Summer, B & W

Just us christening summer with some back yard camping and a trip to the nature center to investigate bugs and other vermin.

Last Day

Thanks so much for all the well thought-out comments and emails re: my last post. They really gave me a lot to think about and offered some great perspectives. I'll be sticking around here for some time yet, I think.

And joy of joys! My girls are home for the summer. I am always surprised by how happy this makes me every year. Everything just feels so much better when our time is unscripted and we get to go wherever and do whatever we want. Our creativity blossoms, the good times roll, and ironically, we all get along so much better when it's just us all day every day. (Gah! Home schooling is so tempting sometimes!) Not that we don't still have our moments, but our own pace does seem to help everyone chill out a little.

Here are my school girls on their last day of school:

Bunny ears. So sisterly. (And a random scooter in the pics. Very nice.)   

Here they are on their first day of the school year. My but they do grow quickly.

So very happy to have them back all to myselfishy-self. Do you love summer break as much as I do? Or can you just not wait for school to start again? Do you ever think about homeschooling? Do tell.

Emme Finally Got to Bust Out The Goggles Appropriately

First day in the kiddie pool and a couple little people I know were pretty pumped.

 Little do they know Hell's fiery inferno is about to unleash on Memphis for the next 3 months.  

Oh, the sweet bliss of ignorance.

And tonight while I sit in my well air-conditioned bedroom I am pondering this blogging thing. It sure feels like a dying art. Is anyone out there? Do any of us really have time to read more than a hashtagged quip on a filtered phone photo? Is that why social media has gone the way of twitter/instagram/facebook? 

I've struggled to find any meaningful interaction with those sites. (I even posted on facebook last week. Then felt so awkward about it. Did my college roommate's ex-boyfriend really "like" that my daughter brought me breakfast in bed? Well that's kind of weird. Which I think makes me kind of weird too for posting it. But then a lot of people I like "liked" that, and that was nice. I'm over thinking this, right?)

But I admit I also feel archaic when I blog. Maybe I just don't know when to say uncle. I've been known to keep my pillow cases far past their prime. I hesitate to stop, though! It's quite deeply satisfying for me to know I have at least one source of history of our little lives here. Don't know what I'd replace that with. And I really enjoy reading more about your lives, what you're really thinking and going through. Some sweet folks I've really only gotten to know well through your blogs, but I feel connected to you, and inspired in my mothering and marriage to do and be better. That's certainly meaningful to me.

I would really love to hear your thoughts about this! Have you moved on from blogging? What do you use to stay connected with those you care about? How have you made it meaningful? Have you moved away from social media altogether for the most part? Am I missing something that makes those other outlets awesome? What floats your boat?

Much thanks for your input.