Category Archives: summer

Two Years After: An Oil Spill Reflection

Posted on by authorcarriecox

Today is the second anniversary of the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Here are links to two blog posts I did about the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

http://authorcarriecox.com/2010/06/24/on-a-serious-note/

http://authorcarriecox.com/category/deep-water-horizon/

Just last month I finally ate at a local seafood restaurant. I’m still not 100% certain of the safety of the gulf, but next month I’ll take my family to the beach–and let them play below the water line in the sand–for the first time in two years.

Yellow-coated Fluff

Posted on by authorcarriecox

Spring is great—for the most part.
I dread what spring means—summer is coming. During spring, I typically mope around mourning the loss of whatever tidbit of winter we were blessed to have been given over the past few months. Autumn, on the other hand, is a rebirth. Returning to nature after being trapped inside because the mosquitoes and humidity are too much to bear—especially when children are in your care.
But this month I’ve been focusing on the event of spring itself—not the dreaded summer lurking around the next calendar pages. We’ve been doing tons of outdoor activities from gardening to nature hikes to enjoy the moderate temperatures and the flowering abundance.

Go seize your pollen-covered day!

I’m Melting!

Posted on by authorcarriecox

Last month we were blessed with unseasonably moderate temperatures along the Gulf Coast. So far June is making up for May’s easy days. The heat index is 99 right now, the thermostat is reading 95F. One can only pray for afternoon thunderstorms to cool things off a bit but this week doesn’t haven’t much stacked in favor for rain.
Yes, I’m talking weather.
Out of topics or news, you might be thinking. Not really.
Exterior climate affects my interior climate.
Ask my family- they’ll let you know I’ve been running hot lately. Easily frustrated and short tempered. Diffidently not my usual self. But ’tis the season for stress and anxiety- at least for me. Trapped inside during the summer much like northerners are trapped inside during the winter.
My oldest son has trouble regulating his body temperature, as part of his immune system issues, so he over-heats easily.
Mosquitoes are attracted to my middle child like squirrels to magnolia blossoms. (Yes, those critters eat the magnolia buds!)
The baby doesn’t need to be around heat or bugs.
And I don’t want to either, if I can help it!
So we spend a lot of time indoors.

Summer, here I come!

Posted on by authorcarriecox

A picture of the boys enjoying a rain puddle in the “sink hole”. They love to splash and get dirty. But, thankfully, they do like to get clean after!
This school year passed quickly- today’s the last full day. I’ve been busy with two kids at home while my oldest goes to school. Baby number three was born last September, a month after school started here. That last month of pregnancy I spent running around trying to make sure everything was in order. During that month the soon-to-be middle child, a few months shy of turning three, quit taking naps. I blame myself. It was I who changed up the routine. I hardly slowed down to rest and when I did I crashed in the recliner with the little guy.
So, when baby number three came home, there was no downtime during the day. I’m still trying to regain a since of “quiet time”, if not a nap time, with the now three and a half year old. And I’m suffering through the his crankiness in the middle-late afternoons.
Over the summer I plan on keeping a schedule, more or less, to help keep us from chaos. The oldest needs lots of tutoring. The middle child needs lots of physical activity. The crawling girl needs constant supervision. And I need a creative outlet. Wish me luck on the balancing act!