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Monday, June 30, 2014

summer o'fun mama


So. The worker mama project is turned in and done with...hopefully...seriously if I get a last minute pre submission panic call I'm gonna lose it.

All that to say. 

Phew. 

And, now let's have fun. Because me, I can't do both. Juggle emails and calls at home and simultaneously be sewing wand pockets on to cloaks (see below photo for reference)

So. This week is my little brothers wedding....sniff sniff....and then, book editing summer! Lake visit summer! Hiking summer! I'm thinking of resolving to do one exciting adventurous thing a week with the kids, by myself so as to give dada quiet work time. The moms around me are seriously taking their kids somewhere like this all the time. And I'm like. Um. That's too much work for me. I am too lazy to schlep kids and towels and etc to splash pads 45 minutes away. But maybe I should every now and then. I definitely should. SUMMER OF FUN. 

And book writing. Because now that I am done with this worker girl project I can hardly contain my itch to start I on edits and making it super amazingly awesome...or die trying. Ha. 

Happy Monday!

My view as I type. Sketching an underground city whilt sipping coffee whilst the sun shines in whilst children watch pbskids and little man reads his third Harry Potter book in five days. 

His appetite for reading is rather frightening. I found a flashlight hidden in his bed the other day and didn't have the heart to take it away. I remember that appetite...

The little missies join me. 

I'm all about tunnels and underground cities these days.

Meanwhile. The sunshine!! The garden!! The green!!

Oooooooohhhhhhh summer.........





Thursday, June 26, 2014

ehhhhhhhhhhhhh

In case you don't know, that is my whining noise. As in, toddler girl got up at 5:30. As in, she was up from 1-4 am the night before. As in, mamas big project was due yesterday...but the client is still getting all their ducks in a row to submit and asking mama to do more. And mama is tired.  And mama has to give up mad MAD props to mamas out there with jobs that keep you on email until 11pm, that keep you on your toes long past babies bedtime, that keeps you worried about work into the night. 

No rest for the weary!!! Because toddler still gets up at 5am! And the cat needs fed and breakfast needs doled out and life rolls on.

All you all who do these jobs. Juggling clients and press releases and pressure and 12 hour days and 3 hour commutes. I want to come over, buy you a bottle of wine, and hug you. Because you are tired. And I can't wait for my client project to be done (whereupon I buy myself a new dress and nice shoes, no seriously I am going to...) and get a few weeks of respite before cracking the whip on myself - BOOK EDITING TIME!!

June though, June is tired from one week of this schedule. June wants to putz around in the garden and sew some gnomes for the girls and play crazy eights with little man. 

And I know you mamas with crazy jobs out there want this too. But I love love love that you (me) are teaching our kids, our girls and our boys too, that mama can work and craft. That mama has a brain that is good for questions besides "Where is my princess coloring book?" And "How do you spell annihilate?" And "what does annihilate mean again mom?"

Because it's important. Because we can do hard things. Like push through on projects. And have patience during client phone calls. And finish a book. 

And we teach them the same. They can do hard things. To push through learning how to write in cursive. To be nice to the kid that is always a little rude. To keep at sounding out the hard words. The book is worth it in the end.

The work is worth it in the end.

And that is what June is about. And whether it's a passion for yoga or blogging or running or cooking or your job or gardening or writing or skydiving, let's keep showing them that it's worth it in the end, to have passions, to work hard, to strive hard, even cry over, something you believe in. 

It's worth it in the end.

Happy Thursday mamas. Bottle of wine, hugs, and a nap while I watch your kiddies. 

We rock.


 









Saturday, June 21, 2014

the garden of delights

Yes, that's a Lisa Loeb song. What can I say, I heart the 90s. (I mean, come on, Friends, plaid sundresses worn with doc martens, Reality Bites?? Good times my friends, good times.)

And it's also my garden. The June garden, in June, as it were.

So here is a tour. 

I took these photos this evening, to give you a little tour. So come on, grab a glass of wine, let me show you!!! 

And yes I've turned into a garden geek. 

Because, really, I'm in love with our garden this year. It's nearly perfectly what I envisioned that first winter here. We had moved in in September and I spent hours staring out the window over that long winter, imagining what we would do to this desolate looking front yard. And this summer. Here it is. We just need some peony bushes now. Maybe a rose bush too.

Seriously, it's going to be glorious out there in a month. I can't wait.

And lest you think this is braggy braggy sounding, which I hope it doesn't, let us never forget this poor little gardening experiment I endeavored upon just a few short years ago... http://www.junecleaverinyogapants.com/2010/09/adventures-in-urban-gardening.html 

Ha ha! Oh my June. 

So, hey. Enjoy!



My little medicinal herb garden, along the entrance of the garden. Spearmint and lemon balm, echinacea and calendula, and lots of marigolds and tiny zinnia plants and sunflowers which are going to be beautiful in a month!

The other end of the medicinal garden. With chamomile, lavender, peppermint and dill.

The other herb garden in the center of the garden. Cilantro , which reseeded itself, dill, which did the same, and oregano and thyme which survived the winter, and new sage and basil.

Bean pole teepee, and below the cucumber, cabbage and potato beds, leading to another teepee. 


The strawberries are producing so well!
This is today's pick!!

Take it easy on the tomatoes, we said, and this is just two of four beds...


I'm super excited about our rows of corn and mounds of pumpkin, squash, and zucchini in the back of the garden. Also dotted with bean plants, along the fence, and sunflowers...

The bean pole teepee at the far end of the garden, with two blueberry plants nearby. Also planted sunflowers in this corner.


