Sun Shiney

Here is how every Summer morning starts (around 7:15 a.m.)

"Mumum, can I has peana buttuh cwackers?"

"No! Lay down and turn on a movie."

"I can has peana buttuh cwackers for lunch?"

"Yes."

"Mumum, is it lunch time yet?"

"No! I'm not awake yet, it's not even breakfast time, please turn on your movie."

"But for lunch I can. I gonna play Mario."

"'kay. Please turn it down." He turns the volume all the way up, the tinny sounds of the Mario theme song literally bouncing off of the walls. "Down! Quiet!"

"You can make this big jump for me? Just real quick? Then you can be not awake again, my mumum."

"little kid, I'm awake but I need 5 minutes of waking up before I start playing video games or making breakfast. Can you just chill for a few minutes while I wake up?"

"Yes, after you make this jump, I's be quiet! Then we's can make my peana buttuh lunch cwackers!"

Grrr.

The other child sleeps until 9ish. He has always slept late. When he was a toddler, we frequently slept until 10 a.m. Every mom I knew envied us.

Summer has been mostly fun, though. Yesterday I broke out the Slip 'n Slide and when it became obvious that my kids totally sucked at it and were failing to grasp the concept, I forced them to stand to the side to watch me demonstrate my technique. Repeatedly. Slip 'n Sliding is fun and they are already improving. I wanted to soap it up but Big Kid said I would get soap in everyone's eyes, and that seemed like a good point.

We've also been at the pool a lot and they both swim like fish. Two months ago, they couldn't swim at all and now they are diving to the bottom of the deep end and swimming from side to side. So fun! This means I can sit on a nearby lounge chair and read a book. There are no words to express the happiness this freedom brings me. People are also super impressed with my kick-ass 3-year-old swimming star, and I like that.

I am stepping slightly outside of my lazy comfort zone this Summer and have declared it to be the Summer of Socialness. I hate this idea, but once a week I'm going to make an effort with a new friendship. I really like being alone, but I do see the benefit of having friends and there is a great circle of families that I met through a mom's group years ago that already know that I struggle with keeping in touch but who seem to like me and reach out anyway. I need to capitalize on that before they are totally sick of me. All of the efforts won't be with this particular group but in order to make more life-long friends, I need to hang out with people other than the life-long friends I already have. I guess. It should also make for good blogging material.

So Girl Crush (remember her?) is coming over on Friday and I'm more nervous about it than I should be. I have ZERO reason to be nervous, we have hung out before and we always have fun. She likes me and is open and outspoken about liking me. I'm just neurotic, particularly about it being at my house. My house is lovely and in an awesome neighborhood--no reason to be neurotic about it but I AM WHAT I AM. And I'm a bit of a freak.

I was also invited to a Ladies Dinner next week and don't know what to wear. Again, no one will care and I will end up looking fine (probably) but they all make it look so effortless. I really wish Tim Gunn and I were friends--but that could never happen because I would never want to invite him over. Sigh.

Other than these minor social issues and the 7 a.m. wake-up calls, Summer has been fun so far. I'm hoping the social and early morning stuff will work itself out sooner than later.