pool snack bar, and this feels... not sustainable but also totally necessary.

Sunday should be Ben's last day of covid isolating (grumble grumble), and then we shall see how he feels (Paxlovid for the win tho seriously). Before he leaves for the rest of the week for Peoria. I AM STILL AT THE NORTH POLE YOU GUYS FUCK.

5 on a Friday: Hi, JULY!

New Month Energy! (NME made me lol though because I want this new month to be my friend. BESTIES maybe even)

I have some things I want to do in July, even though this is the ultimate summer month-- all of the activities just slammed right on top of each other and days where Dorothy and Cooper put in part time job hours at their club sports. Plus sweltering temps and a major 90s tan despite wearing a UPF shirt and tons of sunscreen. Woof!

1. Ugh you guys. I think I am going to color my hair. Not all over (I think the flat dark color looks worse than gray, even on women who get it done professionally. I think I am going to do high and lowlights all over to blend. Do I want to spend $500 and several hours in my hair every 8 weeks? No. Do I want gray hair? Also no. And I did box and home for awhile, but it's tricky with dark hair and not the solution I personally was looking for. Bah. 

But first! I gotta get rid of these bangs. Ugh again.

One more ugh to note before I move on to the next first world problem on my list: I really like to wash my hair every day, and that's not the best idea with color. Also! This is probably NOT a July thing and more like a late August thing (right before Welcome Week would be ideal). I need to book it now, though.

AND I stopped seeing my colorist after I got too blong in 2023, and I switched to a cheaper person at the salon just for cuts. BUT. She is ging on maternity leave, so I would only be able to see her once before she goes, and she has 

2.  I have SO MANY things I want to buy this month, despite having just bought a new air conditioner.

    A. New dog walking shoes at the $100-ish price point that look sort of cute if I need to also run errands. I am thinking about these or these or even these. But! Maybe I should take advantage of having children's sized feet and get these.

    B. A new mattress (and possibly box spring) for Cooper's bed. Jack decided to go tall on his bed, and now Coop's looks weird. I think I will get this while he is gone at nationals and surprise him with a comfy bed when he gets home.

    C. A new Chromebook. I teach adjunct online classes and do not use my work computer for them and my Chromebook is old and slow and makes me stabby. I think Prime Days might be my friend on this one even though Amazon sucks.

    D. Wrist and ankle weights. The time to transition to FULL OLD LADY is here, my friends.

    E. A cute pool hat. I wear an Eau Claire baseball cap that's cute enough, but I need more shade.

3. Despite this wish list, I have bought a lot of creature comforts lately from new pool towels (they all match now!) to a cute snack bag for Dorothy's dance bag to a bunch of fun stuff for me, Dorothy, and Minnie at the Altheta semi annual sale. SO. In July, I want to ENJOY WHAT I HAVE in all of the ways. Material things, sure, but also the intangibles and the people I love, etc etc.

Summer is FLYING BY. The first session of swim lessons is over, even. (Minnie passed to the big kid stroke development levels, but she would prefer to stay in the shallow end, so we shall see how the next sesh goes--- she might do level 2 again.)

4. I am LOVING my healthy new me habits and rituals, and I am adding a daily check-in with my Calm app to my July to-dos. I accidentally bought a year of Calm when I was using guided meditations and sleep stories to help with insomnia, so I might as well make the most of the app. I really like the Daily Calm and also the Daily Move. Despite chronic anxiety, I am rarely having a bad time in the actual moment-- most of my angst comes from worry-- and mostly worry about things out of my control. So this app is a good place to start since I already paid for it? ENJOY WHAT I HAVE in at least 2 senses.

Snacks ready to go

Fave smoothie

Healthy snacks and smoothie ingredients in a dollar store basket-- dollar store baskets made several areas of my life better last month.

