Author: Big Mama

I feel you should know that I just got home from the pool about thirty minutes ago and just barely avoided being carried off by a tribe of angry mosquitoes. And, listen, I wouldn’t trade mosquitoes for the drought conditions we’ve endured the last three summers, but it feels like the mosquitoes have returned with a vengeance and are ready to make us pay for all the Off! we didn’t have to use the last three years.

The problem is that I’d forgotten about life with mosquitoes. Gulley and I planned to spend all afternoon and evening at the pool with the kids because – and I don’t want to speak for her – these kids never quit asking questions and talking and informing us about various things ALL DAY LONG and there was the hope that if they swam long enough they’d be too tired to talk by sundown.

But as the sun began to fade into the summer sky, the mosquitoes and gnats began to gather for a feast. Mainly around Gulley and me since we were the only two mothers dumb enough to still be at the pool. We tried to convince the kids we should leave before the closing whistle, but were met with a cacophony of “YOU PROMISED!” and “YOU SAID WE’D SHUT IT DOWN TONIGHT!”

And I get it. I remember the allure of the evening swim from when I was a kid. There was nothing better than the pool at the Nanes Clubhouse in my childhood neighborhood when they turned on the lights in the deep end and you could do a backflip off the diving board and swim down and see the kaleidoscope of light underwater.

(This totally just made me think about a book I read when I was Caroline’s age called The Night Swimmers. Does anyone else remember it?)

However, that was a simpler time when people didn’t worry about things like “chemicals” and “toxicity” and there were large trucks that drove down the streets every night that sprayed out all manner of DEET. Not to mention, nobody had to worry about getting the West Nile. And so if you had to coat yourself in Calamine lotion at the end of the day, so be it. No harm done. It mixed well with the Solarcaine you had to use because it wasn’t like we knew anything about sunscreen. The only thing I ever remember putting on besides baby oil was some Hawaiian Tropic SPF 4 and maybe some zinc across my nose but that was only so I’d look cool like the lifeguards.

Oh, the 1970s. What a sweet time.

On the upside, other than the unfortunate mosquito infestation, the pool was a good idea. We returned home exhausted and I sent Caroline straight to the shower and then to her playroom so she can watch T.V. or weave a potholder or paint the walls for all I care. Just as long as I can sit here on the couch by myself for about an hour without anyone asking me “Why did you say that?”, “Who are you texting?”, “What are we going to do now?” and – MY PERSONAL FAVORITE – “I’m hungry. What can I eat?”

I’ve forgotten that summer requires a little bit of an adjustment period. Much the same way you’d have to adjust if you woke up tomorrow and had an extra leg. A leg that likes to give its opinion on things and leaves various pairs of flip-flops all over the house.

So that’s where we are right now. I know we’ll settle in and get into a normal routine in the next week or so and I’m still so thankful that it’s summertime and not the school year.

I’m also glad that I didn’t get abducted by mosquitoes tonight because it was a close call and I don’t think I’d do well in their world.

I realize I haven’t been the most consistent about keeping up with the blog over the last few days. It’s mainly because now that I know the government is reading everything I write, I feel a little self-conscious and exposed.

Except that’s not really why. Because heaven help our government if they think anything I write is worth their time.

It’s really because summer requires a bit of an adjustment period. As in I don’t really have a lot of down time and I’m trying to figure it out and Caroline spent three hours “styling” my hair in various configurations last night and then giving me a “makeover”.

So this is the part where I say I’m going to do my best to write on a fairly regular basis this summer but I also know that I’m about to get edits back for my next book and I’m sure that will create quite the workload. Because I have a tendency to overuse punctuation and all caps and my sweet editor has to work very hard to make me better than I really am.

Anyway, that’s where I am right now.

Fortunately there is always time for fashion. Here are some cute things I found this week:

1. gap shoreline slub tee

I love a good tee from Gap for the summer. These are really cute and come in some cute colors.

2. mexicali floral cuff

Coral is such a great color to use as an accent with summer outfits.

3. lace neck top

This would be really pretty with shorts or jeans. And would look pretty under a blazer in the fall.

4. lush knit maxi

These maxis from Nordstrom are really cute and come in some great colors.

5. zigigirl cole boot

I’m on the fence with the booties. They’re everywhere. People wear them with shorts. I’m conflicted.

But I do think these are really pretty.

6. tiered linen skirt

This a great summer skirt. Add a t-shirt and a necklace and you’ve got a cute outfit.

7. piper tunic dress

I really like this and it would look great with leggings and boots later in the year.

8. ruched neck tank dress

If you’re looking for a great casual summer dress, Ann Taylor Loft is your place. All their dresses are 40% off right now.

9. sea of love patterned blouse

This would be great with white jeans or white shorts.

10. free people city limits tiered dress

I love this. I’d wear it with cowboy boots. The end.

That’s it for today.

Y’all have a great Friday.

I’m not posting anything here, but I do have a post about my love of music from the seventies over on The Pioneer Woman. You can read it here.

And if you missed it, there are some great book recommendations in the comments on yesterday’s post.

So last week I brought up a few goals for summer and then it was the end of school and I guess I saw something shiny and got distracted and never addressed them again.

I’ve also been honing my craft of creating the longest possible run-on sentence ever.

What I really want to talk about today is related to my goal of reading some books this summer, but I need to address a few of the other goals I mentioned.

First, I finished watching both seasons of Scandal. I got so sucked into it by the end that I happened to read a headline on Fox News that said the current administration is losing all credibility and thought, well, it’s no wonder with all the shenanigans going on in the Grant administration right now. Olivia Pope can only do so much.

