Mid-Year Check-In

We’re back from Summer Blog Break and recapping not only our summer to-dos but our resolution goals as well. May/June may have felt like the longest month ever, but we just got our Back-to-School shopping lists and the last four weeks of vacation are gonna slide by ridiculously fast. Let’s call this our Q2 review.

Mary

I knew summer would be busy, but I didn’t think it was going to be that busy. Once school ended, we jumped right into our very first swim season with daily practices and weekly meets. And of course, I signed up for the team’s social media and concessions because I apparently enjoy the chaos. Honestly, what was I thinking?

Add in summer camp, Taekwondo, errands, and playdates, and I pretty much lived in our minivan for all of June.

Speaking of mileage, we added a surprise trip to Florida to see my parents. We usually only make it down there once a year, so getting time with them in the summer felt really special. I love watching the kids make memories with their Lola and Lolo, and it means a lot that my mom is taking better care of her health so she can make those moments, too. She’s been showing them how to cook Filipino dishes, walking through the zoo without getting winded, and watching them show off their new swim skills at the pool.

Now that I finally have a moment to breathe, I’ve been able to reflect on my New Year’s resolutions and how they’re unfolding.

Physical effort: I’ve already reached my New Year’s Resolution goal of losing six pounds this year so far, and I’m steadily working toward my goal weight.
Time: I was doing pretty well with my sleep hygiene during the school year… and then summer arrived. I also realized I tend to procrastinate on my top three priority items. I’ll finish everything else first, but not the things that actually matter. It feels like I’m avoiding responsibilities. Do I eventually get them done? Yes, but it shouldn’t have to feel like such a struggle. This is where Patti tells me what “eating the frog” is.
Money: I’m getting better about spending with intention and staying within my budget. Saving, however, hasn’t stuck the way it has in past years. We’re only halfway through the year, so I know I can still achieve this goal, even if it’s not how I originally intended. It doesn’t have to be perfect, I just have to start, right?

As for our Child(ish) Advice Bingo Card, these are my personal contributions:

Reading Challenge: 6 books so far
Lost 12lbs total
Finished a project that was half-way completed: Scratch art of Hong Kong
Did a “Yes Day” with the girls as a reward for independently swimming the length of the pool AND jumping off the diving board. We went to Altitude trampoline park, Taco Bell for lunch, a quick shopping trip to Target, and made chocolate chip cookies in our new EZ Bake Oven.
Patti and I still managed to sneak in a mini Child(ish) Advice retreat!

Patti

I am 100% guilty of packing in too much stuff for the girls this summer. They’ve had more than their fair share of nights going to bed completely exhausted. But looking back, I’m so proud of them. Here’s their Dopamine Kids list recap:

Take a walk with the dog after dinner.
It’s not every evening (especially in a Heat Dome/torrential downpour climate), but we’ve hit most of our local walking trails.

Replace snacks with whole foods.
This has extended to the girls going through my cookbook collection and meal planning for the week.
Make gaming more social, not mindless
They are in a Minecraft world-building camp right now, learning how to work more collaboratively. It’s like a mini-LAN party…
Learn how to ~~crochet~~ Cross-Stitch
I finally started an embroidery kit that I had for years, leading to me teaching the girls how to cross-stitch. Way easier to pick up.
Our school’s Summer Reading program
The girls have crossed 16 and 11 squares off their summer reading bingo cards, thanks to scheduled 30-minute reading blocks and reading before bed. We also just finished Order of the Phoenix on Audible with all the road-tripping.

We also loved Girl Scout Twilight camp last month, morning tennis practice, and Touch Tuesday with our local youth Rugby team.

Another thing I’ve done with my Skylight Calendar is create two Lists for the girls: the I’m Bored list, and the Summer Bucket list. The Bucket list is all the things they said they wanted to accomplish, keeping it front and center. The I’m Bored list is just that; a list of analog things they can do whenever they complain about being bored.

Side Questing

Last weekend and this weekend, we’re getting in family time. We had a big family wedding, and now were spending the 4^th with cousins, backyard waterslides, and a trip to the lake. Earlier in the month, we spent our first “day off” going to FIFA Fanfest in Atlanta, watching Toy Story 5, and went tubing down the river for Father’s Day.

Other things they want to do for their side quest days: visit the GA Aquarium, day trip to Greenville, and learn more pickleball.

To cap it off, here are my Bingo Card updates as well:

Reading Challenge: 31 books so far
No weight loss to report, but I finally joined a gym again.
I finished my second Atlanta Beltline Series race in April. The third is August 1^st.
Took AZ to their first concert! Hilary Duff in ATL.
Started another crafting project after finishing my half-way dones. Troy and I have two nights a week where we each do a project while listening to the Dungeon Crawler Carl series.

We hope our summer has been sufficiently nerdy and analog.
July is our annual Throwback Month, where we take older posts and do a deeper dive each week. We’re excited to get back to blogging, and hope you’re having a great summer!

~Mary & Patti