Summer
a.k.a. misery and swimsuit angst.
We
ended the school year with a nasty cold. Monkey came home an absolute grouch on
the last day of school. Not what you’d expect from a kid who’s been looking
forward to summer break since, oh, September.
Turned
out he was sick and the misery has made its way through the family, which is
why I’ve been MIA. When all you can come up with to blog about is the quantity
and consistency of mucous, it’s best not to post.
But
now we’re finding our summer groove and despite my first sentence, I’m feeling
optimistic about the next two months.
For
one thing, Kory has been court ordered to take a vacation. Well, not quite. But
he’s about to max out on vacation time, and was told he better take time off.
I, of course, have been telling him he needs a break for months. Not sure yet
what we’ll do. Nothing too spectacular. That’s just not how we roll.
In
order to avoid constant guilt over letting the boys have too much screen time,
I set up some daily requirements for math, reading and exercise. They’re pretty
minimal but at least at the end of the summer I won’t be handing little Neanderthals
back to the teachers.
My
mom sent up a box of old comic books—Hagaar the Horrible, Beetle Bailey, B.C.,
Peanuts—and the boys are devouring them. Great literature? Maybe not, but
everything counts when you’re nurturing a life-long Neanderthal, I mean, reader.
Monkey
is taking drum lessons, going to band camp, and banging the heck out of his
snare drum on a daily basis. He’s not interested in using the practice pad, so
we’re urging him to keep the pounding to daylight hours.
I
wish I could say my yearly swimsuit search was over. As if I didn’t already
need Xanax just to face swimsuit season, this year Target.com is determined to
fit me with a straight jacket for all my water fun needs.
I ordered a swim top
and shorts and received the top and a pair of bikini bottoms. The bottoms were …
unacceptable. I tried again and received another bikini bottom instead of the
shorts. I called and had the pleasure of speaking to a highschooler about my
swimwear needs. He told me the website was in error and to try ordering my
shorts again in a week.
Today
I went back to Target.com and it’s obvious someone attempted to correct the
error. The swim shorts that were incorrectly labeled bikini bottoms have been
changed to swim shorts. The verbiage is correct for the black swim shorts and
the blue swim shorts, but the purple swim shorts I want are still labeled
bikini bottoms. I called and talked to someone from Mexico about my problem. He
said he’d submit a report and I could check back in a few days.
Meanwhile,
I have that funny old ad snafu running through my head:
Our
swimsuits are sensational! They’re simply the tops!
Looks
like I’ll be making do with last year’s bathing suit a little while longer.
If
you’re luckier than me, lounging by the pool in adequate swimwear, and looking
for a good read, I have a suggestion.
My
friend Carla’s book Five Days in Skye is just the kind of delicious escape read
that begs for a towel and umbrella drink. It releases today!
So
what does this summer hold for you?
