After sharing all our adventure from our big trip, I thought it would be fun to contrast that with our regular summer days. Is there such thing? Like always, every day is a little different, but I’m deeply enjoying our relaxed summer schedule and longer days. Here’s what they look like.

For previous day in the life posts, dating back to when my babies were babies, click here.

On the weekdays, I still wake up when David does. I’d probably sleep later if he was able to, but it works well for me to get up at 6:00, make him breakfast, and see him out the door. It gives me time to blog, sip on coffee, check on my plants, and enjoy the quiet. I’m usually a tea girl but since we switched to brewing a pot, and mixing our own beans (half regular/half decaf), I’ve been drinking coffee because it’s just easier.

Around 7:15 I usually throw on sneakers and take Finley on a morning “Sniffari.” It’s a slow walk for me, usually about 1.5 miles in 45ish minutes, but she gets to stay off leash (hooray for the e-collar!) and undoubtedly covers at least twice the mileage I do. It’s so fun to watch her chase birds and bunnies before the oppressive heat of the day settles in. She just exudes happiness! For as much as getting a puppy turned our world upside down, it’s now starting to feel like a natural fit in our family. I love that having her makes me get out of the house in the mornings.

I’m back at the house in time to wake the girls by about 8:15 so they have plenty of time to eat before swim team practice. Sometimes Kaitlyn will already be up, and sometimes she’ll join me on the sniffari, but usually they are both still snoozing. I make them eggs on bagels with berries typically and make myself a hash- usually cauliflower rice, potatoes, onions, spinach with a fried egg and herbs.

H and K have practices back to back, but have been preferring to head to the pool together. It’s a whole new ballgame being able to send them on their own. They typically meet a friend down the street and walk together. I still usually go because I enjoy the social interaction of chatting with my friends, but it’s nice to have the option to send them if I need to put away a Butcher Box delivery or return a rotten cabbage (like I did this week).

We head home after swim team, and the afternoons all look a little different. One day this week they had friends over so they played while I worked our sourdough (this book that I borrowed from the library has brought my bread to a whole new level). Snack plates have been our go to lunch of choice until tomatoes get good enough for some quality BLT sandwiches.

On another day they made cake pops and sold them with a friend down the street (and made $30!! What?!). Another day we read Harry Potter, ate popsicles on the porch, and played board games. And yet another day I had a planning meeting for our co-op and they just hung at home (another weird freedom of these ages!). Yes, the afternoons are pretty relaxed and without practices to run off to, so we are really savoring them.

The afternoons blend seamlessly into the evenings. They play Barbies, David and I work out, I fold dough, they want to help cook, Finley gets taken on another walk, etc, etc. They have shown more interest in being in the kitchen so dinners have taken longer to prepare, but with nowhere to be, it’s just fine.

I’ve been winging a lot of dinners- pulling whatever meat we have from the freezer and pairing it with whatever produce we have in the fridge and whatever grain we have in the pantry (or bread; I’ve been baking a lot). Perhaps I’m listening to too much Krystal and Saagar, but the food price inflation and the prediction that it is still heading up has me doubling my efforts for no food waste and thinking more about the best way to feed my family. The “pick three” mentality of choosing either convenience, quality, or lower cost has rung true a lot lately. I’ve been opting for quality and lower cost and thus spending more time in the kitchen cooking.

Bedtimes are all over the place and I’m OK with it. One of the joys of summer, right?! When the evening is gorgeous and they want to go play in the backyard, I’m not going to say no. When it’s stormy, like last night, and we all want to snuggle up and watch a movie (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), I’m not going to say no to that either. I’m working on an updated family movie list, as we’ve worked our way through most of these already.

When they are tired and being whiny, I’m OK sending them to bed on the earlier side, too! Summer bedtimes are somewhere between 8:30 PM and 9:15 on normal nights. Weekends on the other hand… anything goes!

I’ve ordered curriculum to begin our next school year in July, but haven’t yet picked when we’ll officially begin. The girls have camp next week, a sewing half day camp another week, and a basketball skill half day camp another week, so I’m not making any decisions yet. For now, I’m just savoring summer and the new freedom that comes with having a 10 and 8 year old. It feels weird having the “bigger kids” now and sometimes seeing the adorable toddlers at the pool makes my heart ache for those precious (but demanding) days. However, summer at 10 and 8 years old is super fun and I remind myself of the freedom of schedule and the sleep I get to enjoy anytime I feel that ache arise. All life’s phases have their challenges and their joys, so I’ll just be over here focusing on the beauty of this summer with the people (and pup) I love so much!

This got really tangenty, didn’t it? I’d re-read and edit but the girls are up making muffins in the kitchen and I just heard a loud crash, so I’m hoping it reads smoothly enough! I’m curious… What’s been on your mind lately? How is your summer going? What is the joy or the challenge in the phase you are in right now?