It’s hot, hot, hot here in Georgia.  We don’t play outside much after about 10 a.m. these days.

Jude’s two cousins are over a couple of days a week, and the days they are here feel crazy and chaotic in many ways, and I rarely get anything done outside of changing diapers or keeping them all fed.  But on the other hand, now that we are falling in to a rhythm, it’s easier in ways in that Jude stays busy and entertained throughout much of the day.  Last week, my sister came to get her clan, and her oldest asked if she could stay the night which I didn’t mind at all since the husband was away, and it can get quiet around here anyhow.  I had to run to Joann the next day to get some fabric for a project, and I spent $6 on some cheap yarn and a crochet hook, and someone crocheted her little fingers off for about four hours that afternoon.  I cleaned the entire house as Jude was napping, and little Peyton stayed glued to the sofa with her feet propped up and her crochet hook weaving in and out of the craziest rainbow yarn you’ve ever seen.  Even after Jude woke up, she kept going.

So if you have a bored seven-year-old girl lounging around the house this summer with no school to keep her busy, spend $6 at your local craft store and grant her hours of entertainment.  Her patience is lacking, and so far all she has is a series of multi-colored yarn caterpillars, but she’ll get there; I’m sure of it.

I have some funny stories to share and some things to reflect on here and there, I know.  But my lack of peace and quiet in the mornings lately seems to mean no time to write, so I’m having to find a new rhythm and carve a new space for this blog in my day.  I hope you’ll bear with me and stick around until I work out the practicalities of changing a few things and making time for this again.  …. Well, what I really hope is that Jude will go back to sleeping until 7:30 or so again, and I can get back my morning time, but we’ll see.  This toddler bed transition is a scary one, and it’s wearing me out, but I’m reminding myself of the best of all parenting mantras: This too shall pass.  Quickly, I hope.

I have no transition for that last photo.  He was just eating jelly on toast this morning, and it was adorably messy, and I had to share it with you.

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Switching gears completely, but I am overdue on sharing some link love.  A few great things I’ve run across recently…..

Dig This Chick has a great post on getting outside with the kids.  Georgia apparently thinks it’s August rather than June, so I’ve been complaining a lot about the heat lately and I need to get out more with Jude and find a way to do so without wilting.

Check out this awesome list of 101 things to do with your toddler.

Food love: This salad has me drooling, and I can’t wait to try it.  And we had this Basil-Lemon Pasta the other night, and it was delicious.

Jude’s birthday is about four months away, and I’m already beginning to think about his party.  (Shameful, I know!)  He’s obsessed with this book recently, so I want to go with the idea of an old-school train party, and I’ve been collecting ideas on Pinterest.  You can see my board here.

I love this quick read at OhAmanda about the disappearance of the no-niche memoir blog. The comments to that post lead to a really interesting conversation.  I’ve thought about this a lot because I think all of us who simply journal online know that our readership would increase if we developed a niche of any kind.  (It’s no accident that my party posts and my food posts are by far the most commonly read and shared.)  But life is scattered in my current season, and I end up writing about so many random things here, and I think I like it that way.  Thanks for sticking around, y’all.

Lastly, don’t step away from your computer without reading this.  Thoughtful.  Simple.  Inspiring.