Although there is still some time left in Q3 – it ends August 28th for me – I can feel Q4 energy! Before I set some intentions for Q4, let’s reflect on Q3 aka Summer. Here is the post that I wrote at the beginning of quintile 3, where I kind of mapped out our summer – quite ambitiously. Some things came to fruition and some didn’t. If you wish to read about quintile 2 it can be found here.
🧑🍼 Family🧑🍼
✅ End-of-school year celebrations! Summer Solstice celebration, Father’s day, July 4th barbecue.
✅ One big and long trip to Portugal and Spain: Seville, Granada, Córdoba, and Zafra/Concluding thoughts.
✅ Tons of day trips to the Jersey Shore.
✅ Summer camp for two three weeks! Significant for L but especially for R who will be going to this preschool in September.
❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ Farms, fruit picking, amusement parks, museums, NYC, national parks
❌ Book Christmas (if traveling)
❌ Decide on spring break for 2024
🌿 Self 🌿
✅ A fair amount of alone time
❌ Reading – not satisfied with how many books I read over Q3… Only 6
❌ Not enough time spent with New Jersey friends (often through no fault of my own)
✅ Regular check-ins with mom group
✅ Somewhat regular blogging
❌ A haphazard approach to the Golden Hour (meditation and morning pages)
❌ Exercise and movement- nothing to talk about here, pretty much nonexistent
✅ A crown jewel – a trip to Poland to see Joanna
House 🏡 + Garden 🌺
Sand and paint the attic staircase ✅
Sand and paint the kitchen pantry ✅
Paint the front hallway staircase ✅
Walk around the house with a can of paint and touch up wear and tear ½ ✅ 🔜
Maintain garden: water+weed ✅
Write down gardening lessons learned for next summer [transfer into Q4] 🔜
Hire a person to dig a big hole and bury the rocks in the yard ✅
Cut up and burn the railroad ties from the yard ✅
Buy and plant roses + wild flowers next to the wood garden and plant wild flowers in the semi-circular flower bed ✅
Takeaways
I feel like we did a lot this summer and I am happy with it. There was a reasonable balance of travel and lay-low days. I wanted to do more day activities with them such as a museums, farms, and/or a day trip to NYC but at this point in this season I am out of steam. Next week is my last week before my work starts at the district so I want to do a Jersey shore boardwalk (Point Pleasant, most likely) and that will probably conclude our summer.
🍁 Q4 Back-to-School 🍁
I am feeling back-to-school energy! I already invested in a few of fall-scented, high-quality candles from Bath and Body Works as well as a bottle of pumpkin-scented hand soap. Also treated myself to some quality classroom supplies and can’t wait to bring them in and start setting up.
| End of August | September | October |
| Labor day bbq – have friends over Back-to-School for me and for kids Reflect on summer Set up classroom (my OWN this year!) Complete yearly “beginning of school year” check list Complete training | Reorder contact lenses Playing with planner for 2024 Flu shots for everyone Dad’s birthday Sign L up for ONE extracurricular Fall equinox | Print a picture of our family for Halloween Book spring break travel and insure it-Morocco road trip (2024) or Paris? 403b matures + can be consolidated Helen’s birthday Halloween Hayrides & campfires NJEA Convention -weekend road trip w. kids – Massachussetts for leaf peeping |
Needs:
- Hire a cleaning person for once a month deep cleaning [already have someone who will start mid September]
- Hire a mother’s helper for after school pick-ups [may need but need to see once school starts]
- Find+hire a back up sitter or have a new one
- Do yoga 3 times a week (one weekday morning and two weekend mornings)
- Resume monthly budget meetings + rebalance budget (once the first paycheck from the district comes in)
Wants:
- Get involved with L’s school PTO/PTA or whatever they have. Same for R and his pre-school.
- Go to Korean sauna twice (once in September and once in October)
- Invest in one facial and one massage
Continue to:
- Monthly dates with T
- The Golden Hour (meditation+journalling+planning+reading)
- Walks + hiking
- Daily and weekly check-ins with friends.
Fun list!
Hiking + any parks
Concerts +plays+ theater (alone or with hubby)
A teacher convention yearly road trip – within the US, -> Mass.
A fall picnic
Apple picking
Pie making
Cider making
Bread baking (think about Joanna)
Pumpkin Float
A hayride
Collage with leaves
Muffin-tin dinner in the park
Walks
NYC museum(s)
Playgrounds
Mom of Children 