Look at how big these pumpkin and zucchini vines are already!


Another tomato bed, these are all cherry tomatoes, with the potato bed on the side.


Magic light hour!

I've planted all kinds of other flower beds this year too, thanks especially to our generous neighbor who always has clumps of this or that to get rid of. This bed has yarrow and zinnias and spearmint and bee balm and sunflowers and Black-eyed Susans. 

I've got hostas and lilies and ferns and Black-eyed Susans growing around these trees. My idea is to use grass mats to create walls for a little outdoor dining room right here, where the table is. Also, little mans action shot.


Can you imagine, a little room made up here? With lanterns and such? So nice...And yes, that's a wacky lawn mowing job. I got tired. More flower beds below.


More transplants, and some annuals. 

Do you see the little shed back there! That's the chicken "tractor" dada made to house our meat chicks that are getting big!! We feel like real homesteaders. 


And then I come inside, the golden light still shining. And this sight greets me. Sun pouring in the window. A CLEAN SINK. Glorious. And I feel like one lucky girl. 
Wednesday, June 18, 2014

coming up for air

I swear I've written a post with exactly this title.

Do you think?

I'm too lazy to look.

Its muggy today and my brain is hazy. This weird sinus headachy thing. All I want is a giant iced latte. Go get one for me, someone?? No?? I'm totally going to go get one.

I've had many ideas for posts rolling around in my head that would fit this title. Wrapping up the school year. Coming up for air. The age of 5 and a half. Coming up for air. The little is potty trained. Coming up for air. Me and dada having this conversation the other day.

"Sometimes I feel like we don't respond to each other well when we are stressed. We feed off of each other's bad moods and snap at each other instead of helping each other feel better and get through it."

"Yea, like, we get upset about the other person being stressed and instead of saying 'gee I'm sorry, its going to be okay' we get mad."

"We both do it."

"I know, right? Why?"

"Too much energy sucked up by the kids?"

"Its like, just GET OVER YOUR BAD MOOD. Right??"

"I know!"

"We totally shouldn't do that."

"Agreed."

HA HA.

Coming up for air.

And we are out being social more in a week than in a month over the winter and perhaps my somewhat introverted self is getting overwhelmed. Like, can we sit by the fire and knit again?

HA.

Need. More. Coffee.

Coming up for air.

And my work. ARGH. Almost done with this one client project and then.... BOOK EDITING TIME. Much more exciting than when I faced editing my master's thesis. (HELL)

But.

This girl.

Took these pics the other day.

LOVE THEM.

SO her personality.

She and I are readjusting our relationship I think. She is becoming kid. Still mama's girl. But turning into kid. And the weaning thing is starting to happen. (PLEASE SOON) And she is now fully potty trained. Did I mention that already???? HA. No, but seriously. Not to have a kid in diapers??? After 8 years???? That is BIG.

Coming up for air.

So, more posts in the works. I made these ridiculously cute flower dolls for the girls yesterday. Post by the end of the week. And Lins. Dandelion crown post. That will happen too.

And now. Summer. Driving to a city playdate. Yesterday a swimming party. Tomorrow maybe a trip to the lake.

SUMMER.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Coming up for that delicious air.

she insisted on standing like this. next to the flower her sister picked out for her. :)









Thursday, June 12, 2014

June splendor

I'm sitting watching the full moon rise out through the pines. Well, nearly full. It's full tomorrow. On the 13th. Does this creep anyone else out?? A little?? 

No? 

Me either. 

Um. 

So. June. Such a beautiful greenly sort of month. The garden is doing it's thing. All growing and shit. (Ha. That made me laugh to type) Suddenly the calendar is full. Things like bbqs and trips to the lake. And parades. 

Today was the parade. 

And I must share the multitude of photos I took because it was oh so adorable. 

Our little Green was SOOOOO excited. Squealing with joy. And danced with every marching band. We had to actually restrain her from going out to dance with them.  No Green. Not today. Maybe when you are a grown up girl playing the trombone. 

So. Damn. Cute. 

And dada is doing work. Little man reading his book. Girls asleep, all paraded out. 

And the moon is rising. Glowing like a disc of honey in the deep blue sky. 

Splendid June. I love you









Monday, June 9, 2014

that Monday morning


That Monday morning when you wake up and realize that all you have is crap coffee left in the house. 

When the kiddies are fighting by 9am over the "new" doll from the thrift store. 

When you and dada have the age old fight of who is more tired and got the worse nights' sleep.

When little man immediately starts whining about playing iPad games.

And you are coming down from a long weekend of busy activities and the two year old says to you "what are we doing today mama??" And you say, NOTHING.

And you drink your crap coffee and look at the grey skies and the stacks of greasy dishes and think of how stupid you were to take on a client and how much work you have to do. And dada leaves to shut himself in his office to do his work...and you feel jealous.

But then. But then. There always is a but then...

You toss the coffee and make a cup of tea.

And little man sits on the couch to read not one, but two Judy Blume books in one morning, and the girls suddenly start playing an elaborate dress up game and are remarkably quiet and happy at it and you talk to two sisters and feel loved.

And you remember the sunshiny visit to the lake on Friday. 

And realize Mondays come and go. And that's okay.

And you surf Pinterest. And sip tea. And remember it will be Friday again. 


I'm turning into THIS lady at the beach. I was totally sunbathing bikini girl in my Cali teen years. What has become of me??


Yes, she is wearing a hat from the worst U2 tour ever. 


Chasing minnows. Really such a perfect morning. I'm doing this once a week this summer.

Okay. Tea. Some school time. Then some client work. I can do it, right??



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