Summer is Here!

Zach of Note

• Running into Noah two Mondays in a row at Glory Days and Athena at Baskin Robbins
• Baths while listening to stories are an activity
• Curious about the states above Delaware and leaders in Canada and Germany
• Why don’t parents have off in the summer like kids
• Reading 15 minutes first thing in the morning
• Taking care of our new cat, Callie
• Workbook and good about remembering even though he doesn’t love it!
• Listening lots and lots (Harry Potter, Big Nate, Echo Mountain); yes listening in general, in the bath, and more!
• He really is responsible for remembering his workbook, to clean the litter box, packing for camp, etc. 
• Camp with Theo and then Aidan and Alex

End of 2nd grade

Zach at school

• The school year ended at long last. Zach was invite to AAP Math at Lake Anne for 3rd grade
• Zach had a blast getting ice cream with Teddy and Jewelle and Rachel on the last day
• Cora about three weeks after school ended; it’s still around :(
• Zach’s friend Beckett will not come back to Lake Anne next year because of the bullying and Zach is sad about that and worried that Beckett will make new friends and forget him
• He’s missing “sending J. to the principal’s office.” (This sounds bad, but he feels real injustice for the way the situation was handled and the fact that his friend is not coming back and “nothing happened or impacts J.”)
• I think Zach has not really been the focus of bullying from J. because he is sturdy, he has a pretty good equilibrium and doesn’t hold on to negative experiences, and he told me when J. is disregulated and acting out to try to get a reaction out of Zach, Zach has whispered in J.’s ear, “I don’t care.” 
• One of my hopes for the summer is that Zach would learn more about ADHD to help his friend/frenemie. So far, that doesn’t seem to be the way he’s leaning….

Zach and soccer

• The team lost their final game on Sunday, June 2. Tough loss
• A fun mini-celebration when some of the team made it to Owen’s birthday pool party!
• Season officially ended on June 5 with the end of season ice cream party
• Zach was moved to the A team on Friday, June 7. What?! Things are all over the place. Charlie and Fintan were moved up too, and now it’s just Zach and Fintan and Andrew (who made the A-team outright.) The A team has 6 players; the B team has 11
• Zach started goalie training on June 17 and Beckett is in goalie training too!

Zach’s Words and Music

• Zach says: “Oh my days” as an expression of incredulity
• Started piano lessons with Mr. Sam!

S&Z

• Spanish with Zach (Es un problema; no es un problema)
• Walks with Zach
• Bakery Tatte and Uno at the RTC
• Library and a picnic in the parking lot at Local Provisions
• Lots of soccer watching: Euro Cup and Copa America
• Inside Out
• Brunch at the Duck and the Peach and dance performance, Migration, by Step Afrika
• Mad LIbs, Rush Hour, and Sudoku
• Church online 
• Modeled behavior about how I felt overwhelmed and worried about the cat
• Zach and I talked about what kind of person he wants to be… one who says hi and is friendly or one who ignores others…

F&Z

• Beach time
• Hershey Park
• Bike ride on a lovely day or maybe two
• Pool, Water Mine, Sky Zone
• Despicable Me 4
• Lots of soccer

Family Fun

• Family Book Club moved on from Wizards of Once (didn’t finish) to You Choose books to The Howliday Inn
• Lunch at Dogfish in Milton 
• We added Callie to the family on June 22
• A belated Father’s Day celebration at Crooked Run
• Kung Fu Panda 1 and 2

Good Food

• Homemade Brownies (inspired by Danielle)
• Focaccia for Zach to take to camp
• Pitting lots of cherries! 
• Auntie Em’s beans and rice and plaintains
• Veggies to start meals
• 7-minute hard boiled eggs
• Auntie Em’s blueberry lemon cake. Yum!
• Sweet Donkey shortbread
• Breakfast tacos at First Watch
• Provisions from Earth Fare
• Dinner at the River and the Rail: tomato salad, cornbread and butter and pimento cheese, salmon with tahini dressing and spring/summer veggies, banana pudding, a glass of Grenache Rose from Spain and complimentary limoncello
• Martha’s blueberry turnovers

Connection

• Items to Emily and Andrew and photos of Baby Katherine
• Checking in on Katie and Nikki and Jess and Deb
• Zach’s evening playdate at Beckett’s house; Frank and I got to have a great dinner together (zucchini hash with tomatoes and goat cheese and Brownies with ice cream)
• Trip to Lewes on June 7-9; Zach and Hance had a blast; it was great to see Lily; Brian had never been! 
• Ian is back and new folks to DEIB!!!
• Checking in with Nikki and Liesl 
• Walks with Mary and some farmer’s market time with Mary and Cora
• Playdate with Beckett and family at the Water Mine; I took Finn down Little Pete and he held my hand; so cute
• Chatting with Dania at the farmer’s market
• Trip to Montvale to meet up with Paige on July 4-6 was SO FUN!
• Visit with Mom and Dad on July 6
• Play date with Owen at the Water Mine and at home; chat with Lauren to arrange and Tim

Grateful

• Beckett’s family: Larry brings me a camp chair to goalie trainings and Wendy offered to watch Zach any time!
• Callie’s family brought her to us from Rockville

Fun Stuff (Personal)

• Giving on Juneteenth
• Continuing Spanish with LIesl
• Speaking French with Agathe and Sacha - learned that fourniture = supplies and the LIttle Library is disorganized = “C’est un bazaar.”

Reading

• Finished Olga Died Dreaming, Park Avenue Summer, Clap When You Land (Thanks for the recommendation, Kathleen)
• Glucose Goddess
• Anita de Monte Laughs Last
• Good Enough
• Our Hidden Conversations

Watching

• The Lost Kitchen
• Heartland
• My Life with the Walter Boys

Listening

• Some great hits from 1988 and 1989Simon Sinek and the episodes with Brene and Adam Grant
• Simon Sinek’s episode with Christina Tosi and ice cream bread!
• Coaching for Leaders
• Hidden Potential 
• Super Communicators

Fun Stuff (Professional)

• Ian is back
• New folks to DEIB
• Continued meet ups with Hailey
• Culture OB with Athena
• GC sold to the Nemetschek group and now we’re a Bluebeam company
• Product Update modules and one thing I learned, one think I found interesting, and one question
• Speak Up Summit on psychological safety

Not So Fun Stuff (Personal and Professional)

• In memory of Suji’s brother and Nikki’s dad

Health Stuff

• Frank came down with COVID on June 13; Zach and I tested positive on June 23
• Darebee exercises are great, especially upward downward dog (20), balance front kicks (40), and twist lunges (40)

Nuggets 

• When thinking about anxiety, it’s a formula. Anxiety = the unknown + lack of confidence/lack of faith in our own ability to handle hard things. 
• Good reminder on metacognition
• Helping others when it’s hard comes down to being taught consequences of actions when did something wrong rather than punishment and shame
• Susan David and decisions…is this going to bring me closer to the person I want to be…
• A new feelings wheel 
• Fear for the next presidential election, give in state races
• Anne Helen Petersen and friends and insights