An Idyllic Summer with Children Doesn’t Exist

Including an audio version that I recorded on the floor of our bedroom hiding from my kids!!

I’m reminding myself:

An idyllic summer with children doesn’t exist.

There will be whining and fighting. There will be tears from everyone, at some point between June and September. There will be a desire for more time and less time, simultaneously.

There will be regrets, and let-downs, and maybe a sense of loss, of wishing something existed that didn’t.

But there will also be laughter, and popsicles, and slip-n-slides. There will be secrets whispered in treehouses, full days spent in the sunshine by a body of water.

And if you’re lucky, really lucky, there will be a handful of moments you can hold in your sand-covered hands, stick in the back pocket of your cutoffs, tuck in between the pages of a book you’ll only get halfway through. They will be miraculously unmarred when you reach for them years later, near-pristine souvenirs of the past, memories made perfect by the passage of time. They will have obscured the disappointment and illuminated the joy, as if by magic.

No, the summer won’t be idyllic with kids in your wake. But it will be enough if you let it be enough. We don’t get to slurp the entire watermelon of summer into our bellies during this season of life, but we can still take the too-few, too-small, imperfectly cut slices we’re given and taste the flesh on our tongues. Do not let the seeds stuck in your teeth prevent you from savoring its sweetness.

More soon from me. I’ve barely been able to string two thoughts together during this break, but I’m still finding tiny micro-blips of creativity, seedlings of inspiration. They’re tucked away in my journal, my notes app, the crevices of my tired brain, waiting for me when I can revisit them and share some of them here. I hope you’re finding small happinesses in what can feel like long days.

And to all you new subscribers: hi hi hi. I’m so glad you’re here.

• Finally reading The Wedding People, which has been on my TBR since it became the book of the summer in 2024, and man is it living up to my high expectations. Plus, it feels like a very good poolside read: funny, sharply written and utterly bingeable.

• I ordered a book about human design—I love things like the Enneagram, Myers-Briggs, and other woo-woo concepts, and have always wondered about this one. If you’ve jumped into human design before, let me know what you thought of it!

• We threw my daughter a little Taylor Swift-themed party for her 5th birthday (!!!) and xo Fetti had such a good lineup of themed items—I got the napkins, tattoos and nail stickers but could have bought the whole store.

• Liz and Amelia at Savoring Each Season asked me what was on my bucket list this summer—head over to see what I said. (Hint: it doesn’t involve my kids.)

• Jen at Recently Enjoyed Things reminded me that Bubly’s Melted Ice Pop seltzer is back for the summer—a true micro-joy for the season.

• 27 places to find inspo that aren’t Pinterest via Kel Rakowski, many of which don’t involve a screen.

• This beaded mobile feels like the attainable, kid-friendly craft I didn’t know I needed this summer.

• S’more s’mores, always: this icebox cake from Jessie Sheehan is so good I’ve made it three times, and these golden graham bars from Jessica at How Sweet Eats are up next.

• The perfect boat tote from Sarah Jacobson of big feelings because if ever there was a time for big feelings, it’s summer break at home with small children!

• Last but not least: my hyperfixation warm-weather breakfast. It’s so good.

Congrats to the winner of the Summer Books giveaway, Maddie! The new Meg Mason will be on its way to her at the end of the summer after its release. And just as a reminder: Meg’s book Sorrow and Bliss is one of my all time favorite reads (Maddie is a fan, too!)

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