The Butterfly at 5, Newport RI. She turns 13 in the fall.
Long relaxing summer days aren’t really a “thing” here this year. Finding time to write is a challenge in every season, but right now, it’s nearly impossible.
But I don’t want to lose touch. I have plenty to say, just not enough time to say it all. Instead, I’m going to direct you back to a few of my favorite posts from the past, when times were simple, when the world wasn’t going quite as crazy as it is right now and when I felt like I had it all going on…
…Oh, wait. No I didn’t. My life was different 5 years ago. I had little kids. Motherhood was physically demanding then. It’s demanding in an entirely different way now, with a teen, an almost teen and a 9 year-old. I’m constantly surprised by how fast things change. Sometimes I miss those little faces, but I love the young women they are becoming.

When my baby (now 9) was still small.
Check out an old reader favorite, The Mom Bus, which details my life as driver. I’m reliving it this week.
Come along with me on a vacation (can you call it that?) with children (and that guy I married) in If you take the kids to Jersey. I’ll relive this one in a month or so.
And if you are looking for summer fun that will allow you to stay in the AC, check out my series 5 Summer Art Projects.
If life is getting you down, you can try Forcing Gratitude. It has always worked for me, even on the worst days.

The Adventurer, 2003, (before we owned a digital camera!). She turns 17 in the fall.
I hope you are enjoying your summer, and not letting the mayhem of the world we live in keep you from finding a little joy in these sweet, sunny afternoons.
Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. Henry James

Me and my girls, 2009.