1. HIKE TO THE OCEAN - You feel stuck in your house with your three kids because it is summer and you are in the middle of a heat wave and your youngest is only two months old. The baby can’t take intense heat or sun, or swim in a chlorinated pool. So it dawns on you that mornings are cool, and you email a friend and ask if she wants to go for a morning hike. She suggests meeting here and hiking the three mile trail. You do, with four kids and two babies. The heavy morning mist/fog has not lifted. It’s cold, but everyone is bundled up. The kids only whine during the last quarter of the hike. You are REFRESHED.

2. RETAIL THERAPY - You have to hire a babysitter to go to your dental appointment, but you can only get her to come if you hire her for a four hour job. You have more than three hours to shop - by yourself. You remember that you haven’t spent the birthday money given to you by your mom and mother-in-law. You buy new underwear and tank tops and yummy anti-aging lotions at Costco. Then at the mall, there’s a 30% sale at Lands End (which you know about because you’ve already stocked up on summer clothes for the girls). Now you go for yourself and buy shorts and swimsuits and more tank tops. Who ever thought buying Costco underwear could feel so good.

3. SELF-CARE - You use those yummy lotions on your face and feel yummy and glowy. You go to Target and restock the hair products and the make-up and the nail polish. You do yoga when you can. Not as often as you’d like, but it is something.

4. CHANGE THE RULES - Getting tired of hearing the High School Musical soundtrack for the fourth week in a row, you go online and order a couple of collections of old musicals, many that you’ve never seen before. You decide that you and the girls will create your own summer “homeschool” devoted entirely to watching old musicals. You decide that your summer “no television on weekday” rule does not apply to musicals. (Our favorite so far is “Meet Me In Saint Louis.”)

5. HAVE YOUR SHIP COME IN - After a month of having the girls with you all day, it’s time for a week of gymnastics camp, which means you have three hours a day to get your shit together and feel sane. You catch up on things like bills, laundry, etc. You have time to focus entirely on the baby and nurse without having to put out fires at the same time. You have time to day-dream again.

6. HIRE AN ENTERTAINER - The newborn turns into a baby and keeps you entertained with his smiles and faces. You can now all sit together and just watch his face and laugh. You are all convinced that when you say “hi,” he says “hi” back.

7. RECONNECT - You find yourself bumping into old friends. A couple of tther friends who have moved away are back in town to visit. You make plans to visit. You look forward to a week of reconnecting with folks.

8. SLEEP - You are still working on this one. You have five minutes to get to bed on time. You say good-night to your blogfriends. You don’t waste time editing or trying to find photos to post. You climb into bed next to your hubby just under the wire.

G’night.