What I’m Into (June 2013)

June.

Second only to Christmas as the busiest time of the year. Also like December, a time in life I appreciate the most AFTER it’s over. At the time it felt like an unending whirlwind of dance rehearsing/essay writing/house guesting/field tripping/thank you noting/routine busting crazy… and you know how I feel about routine.

In retrospect, it was all good. Not in the dopey Rastafarian way, but a deep down, life affirming, good-for-me month. It’s possible I hold a liiiiiittle too tightly to that routine after all.

So, what made June amazing?

A not-totally-perfect hip hop routine

One that depressed C, my perfectionist hip hopper, but made me so proud I cried. It was awesome! And maybe parents are supposed to think that, like she says. But more likely, it was thinly veiled genius, just beginning to emerge. Not to mention ADORABLE (but don’t tell her I said that).

Beauty and the Beast, ballet style

With L as the dog, the stove, a dish and an angry townsman… amazing production all around, but the highlight is always seeing this glamorous woman-child on stage doing such beautiful, complex, graceful things that I barely recognize her.

Cousins

This was a month of cousins. My baby sister had another baby (something I’m still wrapping my brain around) – little cousin Marcos to increase the testosterone load in the fam. Beyond beautiful and way too far away.

We saw our “in town” cousins a few times and reaffirmed that my god-daughter is one of my son’s favourite people in the world. Cousins make the most convenient friends!

Speaking of, one of my favourite cousins came to stay. Growing up, she was the sister I actually wanted. Her two oldest kids came along and I’m pretty sure mine feel the same way. S was delighted to have a big boy with tons of energy to chase and wrestle all day! My city kids were also dazzled by tales of 4H and bear hunts, horrified by an attempt to bring possum road-kill home (“but it was fresh,” he said, bewildered by our reaction) AND impressed when he took on a local bully with geography riddles (see: you may be a homeschooler when…). Meanwhile, the oldest girl-cousin and C have the same symbiotic, silly-fun, picking-the-friendship-right-up-without-missing-a-beat chemistry that Janis and I have. Honestly, cousins make the best friends!

Books

One of the last books for my Children’s Lit course, Awake and Dreaming by Kit Pearson is a very contemporary type of book – messy and gritty and strangely compelling. I can’t decide to recommend it in spite of, or because of, the weird plot twists. It’s a little bit heartbreaking, but beautifully so.

After all that FUN reading for my course, I decided it was time for a Good-For-Me book. I choose something outside my usual box, a memoir about addiction and the spiritual side of recovery. Heather Kopp is one of my all-time favourite bloggers, so I figured Sober Mercies would at least be palatable. As it turns out… I couldn’t put it down. I read it in 24 hours and I’m already planning to read it again. I was completely drawn into her story and her vulnerability and her humor… and guess what, it really was Good-For-Me. Even though I’m a different brand of broken, I can definitely relate.

Blog

No time to peruse all the great blogs out there? Me neither. 3 Things for Mom has a guest poster almost every day with a Truth, a Tip and a Find. It’s a quick and easy way to sample new writers and new ideas.

App

Songza is for those of us too lazy (smart and efficient) to make our own playlists. It has every style of music I could think of, categorized by mood or activity or even time of day. I love the Working/Studying (no lyrics) playlists – Classical for studying and Epic Film Scores for writing dramatic position papers. Headbands and Legwarmers: 80s Workout while I fold laundry. Coast Guard Motivational Mix while I mow the lawn (every cheesy song you can think of from Eye of the Tiger to Chariots of Fire). Mom-friendly Pop/Rock for a BBQ with the in-laws.

Video

Another thing I felt compelled to look into, since Kristen Howerton was one of the first bloggers I ever followed. Glad I did… as I’m always needing to find this fine line. When is social media a healthy diversion; when is it a wasteful distraction?

So here’s me, June survivor, and dare I say, thriver. Bring on the lazy summer days!