Summing Up Summer: Everything I Need to Tell You Before We Go Back to School

My plan to get through my summer methodically and chronologically (even if the universes were way off) was thrown totally out of whack once I was invited to the Democratic National Convention and had to flip to real time. I heard you guys when I got back and asked what to post next and everyone said practically in unison, “Please! No more Italy!” You guys want my trip to London, you want the kids back home, you want Leah’s wedding, you want to see the house (which is almost done!) and you want me to get back to regularly scheduled programming in NYC. Me too.

So, with that in mind, I thought one recap post and one video (currently working on the video), would do a good job of getting the timelines back on track. Leah and the London trip will get the full Mommy Shorts treatment, but for everything else, I gave my whole family a summer break and didn’t film much, so I’m just going to give you the highlights here.

1. Lucy was here for the month of July. Unfortunately, their timing and ours was a little off this summer. We went to Italy while they were in the city and they had a wedding in Maine while we were in the city, so Mazzy and Harlow only had two days that overlapped with their kids. Mike and I got to see them a bunch in July while the kids were away, but they had to leave before the kids got home (their school started earlier than normal) which was definitely a bummer. But they will be moving back to NYC soon (plan is next summer), so we’ve got that to look forward to!

2. My mom took my sister and me to London for a week at the end of July. It was the first time we have ever taken a trip just the three of us and let me tell you, it was a pleasure to hang out and make decisions without having to get buy in from our husbands. We are all on the same page and perfect travel companions. My sister and I are now both in the phase of parenthood where we have more flexibility (all our kids were away at camp) and my mom has recently sized down with her move to Florida, so she’s got more flexibility financially too. Probably the best part of the trip was learning that my mom wants to do it with us again.

3. Mike has been out in the Hamptons pretty much all summer. He’d rather stay at friends houses (he’s been hopping around with a suitcase like a nomad), whereas I can stay at a friend’s for a few nights and then I really need to come back home. Plus, I have a lot of work that I need to do in the city, so it was interesting staying here on my own before the kids got home, and joining Mike in the Hamptons on the weekends. I have spent ten years living out east for the summer, so it’s kind of wild to see what the city is like in the summer. You know who is here? All my fellow working mom friends, so it’s been pretty great to hang out with them and see how city life goes on as normal. It’s much easier to get a restaurant reservation over the summer! And working with no distractions is kind of a dream.

4. Speaking of work, Leah and I made tons of branded content before she left for her wedding so that she didn’t have to think about key messages and deliverables while she was on her honeymoon. If you are interested in seeing what I’ve been working on, you can find ads for Amazon Scribe, Door Dash, Smarty Pants and Garnier all on Tiktok. On Instagram, you’ll find ads for Nespresso, the Fab Four movie, Diane Von Furstenberg and One Vanderbilt. We’ve been busy! I know the ads are not why people follow me, but I’m really proud of everything we produced and I would have died for that client roster back when I worked at an advertising agency. No joke. If you’re an ad person, than you know.

5. Mazzy came home from camp first and we had a full week with her before Harlow’s camp ended. Although we didn’t spend much time with her, because she is so invested in her camp friends that she’s been running around with them for the last few weeks. It’s crazy how much independence can change your experience as a parent. Most of Mazzy’s friends are on Long Island, so they either take the train in and use our apartment as a home base or she takes the train to them and arranges her own sleepovers. Obviously all the parents communicate and we are always very much in touch with her, but it’s super interesting to wake up and your kid tells YOU what they are doing that day.

6. In addition to playing Squidward in the camp production of Spongebob, Harlow played Pugsley in Addams Family in the second session. The first week she was home, we watched the full videos for both shows and it was so fun to see her OWN THAT STAGE. She really helped carry both shows by having all her lines memorized and being fully committed to her characters. After school theater programs is something I held off on initially because being able to read a script was a big obstacle, but as of next year, we signed her up for a real production outside of school. It’s for kids 11+ so she’ll probably have a small part, but she said that she would prefer that to being a big role in a kid’s show. Auditions are next week and she is currently studying a scene for try-outs. Wish her luck!

7. The house. Right now, the bathrooms are like 95% done. We made bolder choices in one bathroom and pretty classic decisions in the other, and they are both beautiful. The kitchen is waiting on two cabinets that were cut wrong and the hood (we are still deciding what we want since it’s a focal point), so it’s like 85% done. It looks GORGEOUS. I was so nervous about the kitchen and could not be more pleased with how it’s coming out. The new stairs really open up the living room and create a little area for everyone to throw their shoes (just like I wanted), but I’m not quite used to the railing yet. I know a lot of people were expecting it to be glass, which I really wanted too, but it was a firm “no” from Mike. He said the fingerprints would drive him crazy and I know he is right. So we made an oak wood railing that matches the floors (I hate modern wire railings) and now I think it all needs decorating so I have something else to focus on. The house is currently empty. Wallpaper, texture, art, furniture, etc. will make it all feel like home again. I know this is supposed to be the fun part, but it feels really overwhelming at the moment. I’ve said this before but I think decorating is hardest for working moms in creative fields, because we really care about how everything looks but don’t quite have the time to dedicate to the process. We do have a local designer working with us and she is great, so fingers crossed.

8. Leah got married! Harlow was a junior bridesmaid! Everything was beautiful! She went on her honeymoon, she’s back now and she’s so happy. That’s all coming soon!

9. If you haven’t seen it yet, I went to the Democratic National Convention and it was awesome. I am very excited about the prospect of a Harris presidency and will have more to say about it in the weeks coming up to Election Day. If you want to watch my recap video of the DNC, you can find it here. Please like, comment and share that video, because if I’m going to make a case for myself to go to the inauguration, the positive response to that recap video is going to be it.

Okay, I think that sums up just about everything! Just so you know my plan, I’m going to make a video recap of the summer, post about Leah’s wedding, get the kids back to school in real time and then circle back to London. In about a month, when the kids are super busy and want nothing to do with me, and I’m like, what the hell do I post now? I’m going to post the two remaining Italy videos currently taunting me in a “FINISHED” album in my photo library. Cool?

How’s everyone feeling heading into the school year? Like summer went too fast? Like you can’t wait for the kids to be back to their regular routines again? A little of both? Let me know in the comments! And don’t forget to heart this post if you like these recaps. It’s a lot harder to judge what people want to read on substack than Instagram!