happy 4th! and some notes.

It’s July! And I feel like this. I mean, I really do. No doubt it’s made worse by the fact that Parker will be in full day in the fall, and Anders will have 2 mornings a week at preschool (rip my heart out and stomp on it why don’t you). This nagging feeling pesters me every summer without fail–and right about now too–but here’s a reminder! For me! And for you! I think we reach July 1 really quickly. Time on overdrive. The end of school, graduation ceremonies and parties (for some), and the like but then I think the rest of July and August doesn’t have quite quite the same zooming-to-the-unwelcome-finish-line that mid-June to July 1 has. Or at least I’m telling myself that. Do you agree?

I signed the boys up for the summer reading program at our local library. Yes, even Anders! There’s a babies-preschool signup and a K-6 signup. I remember doing things like this (for personal pan pizza prices at Pizza Hut!) when I was a kid and just loving it. They got a glow-in-the-dark wrist band, two book logs to fill out as they read (or listen to audiobooks or are read to), and off we went with a bag full of library books in an attempt to earn a coupon for a whoopie pie (prize one). Some of our days are as full as can be, but then there’s days when being outside is only bearable if you’re very near a body of water. While that’s often an option, when it’s not and we’re housebound in the cool respite of our AC and I am trying desperately to keep the television off (we’re doing a good job with this, I’m happy to report!), checking off reading milestones in the book log is keeping children (and mother) quite content. “Can I watch a show?” Parker asks. “After reading!” his mother replies. This Chris Van Allsburg book is one we brought home that I’m looking forward to. A book with a message!

We’re going to Lake Winnipesaukee soon, and I am really looking forward to it. It’s one of our favorites places on the planet, truly. It’s hard to beat a quiet morning on the lake, water like glass except for the ripples from a nearby loon. The mountains in the distance. That lake is just magic to us. If ever we think about leaving this area (I mean, in those ‘what if’ scenarios) one of the hardest parts of leaving would be that lake! We haven’t been in 2 years–last year there just wasn’t time, money, etc. to make it happen–so it’ll be extra special to pull up this year. Side note: I’d love to get up on a wakeboard this year (I have been unsuccessful in the past! And slalom? Forget about it.)

When I love something, really love something, I have to shout it from the rooftops and this is definitely one of those things (it was on my recent Instagram and I got a few DMs about it there too, so I’m giving it a permanent resting spot here). I’m all about the cool, summer comfort and this fits that difficult bill perfectly. It took almost a month to get to me (I ordered it June 1 and it got to me at the very end of June), is one size fits all, but don’t let those things scare you off. I’ve worn it three times in one week–even dressing it up for a dinner out with a thick floral head scarf and these shoes–and it is perfect.

In that same vein, I also love this product for my skin. (I’m getting very into skincare; no doubt it is a side effect of being a Beautycounter consultant, but I mean I have microneedled and have read about Gua Sha massage complete with YouTube demonstrations for my face all in the last week). The peel has, very quickly, softened my skin and brightened it. Jury is still out as to whether it will remove my sun spot. I’m using it 2x a week, and will report back here. Plus, I’m using Dew Skin every day without fail, and am also wearing a baseball hat almost anytime I’m going to be in a lot of sun for many hours. I’m over sun damage! #Thisis33 There’s a deal right now for a free Countermatch large body lotion if you spent $150 (till July 5). (P.S. The Flawless in Five is exactly $150 and gets you everything you’d need to clean up your makeup bag in one purchase–foundation, concealer pen, blush, brow pencil, mascara, and lip gloss.)

No doubt you’ve all been reading the news. I mostly stay away from politics, sharing the littlest things here and there, but feeling like for the most part, you’re not coming to my blog or to my Instagram to be informed about the news. Sometimes it is all too overwhelming and too terrible to stay silent. It’s felt that way lately. I want to tell the rest of the world, anyone who will listen, “I am so sorry.” In Erin’s highlights (under “act now”) is a really good guide for giving if you’ve got some money to spare and are feeling equally frustrated by it all. I cannot imagine what some families are enduring, and really not so far away. Let’s imagine unusually hard times fell on America as a whole. Why would anyone open their doors to us?

In an effort to not end on that note, let me wish you a happy 4th of July. Hoping the weather is nice wherever you are, that you’re with people you love, and that you eat lots of delicious food. See you soon!