Slow down summer

Summer. It was always the best season as a kid, and now, as a parent, I still count it as the best. My girls are once again home. Both of them. Together. It hasn't been that way for over a year and won't be again for some time. Every morning I get up and whisper, "Slow down, summer."

It probably took a little over a week for Tom and me to adjust. We'd managed to find a new routine when they left, and reverting to our old ways wasn't really hard nor easy. We just did it. Having them tucked into their rooms in their beds at night makes both of us happy as can be. Tom and Darcy have their mornings together. Maddy and I have our days. The four of us come together in the evenings, and so far, we've navigated the weekends. 

Darcy is rarely here. She leaves for work after seven, gets off at six, works out at the gym, and arrives home around eight. The time from eight to nine-thirty before she heads to bed is Darcy Time. We know it, plan for it, and look forward to it. She regales us with stories of her day as she eats and unwinds, and boy can that kid tell some stories. She's running the pool at a summer camp, teaching lessons, and it's like watching mini-me. She's experiencing so much of what I did at that age, it's crazy. Proud mom, right here.

Maddy, on the other hand, is with me 24/7 and I couldn't be happier. We told her to take the first month to chill. No worries about the future. Catch up on sleep. Relax the brain. She's done well at doing that, finding little things to keep her busy like editing papers and running errands. She's done a few things to move forward on the what's next list, but mainly she's been chilling at home with me. I relish every minute.

I made her join my gym, so I'd have motivation. So far, we've managed to eke out three days a week instead of the five we planned. She's still on her stay up all night and sleep late schedule, which has been horrible for me. Don't get me wrong. That's my preferred schedule. I've always been a night owl and a late sleeper, but when both kids headed off to college, I refused to revert to that. One, I felt guilty as the hubby traipsed off each morning, and two, I felt more organized getting up with the sun.

But having someone else to hang with at night? Bad. Bad. It's like when my nephews come for Christmas. Then, I justified it as vacation, but now? Yeah, not so much. Each morning night before we head off to slumberland, we agree on what time we will leave for the gym. Three out of the five times we make it. Now I have another person who has to answer the dreaded hubby question: What did you do all day? Like me, she wonders how the day moves so quickly. I have an errand runner, a chef, and a little hang buddy. It might not be how she envisioned her summer, but for me, it's been heaven. 

Next week, the girls and I are flying off on an adventure. I like that when we return, things will ramp up and become more rigid. Maddy has to study for the GRE. I need to get back to editing, working on book number two, remembering I have a blog, and getting those projects off the ground that I've put off far too long.

Still won't mean that each morning I won't whisper: slow down, summer.