Summer is long, the days are sweltering, and the constant chatter that turns to whining, it leaves me no choice but to sometimes redefine what the day entails, and what I have the bandwidth to accomplish. Some days it is complete survival mode. Get them fed, let them watch some tv, and go on a walk outside. Some days we go get ice cream or search out a new park. Some days I feel highly productive, and thankful that I was able to check something off my list.

I am sure I have had hard summers before, but this one has me wondering. My children are strong, filled with their own ideas and how things should go. They often talk back or waste time after I give them a command even though they “know better.” They are loud, not necessarily talkative. They are wiggly, bouncy, and unsettled like little Tiggers. They are all creative and like good food. They get it honest.

What has been particularly hard is that the constant stream of noise, the talking back, the ideas, the needs, and desires, they just all mount up. One person can only handle so many requests. The big emotions sometimes take me down if l let it.

And creating new art—well, if you are a work from home parent like me, you can probably guess how things take shape against your own wishes and workflow at times. It has not been a summer of lots of new creation. It has been a summer of managing my home, and learning how to do that better. It has been a summer of continuing to find resources for my business, working on presentation for my beautiful work, and hunting down the best place, and way to do prints. (yes, I am still tweaking that)

It has been a summer of lots of slow growth and trying my best to learn how to savor these moments, before they pass me by and I am full of regret that I did not learn how to enjoy them. To all of you who are in the trenches too, I see you, I hear you, I am just like you! Let’s help each other, okay?