Excuses for a Lackluster Summer

Y'all the summer is almost a wrap and it all started out grand. But some how it completely lost it's sparkle and may very well go down in Baker history as one of the lamest summers ever!

The beginning...it was good. We had the Baker family beach trip, swim team, and an anniversary trip to Asheville. We had a quick trip for 4th of July, minus Sambo, to Pawley's for Salute from the Shore - one of my social media accounts - and we were livin' it up. We didn't even let the crappiness of a girl running a red light and totaling my car dampen our spirits. We were in it!

   

 #SummerBakation2017

  

Celebrating 18 in Asheville at the breweries and at a good high school friend's restaurant - The Junction 👍 👍. 

  

Summer swim team season 4 at SVCC.

  

July 4th in Pawley's with 4/5 of the crew.

    

The joke of that day and the death of the Green Goddess is that the girl hit her so hard that she $#!+ her horn (3rd pic).

We were all ready to take on the summer. And the boys were ready to take on our weekly thematic schedule that F&O made up! We had a plan. A plan that would allow me to work and them to have something to look forward to daily. I thought it was pretty clever.

I planned to make a cute graphic to post, but...

Everything about Sam in this picture makes me giddy with joy! The other two are pretty stinkin' awesome too. 

Make it Monday yielded a Funfetti cake by Sam, a chocolate pie by Oliver, and a lemon pie by Fulton.

We successfully made it one whole week on our schedule and then it was just piece-meal. A day here, a day there. #momfail #schedulefail 

My excuse... Last May-ish (2016) I started working from home doing some social media management, and in January I took the plunge and started my own consulting company  - CB Vivid. It has only been about 7 or 8 months, but I have REALLY loved it! My clients, the flexibility, collaborating daily with one of my oldest and closest friends... I needed that little schedule they made to break up our days and give me some structure, so I wouldn't get completely sucked into work. But the summer got me! I thought I was, but I was not prepared, y'all. 

I was presented with a whole-new challenge - managing a real-live business with conference calls, being on other people's schedules - not my children's, deadlines, BIG marketing budgets, high-profile events, PLUS managing a household with 3 active boys on swim teams and golf teams, play dates, laundry, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, packing for vacation, trying to exercise and eat right...the whole kit and caboodle. Then you throw in the "traveling husband" and overwhelmed doesn't begin to describe the feeling. Maybe suffocating? 

I did some sitters and grandparents here and there, but scheduling and coordinating sitters is hard and I'm a worry wart about their safety, and I haaaaaaaaaate asking my mom and MIL for help. H.A.T.E. it. It's an issue. But I don't want to put other people out. So I've been slogging through it, basically as a single mom during the week. 

If based on the last month, my kids "What I did over summer break" essay will probably say something like...watched TV from 7am to 4pm, fought with my brother every hour on the hour, destroyed the den and the upstairs, ate copious amounts of refined sugar, poison, dye, and saturated fat from boxes of pre-packaged food, played video games until my eyes bled, did science experiments without my mom's permission with random household chemicals and ingredients, etc. I'm sure their new teachers will think we're a lovely family. 

Where am I going with this? Who knows ? I guess it's just real life. And in real life THEY ARE FINE! I am fine. And at the end of the day, they are loved, fed, and clean-ish! I have always bent over backwards to make sure my boys have had epic summer vacations. Something noteworthy...postable. There were definitely some good moments - all those mentioned up there ^^^, some fun day camps, a spontaneous trip to Carowinds, and some trips to the movies, but it's just different than what we're used to. 

Worship Week Music Camp at Shandon Baptist

   

I am no longer a thrill seeker. Shan gets all that glory! I stick with Oliver. 

  

Despicable Me 3 with 2 of my 3 Minions and Wonder Woman with my 3 Wonder Boys

It's just seemed off - a little chaotic and lackluster. Call it poor planning or lack of prioritizing. I'll know better next summer what to expect. I know this summer is not going to be the ruination of them. They have actually gained some valuable skills. They've gotten creative, learned a little conflict resolution, time-management, learned to handle disappointment, and that the world does not revolve around them or their summer break. They may have even developed a greater appreciation for the routine that the new school year brings (I know I have!). 

I can't say from now until August 22 that there will be any exciting trips or events to blog about, so I'm putting #SummerBakation2017 in the books and anything else will just be gravy.