A letter to myself, to be reread in May of 2015

Dear Jen,

You are about to embark on Summer of Awesome 2015. Are you ready? Of course you’re not. But that’s okay. Here are a few things that Jen in 2014 would like you to remember.

You did a lot of awesome things last year. You guys had a great summer! It was nice to actually have a summer at home for a change. You and Jason got to show LM all your favorite places in town, and discovered a few new ones. There were lots of hugs, and lots of pictures taken. You went outside every day at least once (usually more). You rediscovered your love of swings. You were brave and went to the pool, just the two of you, and nobody drowned. You were firm when you had to be, limiting sodas and screen time. Making a list of LM’s food preferences was one of your more brilliant ideas. You taught him a few cooking things, and he taught you the benefits of the Monkey Apprentice. You and Jason were very supportive of his MTG obsession, and you went way out of your comfort zone and into the Great Outdoors. You ate all. the. burgers. You knocked lots of things off the bucket list, and still had room for lots of spontaneity.

Some things you might want to remember for this summer. Help Jason make plans if you guys are traveling. You rely on him too much for that and he has enough stress. (Though you’re better at making plans for everyday activities). Speaking of planning activities, put things on the family calendar, and for goodness sakes, go shopping before summer rolls around! Make sure you have plenty of popsicle sticks and LIGHT corn syrup. Go to the beach early in the summer. You always procrastinate on that for some reason. Hug more. You need to scrapbook. It’s not good for your mental health to put that aside for a month. It’s more than a hobby, it keeps you happy and positive. And we both know you’ll need that. Give yourself a break. You’re going to rage and cry for the first week or two. It will be terrible, but you’ll get through it. You always do. Get through it as quickly and quietly as you can, then get on with the fun stuff. Talk to Jason. Don’t hold things in. Well maybe hold things in for that first week. Write out your feelings. It will make you feel better. Did I mention talk to Jason? This doesn’t have to be a lonely time. You have a partner, let him be there for you. Even when you’re a B.O.B. He already knows you’re nuts, he’ll still love you.

You’ll do great. The important thing is to make the most of your time together. Because we’re the Awesome Family. And we do things awesomely.

Love, Jen
July 5, 2014