Summer Cozy

Complaining about the Texas summer heat is kind of a bad habit of mine. I like to think it is part of the hazing process of calling this state your home. I tried really hard, but for the past few summers, I enter into this season with dread and disgust, as if whining might make global warming go back to bed and leave us alone.

But this summer, I decided that needed to change, mostly inspired by my favorite podcast friends (they become your friends very quickly when you don’t miss an episode) The Girl Next Door Podcast Episode Equally as curmudgeon about the ridiculous summer heat in the south (they are Phoenix dwellers), the Girl Next Door Ladies vowed to make this a great summer by celebrating the cozy. Summer cozy? What does that mean? It seems like an oxymoron when cozy inspires dreams of snuggling under a blanket in front of a roaring fire, while summer just means walking through that fire.

For me summer cozy meant doing all the things that once brought a smile to my face, when summer meant freedom and joy and adventure. Splashing through fountains. Swimming at night under the stars. Making popsicles. Arts and Crafts. Coming home from the library with a stack of books so high you can’t even carry them. Adventures in biking and hiking and new playground exploring. Pinterest says you need a bucket list so we made a bucket list. From day one we began checking things off of that list. Caroline got very into it, asking each day what we had planned. We splashed. We crafted. We ran. We biked. We swam. We read. We had fun. And I was so very proud of myself for maintaining an upbeat attitude.

Until September hit, then I lost my cozy. The usual irritation about heat and sweat and triple digit temps started to take over my whiny conversation once again.

But then, on one brutal morning run with two kids in a stroller pushing up hill both ways through 2 feet of summer heat, I realized that waiting for me on the other end of this run was a pool in my backyard to splash in and ice cold popsicles chilling in the freezer. Who can complain about that?

And then later that afternoon I pulled out my computer to edit 13,432 photos taken from all of our summer adventures. And the joy and freedom and carefree cozy returned. Because it was a fabulous summer and there was no need to rush it’s completion so soon.

We have the power to make lists and make memories and make our own cozy if we really try. I’m so glad I was able to do that this year.  Summer Mom is making the transition to Fall mom very very soon and you bet I’m thrilled about that. But for now, I’m going to snuggle up to this scrapbook with my AC on high and start dreaming of what next summer could hold.

If you need a little cozy, venture over to our summer bucket list highlight role on A Tale of Two Mamas. Guaranteed smiles and warm summer feelings abound for all.

But act quick. Because this space is about to get all sorts of Christmasy in a matter of days!