When you live in Texas, August is the cruelest month. Wishing for April, here.

1. It’s possible to be hot-ed in. I love Texas. I really, really do. It has a lot to recommend. But right now, it’s hard to remember those things I love about Texas. Yes, I know snowed in. I’ve been snowed in. I used to live in the mid-west. From where I sit – in the AC, under a fan, in a puddle of my own sweat – being snowed in seems so cozy and romantic. Cocoa and Netflix and snuggling under the fire. And you can always put on more and more clothes if you want to need to run to the store. ‘Round here, this time of year, it is too hot to do ANYTHING outside. Including going to the pool. The pools all feel like bath water, and if you are lucky enough to have access to a fresh-water spring that isn’t 89+ degrees warm, it probably smells like algae. Or a public restroom. Or both. Ew.

2. Vacation is a memory. We just returned from our semi-obligatory family road trip/college scouting tour. Two days to drive up north. Three days to visit with one side of the family. Three days with another side of the family. A few days to visit colleges. Two days to drive home. Um, excuse me. That’s not a vacation. That’s just taking the show on the road. I remember when we took vacations, and they didn’t look like that. They involved sleep, and cool weather, and good food. And “family fun” time. Not this. This time, I came home spent, exhausted, annoyed and with a ton of laundry. Mommy is cranky. Note to self: take a vacation.

3. The St. Louis Tri-Fecta. Between a work conference and non-vacationing, I was in St. Louis three different times this summer. I did not manage to see anything outside of a hotel, and an incredibly hot-and-sweaty trip to the arch. Which is awesome, as always. Even with the grounds surrounding the arch under construction, it was still a site to behold. I also did manage to take in a mass at the Old St. Louis Cathedral with a group of women from work. I love that church. I first visited it over 20 years ago, when I was in college and dated a boy from St. Louis. That old church is just as impressive now, and the history behind it is overwhelming.

4. Back to School – for the LAST time. Well, not really. My older daughter, Ann, attends  public school and will be a graduating senior this year. Hence the college visits. I am irrationally conscious of the fact that everything we do with her, we will be doing FOR THE LAST TIME. Next week, we will be shopping for school supplies for her FOR THE LAST TIME. Which is ridiculous. I am sure she is going to drag me to Target next summer for a haul of notebooks and paper and really groovy pens to take off to college.

5. Homeschool rocks. Really looking forward to starting our second homeschool year with my 4th grader, Grace. Made some last minute decisions on curriculum just this week, and almost all our materials are in hand. It’s going to be another challenging, but exciting year. So glad that we took this big leap. We plan to start the same day as our local public school, just to be synced with Ann’s schedule, which is just over a week away. Planning on doing a brain dump post on our curriculum choices for this year in the near future, but it will probably wait until school starts for both of them and we get into a routine.

6. Homeschool moms rock. I am really looking forward to seeing the moms I got to know last year from all our new homeschool activities. It struck me recently, I really LIKE these women. I think I am realizing, after a year, that I have found my tribe. It’s hard to get to know other homeschool moms quickly, or well, since we all spend a lot of our time, well, home. Schooling. But I have missed seeing them regularly over the summer, and that’s kinda cool.

7. Surviving the famine … so far. I am embarrassed to admit how many people have posted the “I Survived the Blue Bell Ice Cream Famine of 2015” T-shirt image in my Facebook feed. But it might be more than 5. It looks like the magical tubs with the gold lids will be back in stores soon, and I cannot wait. All I can say is I have survived so far … but it ain’t over yet. And if you don’t know Blue Bell, I’m sorry.

Once again, linking up with Kelly over at This Ain’t the Lyceum for 7 Quick Takes.