I am a summer girl. I love the heat and sunshine. There is no better feeling than to have my bones warmed from the inside out. Once winter hits I kneel to the weathers brutal effects on my body and mind. I know I will be cold until summer and I know the lack of sun will make me want to hibernate. Even though I love summer, there are things that kind of annoy the heck out of me, and I can’t wait for the fall to wash them away.

1. Heat: Even though it’s warm outside there is too much of a good thing. When the air quality alert pops up on my phone, it forces us back inside it almost feels like winter again. Stuck indoors with three kids now with school out for eleven weeks. Hell on earth. Do you want to break a terrorist? Just leave them inside with my kids for a few hours. Done, they will give up anything to be free. Why haven’t we tried this?
2. Humidity: The humidity makes my hair frizz; a battle I gave up long ago. Embrace the frizz is my summer motto. Humidity makes my thighs stick together. As I peel my legs off of chairs and feel sweat drip down my butt crack, I know summer is in full swing.
3. Mosquitos: Little virus-carrying bugs that bite the hell out of me even when I spray Deep Woods with dangerously high amounts of DEET! I can’t go to my garden without feeling the raft of biting insects. I can’t even go to the store, there could be miles of pavement around and not a single sign of vegetation, yet a mosquito will bite me on the eyebrow or in between my toes.
4. Fighting Siblings: There is no house or yard or forest big enough to occupy my kids peacefully for more than — I don’t know — 5 minutes. If one of them gets the upper hand for even a second, it gets nuclear. They can probably hear my kids screaming at each other in space. I hope the neighbors don’t call child protective services. I promise they love each other, every once in a while.
5. Tan Lines: One day. Just one friggin day of wearing my flip flops outside and I have a flip flop tan line that will be with me for the next nine There is no forgiveness if I wear a racer-back tank top to watch my kid play baseball one afternoon. That X will stay on my back until next summer, even if I applied SPF 100+.

I jest. I do love summer. Fires outside with friends, camping, hiking, swimming, ocean trips, surf casting, strappy shoes, little dresses, margaritas on the deck, kids catching bugs, fresh produce from the garden or local stand, the neighborhood kids all running around, sprinklers, bike races, playgrounds, outdoor eating, chilled wine, thunderstorms, greenery, flowers, butterflies, going to bed in one layer of clothing instead of five (the battle of the thermostat is real here).

Happy summer!