Summer Goals

Here in the Heckman household, we are in full-blown summer mode.

The kids are staying up a bit later (sometimes a lot a bit later); I am allowing myself the luxury of sleeping in till 7 a.m. on most mornings; there are far more Popsicles and pool play dates than ever before; and things just overall have a more relaxed feel to them.

Today for instance, we left the house at 9:30 to go to the movies with our neighbors. Only to return to take naps, read, and relax until we left to go pick up another friend for a sleepover. Which will undoubtedly involve more swimming, staying up late and ice cream.

Granted, not all days are like this, but I am relishing the ones that are.

And speaking of fun summer things... we recently decided it was time for the boys to start sharing a room. We've been wanting to "bunk them up" for a while now, but wanted to wait until school was out in case Parker kept Payton up during the night.

The first night was a little rough, but by night 3, they both seemed to be falling asleep and staying asleep all night. Next up, bunk beds! Of course, this will require me to sell, get rid of, store, hide, move the crib out of the room, but one step at a time...

For now, I'm just loving listening to them on the baby monitor when they first wake up in the morning...the adorable chatter, the giggles, and the invite from big brother to come snuggle in his bed. Priceless.

I'm also taking time this summer to teach the boys some kitchen basics.

I realized that - to my own fault - I have always done all the cooking around here. Unless it was cookies or brownies, I rarely ever involved the kids in meal preparation. But with more time on our hands these days, I am trying to integrate them in the cooking process. Who knows... maybe it will help with their finicky food choices if they help prepare the food???

Another personal goal this summer is to cut down on the clutter. Not just the tangible, every day clutter (although that is definitely included), but also the mental clutter...

...the incessant emails from every web site that I've ever visited, the worrisome thoughts about life that worrying absolutely does not change, the mental confusion over our summer vacation/camp/work calendars that I have been continually messing up lately...

... that kind of mental clutter.

I started tackling this goal yesterday by going through my inbox and "unsubscribing" to all of the emails that I get from unnecessary web sites. Yes, some of them are good, and some of them are fun to look at (especially those shopping web sites!!), but they do not benefit my mental clarity on a daily basis. They entice me to buy things I don't need; covet things I don't have/do; and feel anxious that I'm "missing out on such a great deal!" if I do not buy them.

I'm taking things one step at a time this summer...baby steps if you will... moving from crib to "big boy bed"... from mental confusion and worry, to more margin and space in my brain... from doing all the cooking myself, to involving the family to help out.

I'll report back in August and let ya know how things are going. And until then, you'll probably see a lot less posting here on my blog. I'm taking a summer vacation of sorts. Not technically leaving town or anything, just spending more time doing other things.

If you'd like to keep up with us more frequently, please follow me on Instagram (@StacyHeckman). Until later my friends... enjoy your summer... Popsicles and all!