With the arrival of August, I’m realizing I have about one month left of real summer—and I’m squeezing in as much as I can. For me, it’s not about vacation; there’s only so much time I can take off work, after all. It’s about the season’s small, everyday pleasures. My favorites:
• Watching fireflies. Magical no matter how many times you see them.
• Water balloon wars with the kids.
• Riding down a highway with the sunroof open and Springsteen blasting [or insert music of your choice].
• Watching the kids eating ice-cream cones. Actually, watching any kids eating ice-cream cones.
• Slipping into a crisp white t-shirt and navy shorts or pants. This combo always makes me feel like I’m about to jump onto a yacht.
• A glass of iced tea with lemon. Sweet, please. Sitting at the kitchen table with some magazines and nobody in the house but me, please.
• Feeling all cozy under the sheets on a hot night, with the a.c. on full blast.
• Not having to dress the kids in a million layers before they go outside. It’s been about five months since winter and I’m still appreciating that.
• That shower you take after you’ve been at the beach all day.
• A favorite pair of sandals. Mine: an ancient pair of tan Birkenstocks that my husband thinks are the world’s least sexy shoes. Could be, but OMG, they’re comfy.
• Hydrangeas in bloom. We only got one this year—that cold streak did a number on the bushes—but it was one beautiful bloom.
• Picking blueberries or strawberries with the kids, then making jam or dessert.
• Ten perfectly polished pink toes.
• A Sunday afternoon barbecue with friends.
• Reading under the stars. Our family recently did this for the first time, and everyone loved it. Just grab the kids, a blanket, books, snacks and flashlights, head out at dusk, enjoy.
• Fresh fruit salad. Made by you and the kids with a melon ball scooper, one of those no-tech gadgets that’s always fun.
• Boardwalks. Any kind, anyplace.
• The scent of just-cut grass.
• Date night with your partner at an outdoor cafe.
• Watching your kids enjoy rides at the fair, carnival, amusement park or wherever there are rides to be had.
From my other blog:
A reading under the stars party
Let It Go, like you’ve never heard it sung
What I think when I watch my kids sleep
Image of child eating ice-cream via Shutterstock. Other photos, Flickr. Iced tea: Cheryl Vanstane; hydrangea: Chris Gladis; fruit basket: debbilytle