5. My long dormant gratitude journal is getting a workout this month, too. I think it's the Calm app Kool Aid I am drinking, but I am finding it very centering. A few things I am grateful for right now:

MYO pizza with bread machine crust-- an activity and a meal

Summer dive league and nights by the pool

Starbs at the grocery store

6 am swim team practices (I am grateful, not them)

Clearance floaties for Family Float on Sunday (ever Sunday, but Minnie thinks it just happens once a year

Hand-me-down bathing suits (I unpacked a TON of Dorothy's old stuff for Minnie and cleaned out Dorothy's closet- and donated giant bags of Minnie's outgrown clothes- it was so fun.

My best friend

June: What I Read

 

What was this doing on my holds list?

Two Sides to Every Murder by Danielle Valentine

Good-- not great-- reads

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay: Some flaws, but largely super entertaining. **2025 **Audio

The Love Haters by Katherine Center: Very contrived. **2025

The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins: Not rocket science but some solid advice here.

All That Life Can Afford by Emily Everett: I felt like I already knew this plot. **2025

Retreat by Krysten Ritter: A good poolside thriller. **2025

All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman: The terrible main character eventually gets un-terrible. I liked this one a lot, it turns out. **2025 **Audio

BOTY contenders:

The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb: We listened to this on our way home from South Carolina, and it is SO SAD. We googled reviews, largely agreed with them, and liked the book anyway. **2025 **Audio

King of Ashes by S.A. Crosby: Loved this one. Thrilling! Well written! Great characters! Some Harry Crews vibes. LOVED. **2025

The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker: Oh this is so good. It made me think a ton about memory and the fever dream that Covid seems to be in the rearview mirror. **2025

Never Flinch by Stephen King: I love Holly Gibney. **2025 **Audio

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Ahhhhhhh, yesssssss. **2025

STATS

BTM 12

Book books: 7

Kindle books 0

Audio books 5

2025 books: 10

BTY 99

Book books: 56

Kindle books: 3

Audio books: 40

2025 books: 54

National Qualifier!

Cooper!! Qualified all 3 of his events to USA Diving junior nationals! He qualified all 3 from regionals (there are 12 regionals across the country) to zones last month, but last weekend was the big test-- could he make it from zones to nationals as a 13 year-old competing in the 14/15 age group (he has a poorly timed dive birthday). HE COULD!!

He got third place in platform, which was AMAZING because the top 3 finishers from each zone make it to the national semifinal round and don't have to compete in prelims. He finished 4th place in both 3-meter and 1-meter, which is still so awesome because the top 10 in each zone (there are 6 zones) qualify to nationals. 4th place means he will have to compete in prelims for those events, but last year, he made to semifinals out of a prelim, so he knows he can do it (to make semis at nationals, he needs to be in the top 6 from the prelim).

Competition was stiff, and look how close he was to 3rd place in 3-meter:

He was amazing, and we are just SO PROUD of him. (I mean duh we are proud of him regardless of how he places).

He and Ben flew to Cleveland early on Thursday where Cooper warmed up at the facility before they even checked into their hotel. (Madison sent them to Cleveland by way of Charlotte, which is also where they flew for regionals and where Ben flew on his way to Charleston and back-- that airport is practically his new home). Then he warmed up in the morning, dove in competition in the afternoon, and warmed up again on Friday and repeated that schedule on Saturday. Sunday morning, he did early warm ups and competed in his last event just after lunch-- then he and Ben went straight from his last dive to the airport-- no time for a medal, even. Ben said it was kind of terrible when Cooper asked him in the cab if he finished in second place (because of dive order, that's what the score board was showing when they left) and Ben had to be like um, no, you were 4th by .10.

It was a fabulous weekend!

Back home, Minnie finally went down the water slide by herself-- and she liked it so much that she did it about 150 times in a row over the course of 3 days. It was also finally warm enough for me to get in the water, so she got to live her dream of playing in the deep end. She doesn't actually need help on the diving board, but she feels like she does. I think in a few days, I can just sit on the edge and watch, but for now, she prefers to jump when Jack or I are waiting under the board-- but we don't grab her or help her get to the side.

Harry had his adorable girlfriend over for the weekend, so they did fun Madison things. Jack worked a TON because he gets his wisdom teeth out next week and has to take some time off, and Dorothy went to a water park with friends, which was fab because then I didn't have to go, but she can check that summer box.

Yay summer!