Summer, Summer, Summertime!

Summer, summer, summertime. Time to sit back and unwind. It’s summertime!  Will Smith sang those lyrics in 1991, before he was an Academy Award winner and an international household name. Back then, I rapped along and looked forward to the last school bell ringing, which meant no more teachers and no more books. I was heading to high school and eager to experience all that life had to offer. I dreamed of going to college and becoming a television reporter. But over the next few months that followed, I attended a college prep program during the week and enjoyed the hot summer sun at the pool on the weekend. I couldn’t wait to grow up, but now that I’m adult, I miss that time in my life. I can’t go back, although I did drank out of the Fountain of Youth in Florida once. (By the way, it tasted like spring water and didn’t stop the hands of time). What I can do is remind myself that time flies and that I must enjoy everyday to the fullest. That’s my advice to other first time moms in my role on the Playtex Baby® Mom Trust Panel.

So in the summer, I make an extra effort to stop and smell the roses. I also remember why the season is most memorable to me. On July 27, 2011, I gave birth to my daughter.

She has since celebrated two birthdays.

And this weekend, we’ll put one more candle on her cake. A princess cupcake cake to be exact. She ordered it herself from my sister’s baking business. It doesn’t match mommy’s Doc McStuffins theme, but she’s getting older and independent. If that’s her birthday wish, I’ll grant it!

Before summer even ends, she’ll start school, albeit, the three-year-old class, but preschool nonetheless. Instead of tearing up and trying to avoid the inevitable, we’ll soak up the sun, make more memories and explore the city together. So far, we went to the zoo, the science center, the children’s museum, the water park and the playground more times than I can count. One thing I won’t count–the number of days left until the sun sets and the snow falls.

Hey DFTM fam–How are you spending your summer with your little one?