Introducing Rocky! And getting through summer with my sanity
Here's a challenge I didn't expect this summer: dealing with grief via getting a new cat. And then we have the rest of life going on too. Some years are exhausting, but that's okay.
Summer is flying by with July nearly halfway gone. Normally at this time we’d be getting ready for our annual trip to Maine, but this year we’re sticking around here. We were gone 22 of the 30 days in June, so having time at home is nice. Our trips this summer have be amazing though with adventures in Montana, Cape Canaveral and all over Alaska. Now I need to have time at my desk to actually write about it all.
What have YOU been up to this summer? I would love to hear from people (leave a comment and I’ll get back to you) about what they’ve been doing for summer trips or how they’re doing staycations. Even though we go all kinds of cool places, there are times that we need to be told where we’re overlooking here in the States. Share your favorite spots so we can add them to our mix! (and Instagram is a great place to message me too)
New on the BLOG
I almost have the first of our Alaska articles completed for publishing, and no, I don’t have a new podcast episode about Alaska yet… but we do have a bunch of great stuff happening on the blog all about Glacier National Park and our Montana/Alberta trip last month. There’s more to come, but if you’re plotting and planning now, here’s what’s new:
Rafting and Relaxation with Glacier Guides Montana Raft
Review of the Glacier Park Lodge
Waterton National Park and the Prince of Wales Hotel
Summer Parenting Struggle
I’m not going to complain about having lots of time with our kids, because I absolutely love it, but let’s be real: summer break can be really hard when you’re your own boss or work from home. There’s no easy way to balance the work you must do with giving your kids the amount of attention and bonding time you’d like. I find myself staring at my computer screen, feeling guilty because I have work to do and kids that are indoors on a beautiful summer day. The guilt is hard, but there are a few things we do that really do help.
The Schedule - When we both have to work during summer days, we actually have a printed schedule that the kids follow. It ensures that they stay active and engaged all through the day. Broken into 30 minute segments, the schedule includes time slots for reading, Legos, basketball, pool time, bike riding, board games, and eventually a set time for technology. We don’t have any gaming systems and the kids will have their whole lives to stare at screens, so we keep screen time of ALL TYPES to a minimum. The schedule helps me keep my stress down because I know they actually enjoy the balance of structure and freedom, and I trust our kids to be awesome together.
Early work - For me, getting up extra early to start work is one of my best hacks. I have my best focus in the wee hours of the morning and get twice as much work done as later. Also, there are no other distractions early in the morning… meaning nobody else is awake and needing me. I am able to cut the amount of time I spend working by shifting the bulk of it to when I’m most productive. This means I can finish my work day earlier and give myself more fully to my family.
Changing Days Off - Long before we had kids, I always loved when I could make my schedule switch from five 8 hour days to four 10 hour days. Now, being my own boss I try to schedule my working time and meetings to allow me to have at least one extra day off each week during the summer. Sometimes I’m able to pace my work and deadlines to allow myself to have a three day work week. If you have that sort of flexibility, it’s a great way to get more time with the family and lessen the stress/guilt that comes with working during summer break.
I hope that’s helpful. Parental guilt is a weird thing to navigate, so if you’re able to chip away at it in a healthy way, you’ll be grateful you did. You AND your family benefit from it, and not just in summertime.
Our New Addition: Rocky the Bengal
Life is weird sometimes, I think everyone agrees. We really try to live in the highs but sometimes the lows creep in and influence us in unexpected ways. Today I have some news about what’s happening in our household. If you recall, we lost our cat, Bijoux, on Memorial Day weekend. The sadness was more intense than we could have imagined, with the silence in the house being one of the biggest effects (Bengal cats are the most talkative pets, I swear).
Well, we’ve now brought a new friend into our house. Rocky came to us from a Bengal rescue in Gainesville. He’s a year and half old golden Bengal and he’s learning about his new home. We’re his third home, and we’ll be his last. He’s in this weird place of wanting to be loved and to be close to humans, and also unsure of how to actually accept love. Like, he’ll be so excited to be petted and to rub all over your legs, and then he’ll turn and attack for blood. It’s calming down, but it makes it difficult to show that we care and to get close with him. I know it’ll take time.
In the meantime, it feels like Rocky is just a stranger in the house, wandering around as he pleases. He has his moments, but it’s difficult to see him and not try to avoid getting cat smacked. I know he’ll feel like family someday, but we’re off to a bumpy start.
Why a Rescue Bengal?
If you’re not familiar with the cat breed of Bengals, here’s some background. Bengal cats are a mix of Asian leopard cat and Egyptian Mao. They’re really beautiful with colorful eyes, amazing patterns and really outgoing personalities. They’re also very strong and fast. Bengals want to be involved in everything and are very vocal. They NEED to be with people for most of their waking day. They’re the neediest breed of cat we’ve ever had.
So, why was Rocky and why are so many other Bengals in rescues or up for adoption? Well, if you know about the pet industry, you probably know that Bengals are a very expensive breed; like, $1500-$3000 for a kitten. They are the most beautiful kitties, so people who don’t know what they’re getting into will get one and then realize that they cannot handle the commitment of having a Bengal. That’s how we got Bijoux: a friend had him and couldn’t be the right owner/home for him so we took him on. He turned out to be the best cat ever.
That’s where we’re at with Rocky now. We’re his third home and I get it. He is a large Bengal, he’s extremely strong, and he still has enough kitten in him that it requires somebody with patience and time to help him grow into a family cat. We’re working on it and won’t give up, but in the meantime, I don’t know how many more cat scratches I can mend. Wish us luck!
Group Trip UPDATES
We’ve decided to postpone our November group trip to the Peruvian Amazon so we can focus on the March trip. We’ll be sending out trip confirmation forms in the next few weeks, so if you want to join us for a treehouse adventure in the Amazon rainforest, you still have time! We have 6 spots left for the March 2025 trip… Complete our interest survey here!
Also, there may be a July 2025 hiking/rafting trip in Glacier Country, Montana in the works, so if that’s something you’re interested in, you can let me know now and block out your calendar. Complete our interest survey here!
Why we need to TALK ABOUT POLITICS
Yes, I am going to say my piece one more time: HAVE THE UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS. I know that it’s awkward and can be scary to talk about politics, but this year is huge and none of us can sit by and watch things fall apart even more. I know, nobody wants an old guy running the country for four more years, but here’s the thing: would you rather have an old guy who’s also been one of the most effective presidents of modern history in the role with a solid team of young policy makers and administrators or would you rather a convicted felon with a plan to Handmaid the country into darkness?
Yes, I know that this sort of blanket statement sounds dramatic, but in reality it’s not. The whole Project 2025 thing is terrifying, from stripping rights and protections to literally moving progress with women’s and LGBTQ rights back 50+ years. Please take some time, whether it’s a few minutes or a few hours, to read up on Project 2025 via any news site or even Tiktok (and I hate referring people to social media for information). The plans afoot for restructuring the courts, government social programs and even enacting a military police force are scary. It’s not just my family’s lives that could be drastically impacted, but yours too, in ways you might not have even considered.
Anyways, read up because it’s all of our well-being at stake.
I hope everyone has a great week and that you can find the time to get into the great outdoors and breathe some fresh air. Thank you for following along on our adventures of life!
Thanks for another great newsletter! The summer schedule for the boys is a great parenting hack! They love the schedule. It also helped to get their input on the activities too.