Grumpy Gretchen is rearing her ugly head in anticipation of another summer like last year. The summer of '17 was spent carting kids around and listening to them fight in the car, in the house, outside my office, in public...even in my head when I wasn’t with them. Now, I’m not the kind of gal who does the same thing over and over again and expects different results, so I’m doing my best to change up their routine. Also, this year, they’re being treated to two weeks of sleepover camp instead of one—it was the least I could do.

But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Gretchen needs to do her own shake-up. I’m really trying to put some time and thought into how I can have my summer work for me rather than against me. Again, I’m not a victim in my own life. I’m going to try shifting sitter coverage, my workouts, my meal plan, my work schedule—all in the name of shaking it up to invite in growth, rather than just holding my breath till August 30th, which I seriously considered doing.

MamaDe loves routine, and that’s not going to change. But the routine itself can change and sometimes I forget that. As a photographer, I'm always taking a step back to look at the whole scene. It’s time to do that for my summer. Sometimes I can put so much energy towards thinking about how unhappy something makes me that I forget to invest time into thinking about what changes I can make that would bring me more serenity.

Do you stop and think about ways to take better care of yourself during the summer months? Have any suggestions for all of us? Please leave a comment below. Or maybe you know someone who is dreading the summer a little and this post might help them look at things a little differently. These posts might also help if you missed them last summer: Transition, 3 Summer Questions or Pump Up Your Jam

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