Summer Diaries

Day 11 of Single Parenthood during Jer’s trip to school across the country working on his Master’s program. I’ve regressed into my survival state as a Night Owl. This is going to be a bunch of random babble.

Setting the Tone for This Month

Immediately after we dropped Jer at the airport, I came home to put the kids to bed and walk the dog when I finally met the resident spider at our front step, a giant Black Widow! I considered smashing it several times with my shoe, but my courage failed me every time. The spider was bigger than my shoe, and probably faster than my quivering hand. Well, this is what happens when Jer is gone, I thought! The spider squishing would have to wait. Our friends and neighbors have been so thoughtful and supportive. They came over after I had asked for exterminators to help kill the spider and protect the house with some treatment. Heavenly Father is showing me that even though I’m not equipped to handle the scary things myself just yet, He sends so much loving and compassionate help.

A New Hairdo

I cut my hair! Just made a pony-tail, and hacked it off with a buzzer over the trash can. I tend to do that when life is getting to be too much, and I need a change. I felt an immediate lightening of my burdens, and a surge in personal empowerment. I’m sure there’s some kind of psychology behind it, but I don’t regret my shorter hair now—although my son was very much like, “No Mom, I don’t like it! I like your long hair better.” 🤦‍♀️

Homemaking?

Taking care of the house by myself has tired me out. It fell on me to cut all of our new grass in the backyard, which had acquired a new set of weeds and clover that needed removal, too.

I feel like I’ve been doing a lot of shopping and spending, but not at the store; it’s an odd realization. We’ve been preparing for summer activities and Back to School with new water shoes for all the kids for summer camp to water activities, Soccer registration for all three kids, a backpack for our soon-to-be Kindergartener (he was very vocal about it needing to be Vader), and a lunchbox for our soon-to-be First Grader.

Most of the other preparations are related to my family coming to visit soon. I scheduled carpet cleaning since the dog has destroyed upstairs where the guests would be sleeping. I’m kennel training the dog, so bought a kennel and a reward toy for treats. I want the dog to be nice and clean when the house is, too, so also paid for dog grooming. If I had the money I would think it’s worth it to just pay someone else to deep clean my house and make it feel brand new again like in these photos! Wish I always had the energy to clean it all at once, and the patience to finish…

Bathroom Makeover

I made some changes to our main/guest bathroom is anticipation of having my family stay with us for a few days.

Life with the Kids

The Top 3 Most Heard Quotes on Repeat around here are:

1. “Stop that!”
2. “Clean up!”
3. “Eat your food!” 😅

It’s summer and there’s a lot going on and invitations to everything, but I’m laying low for my mental health. We’ve done beautiful sunset family dog walks, ice pops on the deck, visits to cousins, the library, the park, movie nights, baking days, the splash pad, and errands to Costco. The kids are my helpers and reason for why I get up in the morning. One day I couldn’t get out of bed, and they made Breakfast in Bed for me, complete with a strawberry shake, a muffin with a honey heart, some crackers, and a strawberry cheesecake croissant. They are also what keeps me up late at night with bloody noses and pleadings to sleep in my bed with me. They’ve probably danced to the Macarena daily, and I was surprised at how much fun I had when I finally gave in and joined them.

Fourth of July was really chill; we’re in a fireworks restricted zone, so no sparklers this year. I skipped out of the parades, hot air balloons, cherry picking, bbq’s, and other festivities to avoid the crowds. We talked about what this day was about (apparently, F thought it was Fireworks Day!) and that it what the fireworks were for. I made a special dinner for the kids and we had huckleberry bread for dessert. We took a family walk to preview the fireworks, then drove up to the reservoir for a better look. The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever!

Life away from Jer

Jer has been more involved with home life from a distance this time around. We’ve been doing FaceTime more often, and I haven’t held back when I’ve needed support during family tumult. I look forward to our Yoga sessions, which started out strong and have slowly faded due to his finals. We also play Wordle and check up on each other throughout the day. I often refer to his parting words to the kids when I am overwhelmed- things he asked them to do to help me, like “One toy at a time” and “Listen to brother”. We keep him in every single one of our prayers.

I’ve really benefited from being a primary teacher at church. It’s most of the spirituality that I get in the week, and I love seeing all the little 4-year-old and 5-year-old faces. They are the most fun little people, including my son!

The author of Edenbrooke actually ordered a bunch of items from my Etsy shop for her book events! I decided to add her book to my Reading List! My reading consists of Meal Planning books, “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk, “Edenbrooke” by Julianne Donaldson, and my latest Jane Austen novel “Persuasion”.

I’m really looking forward to being with my husband again soon. We just talked this morning about booking a Bed and Breakfast, or at the least having a date at a restaurant when he returns. It’s giving me the strength I need to keep on keeping on.

Love,
Kat