Second, if you don’t curl your eyelashes, I must implore you to try. I know it may seem unnatural to hold a metal object right next to your eyelid and squeeze it as tight as you can, but it’s a game changer, ladies. If I could only do one makeup related thing before leaving the house it would be to curl my eyelashes. And, yes, it does help to heat it up a little with the hairdryer but I usually save that for special occasions because ain’t nobody got time for that on a daily basis.

Okay, now for books. Here are a few that I’d recommend.

(I mean, obviously, I’d suggest Sparkly Green Earrings or A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet if you haven’t read them already, but here are some other suggestions based on what I’ve read in the last few months.)

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I can’t remember if I mentioned this when I read it earlier in the year, but it’s worth mentioning again. This isn’t a light beach read, but it’s a book that I will remember forever. So incredibly powerful and left me with tears running down my face several times.

2. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

I just finished this about a week ago and loved it. I’d resisted reading it even though I am a fan of Mindy Kaling because I thought it might not be as funny as I hoped, but I was wrong. It made me laugh out loud several times. This would be a great one to read by the pool.

3. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Oh, this book. I finished it in two days. It’s the story of two teenagers who are in love and also happen to have cancer. Which sounds like a terribly depressing subject for a book. But it is brilliantly written and you will fall in love with these characters and their witty, sharp dialogue. It’s so good.

So now it’s your turn. What books have you loved recently? What should I add to my summer list? I’ve got to get to reading if I’m going to have time to finish five books this summer and get my laundry room organized, too. Even though I might be willing to sacrifice an organized laundry room in exchange for a good book. Because I believe literacy is important. I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way.

(I have no idea why I just ended with that.)

School was officially out on Thursday. Which meant we spent all day Friday in our pjs watching a Jurassic Park marathon. Because what says summer more than watching people get hunted by dinosaurs?

This is Caroline before school on the last day. Yes, she insisted on climbing the tree for the picture. She also does have bangs now, but she’s already pinning them back while I bite my tongue and resist the urge to say I told you so.

In truth, we needed a day to recover from the last week of school festivities. I think I’ve mentioned before that Caroline has had the same teacher for first, third and fourth grade along with most of the same classmates. It has been one of the biggest blessings of elementary school, but we knew by mid-May that our beloved Miss C. isn’t going to be moving up to fifth grade and so there were a lot of tears and emotion leading up to the last day of school. And Caroline was upset too.

I knew it would happen eventually but it was sad to say goodbye knowing we wouldn’t be back in her classroom next year. She’s pretty much become a member of our family at this point. And I owe her a debt of gratitude I can never repay for teaching Caroline fractions because otherwise I would have had to do it. Which means she would have gone through life not knowing if 2/3 or 3/4 was more.

We had an end of the year party at the pool. And I’m sad to report that it took an hour for us to get our nachos. This doesn’t bode well for the summer. Usually June is the good month for the grill and you have to wait until July before the kids that work there say things like “Yeah, we’re not making any more chicken fingers today because they’re too much trouble” or “Do you mind eating that salad without dressing because we’re out?”

But it didn’t dampen our pool enthusiasm. We stayed until closing time and came home exhausted. And that’s why I felt like we could spend Friday in our pajamas. However, we did stop watching dinosaurs terrorize the earth long enough to shower and put on clothes to go eat dinner with Mimi and Bops and my sister and her family.

On Saturday morning Caroline was playing in a soccer tournament. And by morning I mean we got there at 9:00 in the morning and stayed until 4:00. I made the mistake of declaring early in the day that the weather wasn’t too hot considering it was June. And it wasn’t at 9:30 a.m. But the sun has a funny way of significantly heating things up as the day goes on and by 2:00 p.m. I was looking around to see if anyone had a cooler large enough for me to crawl inside.

By the time we got home I was in need of a shower, some food that wasn’t a concession stand hamburger, and a bottle of wine purely for medicinal purposes. We were all in bed by 9:30 and I can’t speak for P and Caroline but I was asleep by 9:30 and 1/4 seconds.

Look at me! Using fractions!

Sunday morning we went to church then Caroline went to go swim at her Gigi’s house with her cousin. Meanwhile I decided to make a trip to HEB because we were out of milk and it’s summer and that means Caroline is going to expect food to eat during the day.

Of course I forgot to factor in that the Spurs were playing later on which meant all of San Antonio was at the grocery store buying all manner of dips and chips and party supplies. I can’t even explain the chaos and the lines.

But I managed to persevere and foraged for food for my family in spite of the harsh conditions, just like a modern day Caroline Ingalls. You would have been especially inspired by my bravery in the cereal aisle as I dodged all manner of grocery carts and amateur shoppers.

I’d had big plans to bake a cake when I got home, but after my harrowing grocery store experience I didn’t have the strength. So I chose Option B which consisted of passing out in a dead sleep on the couch for two hours. I slept so hard that I woke up and didn’t know where I was, what day it was, or how I got on the couch in the first place.

After I revived myself with a Diet Coke, I found the strength to bake the aforementioned cake. It was a recipe I’d seen a week or so ago on Shay’s blog and Shay knows her bundt cakes. It’s a peach upside down cake and it was delicious. It would be perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It has the added benefit of not being chocolate which means I won’t be tempted to sit down and eat the whole thing in one fail swoop leaving behind only a few crumbs and deep remorse.

And just in case I haven’t bored you enough at this point, I’ll also report that I accomplished one of my goals for summer. Cleaning out my bathroom cabinet. I threw away a bunch of old makeup, a few hair products that had proved to be a disappointment and a bottle of Nivea Shimmer Tanning Lotion. I can’t remember at what juncture in my life I thought it was necessary to be both tan and sparkly, but it felt like an idea who’s time has passed.

So that was pretty much our weekend. I hope you had a good one, too.