I mean...I don’t even know what to do with temperatures that low.
And, yeah, sure, I know it’s going to get steamy again within a day or two, but I’ll bask in this fake Fall as long as possible—until it turns to true Fall...be still, my heart.
So in the spirit of closing out one season to make way for the next (and the bestest)...it’s time for a good old Summer 2020 retrospective. And I’m going to sync up with my list of “intentions” I wrote back in early June:
M’kay?
M’kay.
Heeeeere we go!
Monday, Science FUN Day
Okay. Here’s what I have to say about our Monday, Science FUN Days.
First, the kiddos loved it. Like, they adored it so much, they would have made every day a Monday I’d let them.
Second, I really do feel it instilled a fan-freaking-tastic interest in science that’s spilling over into the school year.
Both girlies have been super enthusiastic about their science assignments these past few weeks. And I’ve been thrilled to see Chica bask in a bit of science confidence that has enabled her to share more in a classroom setting than my sometimes-shy girl prefers (like when she volunteered to show her science experiment video to all her classmates).
Basically: they made friends with science, and being friends with science makes all three of my babies feels like it’s accessible.
FREAKING WIN.
And, lastly, in this Monday, Science FUN Day wrap-up: there’s a plethora of experiments out there for a parent to utilize.
Yes, it does take a bit of organization to prep it all.
And, yes, experiments sometimes crash and burn (we had three this Summer that were big, dull, duds).
And, yes, sometimes it hurts how quickly the experiment is over when it might take a bit of effort to set up (that’s where crafting has the edge in terms of occupying time).
But. M
See above for all the reasons it was so worth it for us. :)
Doodles
I mean...what more can I say about doodles that I haven’t already said???
We LOVE our doodles.
Wae doodled all summer.
The kiddos built such amazing little portfolios (and drawers full of doodle cutouts, ha).
And we already miss it like mad now that school is taking up all our time!
But, we’ll treasure the time we spent—and remember it was this pandemic that brought us our beloved doodles—and make sure to work it into our schedule as time allows!
Oh, and in case you’re curious, here’s a whole slew of our artwork!
Ramped Up Project Time
Ironically, doodle and science chipped away at the time we typically utilize for projects, but we still managed to work a handful of fantastic ones into our summer.
And holy goodness, have we ramped up our crafting, big time, in the past two weeks, with autumn on the horizon.
So, yay, for summer projects—even if we didn’t manage as many as we might have in the past. Science, doodles, crafts...all time WELL SPENT.
A Beach Day
Man, did we knock this one out of the park! We sort of flew by the seat of our pants, planning a day-trip/road trip and just going for it.
And it was a major success.
And, honestly, if social distancing hadn’t made it so difficult, we probably would have made several return trips after our inaugural one.
Something to aim for next summer. :)
Sleep, Sleep, and SLEEP
Oh, holy heavens...SLEEP.
It was a summer of getting more shuteye than we deserved, and IT WAS A DREAM (that I will forever be chasing).
My gratitude for the laziness and the SNUGGLES knows no bounds.
We’ll likely never have an extended period of low-key mornings in our lifetime like we experienced this Spring/Summer, and...deep sigh.
Love you, sleep.
Learning Continuity
Man, oh man, am I shocked and grateful that we were able to pull this off.
Perhaps because we were already in the routine of home learning, it just seemed like a breeze to keep at its at least two days a week, all summer long.
And I can absolutely tell a difference in my kiddos’ angst (meaning, they have less of it), with some of their school work.
For instance, Chica and I were so confused yesterday by her assignment for math...because it was too easy, ha.
It was simple, three digit addition, and because we worked through math problems like that all summer, it took us a minute to realize we were trying a bit too hard to make her assignment too difficult. And it was pretty straightforward.
Now, I’m not saying we went into the school year ahead of the game or anything, but it hasn’t felt like we’re behind.
And that deserves a huge Amen, Hallelujah.
Time well spent, for sure (and, bonus—it gave us something to do in certain mornings.)
Family Visits
Family Visits
Okay, this one deserves a major whew! that we pulled it off, because our Tulsa-in-late-July summer trip has kind of become a tradition, and we would have been so sad if the germs prevented it.
Bonus points: we had a new little niece to LOVE ON in person, and we were so grateful to snuggle that little nugget.
So, yay, to a really fantastic, really long T-twin visit, filled with so many lovely memories. :)
Home Projects
Now, this one stalled a bit toward the end of the summer, but we still managed to handle a few odds and ends around the house during these hella hot months.
And, we capped off our summertime days with a hefty garage cleaning the day before the school year began. Woohoo!
Sometime soon, I’ll post pictures of the dining room with wallpaper complete—as that’s the major home project we did tackle in June and July. :)
And last but not least...a smattering of some of my favorite shots of this summer.
You know it’s easy to just feel like the days are running together, and the accomplishments and events are few and far between—until you tackle a retrospective this like this, and remember just how much beautiful living you managed over the course of a season. :)
Beautiful living, peeps. Beautiful living.
And a beautiful thing to have a diary of sorts like this here blog, to look back and appreciate.
Happy END OF SUMMER and unofficial start of FALL, peeps.
Can’t wait to see what the next season brings!
Over and out.
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