Summer To-Do List: 2026

Another school year is done! We have two months to exhale.
If you are anything like us, you’re probably also thinking way far ahead to the next school year, trying to use the season to make sure your kid moves forward, not back.

We gotta have fun, stay active but also rested, make memories, do the summer homework; it’s a tall order. Hopefully, we can do a little bit of everything.

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Our Wheel Throwing Playdate Review

It’s the last week of the school year and the last posts before our annual summer blog break. So we’re keeping it fun with a playdate review.

With the kids getting older, there isn’t much that they haven’t tried. So, play dates have been harder to brainstorm and plan. One of the first things I wanted to do when we came up with this blog series is wheel pottery. I had never done it before, and the girls have done kids clay sculpting classes many times. Now, all three kids are finally old enough to take it on.

Most pottery wheel studios have a minimum age for their beginner wheel classes, or they want you to buy several sessions or weekly course. In my cursory Google search, I found Mudfire, an open community pottery studio built around creativity, inclusivity, and shared space. They offer single Wheel 101 and 102 classes, capped at 12 people with a minimum age of 6 years old. They also have kids summer camps and special kids-only pottery wheel classes starting in June.

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Our First Theme Park Survival Guide

Growing up in Florida, Troy and I would go to Disney at least once a year for school field trips. Gradually, that grew to loving roller coasters, fandoms, drinking around the world, and staying in the parks late at night. We were always with friends, had very little cash, and ended up passing out on the ride home.

Making a big to-do about Disney World was never a thing for our families. But, we thought long and hard about how we wanted to navigate Disney with the girls, knowing that it is probably worth it to do one big magical trip to Florida while they are still little princesses.

So for this year’s Spring Break, we decided to give them an amuse bouche while we were in California. In addition to Joshua Tree, Carlsbad, and sightseeing around LA, we took the girls to Universal Studios Hollywood. They are on the fifth Harry Potter book. Super Mario Galaxy just came out. Z just got over 42 inches tall. It seemed like the best time to test the waters.

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Things We Loved: February 2026

The mom juggling act is disconcerting. On one hand, we have icy storms and virtual days. On the other, we’re planning spring schedules and summer camp. This month, for me in particular, it is one day at a time. So in an attempt to slow down and talk about some things that have been making our days a smidge brighter, here are some of the things we loved so far in 2026.

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Patti’s New Year’s Resolutions: 2026

Last week, I passed my PMP certification exam. This was my biggest goal from 2025, and I’m so relieved and excited to have that under my belt. Last year (hopefully) was the end of a tumultuous couple retrograde years and I’m happy to put it all in the rear view with something tangible to show for it.

Now that I’m out from underneath the studying, I’m faced with a million different TikToks of young 20-somethings figuring out planners and annual productivity goals for the first time…

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