I like to pretend that I am in control of things – all the time – it is the great lie I tell myself. And it is a beautiful lie. But it is a lie, nonetheless, as sometimes a month or a season comes in and tells you to sit down and shut up for a second, it is taking over and you have no choice.Â
August was a time to take a break, to be quiet, and to move with the days. I didn’t add to-do’s about living life to the fullest. I didn’t think about how to be an inspirational force for a family life well-lived. I took a moment away from this website and freelance writing. I hope I am back – I have so much to share! And for those of you emailing, clicking, reading and sharing : thank you for your friendship as we navigate our family trips together.
Keeping with our monthly updates, here is what did happen in July and August:
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Our Monthly Trips
In July, we took some time to explore the area we live in even more. My favorite part? The wineries! Rolling, lush, green hills resplendent after all the summer rain… views for days…and, of course, fermented grapes. These spots are perfect for lazy, romantic summer dates or family picnics. I enjoyed finding more cozy wineries to try out in our area.
But in August we went to IRELAND for 10 days. That’s right, friends, IRELAND. This was a trip that had been years in the works. (In a former life stage, I had tried diligently to do a house swap allowing us to live in Ireland for the summer, but it never worked. So, instead, we saved, received some gifted lodging from my parents, and did a huge family trip to see what we could here. Spoiler alert: we loved it. More soon.)
My Powersheets
As admitted, August wasn’t a month for Powersheets. But July’s proved useful as we worked to navigate the daytime summer doldrums (we don’t do much in the way of summer camps) with the crazy nighttime swim meets. My Powersheets were critical to helping me stay balanced.
I’ve got my September Powersheets working for me now and will share those soon.
A New Planner
I am a person who loves starting the academic year with a new planner. My back-to-school day is other people’s January 1st. I have tried so many planners, including a Bullet Journal, but this year I needed to change the daily format. I was happy to find Golden Coil. I love it and you can look forward to a full round up on planners (I am very picky) sometime end of year.
This One Podcast Episode
On my former blog, before I had to move and change, one of my most popular posts was on how to be a writer/blogger while not using social media (is it even possible?). I am still torn about this. I do what I do here on The Family Trip because I want to help others, maybe even inspire others. Yet I hate social media. So, then, how to be heard? I constantly ask myself if it is worth the fight to be seen? What, ultimately, is the point of spending the hours writing here if no one sees it because social media is the true game we’re all playing?
This podcast helped me process so much of what I have been tryinig to say about social media – its role, how it has changed, and why I don’t like it. This episode doesn’t say we all need to ditch social media, but it does ask us to question our motivations and its impact.
Random Things I Bought
I didn’t purchase much in the way of clothes or accessories this summer. At least, not much I would recommend to my friends. But looking back at my Amazon account makes me realize there are some things that have made me very happy.
I have a standing order for this pizza sauce. I get it by the case because we do handmade pizzas most Friday nights and this sauce is by far the best. Don’t even try to argue.
I did buy this jumpsuit and it was so comfortable for hot summer days – especially ones spent picnicking at a winery!
And, finally, I found the best way to organize all of the swim meet ribbons using these. If you’ve never been a swim team parent before, you may not be aware that they give ribbons for everything. All the things. It’s nice to tuck them kindly into a binder with these sheets.
Hope you all had a wonderful, beautifully uncontrolled summer of doldrums and chaos. I look forward to catching up on all the news here and smelling the crisp fall leaves outside. A new page in my calendar is cracked open, and I am ready to go.