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Plan for summer fun with your kids and wile away the daze.
This is our last week of school. I wish that I could say that we’re finishing strong. But, the truth is that the month of May just wiped me out. I had two out of town trips, two more than I normally have in any month. Ever.
And the month was just survival as a result.
But, June is here. The end of school is in sight. And my days will have a little more elbow room than they do during the school year. We’ve got our pool passes; we’re signed up for swim lessons; we even have a little staycation planned for the end of the month.
Everybody say, “Yeah!”
As a work-at-home mom…. you know I’ve finally come to terms with being a work-at-home mom. I never thought I would be. But, lo and behold, when you find yourself writing books and working on deadlines and someone pays you and you do it mostly from your house and you’re a mom, well then, yes, you’re a WAHM.
As I was saying, as a work-at-home mom, I have extra motivation to make this summer break a good one.
There’s more time in the schedule for us all to relax.
There’s more time in the schedule for me to work on projects without sacrificing something else.
There’s more time in the schedule to readjust our household systems so that when things get busy again, we’re ready for them.
But, there are still only 24 hours in a day. And I could spend those 24 hours ten times over. I don’t want this looser, more relaxed summer to go by without having redeemed some of those days with my kids.
For me that means weekly outings, plentiful pool time, learning for fun, and lots of great books.
I don’t need to jam pack the days, but I do want them to be lively, enriching, and for the most part, fun. If I want that to happen though, I have to have a plan. Whether you have 1 kid or 6, a plan is always helpful.
That’s where the Summer Survival Guide can come to the rescue. Jam-packed full of planning how-tos and summertime home management tips, this book also contains all kinds of fun activities to do with their kids. The cool printouts in the pictures are only a few of the things that you get with the SSG.
Wondering how to make it work for you?
Check out how JessieLeigh put it through its paces last summer.
To be totally honest, I’m really looking forward to some intentional down time and a chance to get caught up on stuff this summer. I also realize that though my children are on vacation, they still need me. So, it’s not really a time to “clock out”.
But, kid duty doesn’t have to be draining. In fact, some of my favorite ways to recharge include my people. A break from the norm can be more refreshing than just “checking out”.
So I’ve spent some time this weekend to plan for our summer vacation. Here are some of the things that I’ve done to prepare:
1. Plan a month-long meal plan.
I love to have a month’s worth of meals thought out and planned for. It doesn’t take much longer to plan for a month than it does for a week and it helps me think about the month as a whole and to plan ahead for special events. Check out these links for inspiration:
While hockey season was a lot of work, the built-in schedule gave our family rhythm and measurable benchmarks throughout the spring season. The last few weeks that have been tough have been characterized by a lack of rhythm. Hmmm….. connection?
I mapped out a schedule for our summer weeks, including some anchors to mark sections of the day as well as of the week. For instance, I’m going to try to serve meals at the same time each day as well as head to the pool on a regular basis. If I make the time now, it’s more likely to happen. And having those things to “count on” each day will help my kids, too.
I don’t kid myself that these will work out exactly as I plan, but if you don’t have a target, you’ll certainly never hit it.
3. Plan for fun.
Aside from date night and a work night, I’ve left our evenings free for fun activities as a family. I’ve done the same for weekends, envisioning time to explore our community, have a game night, or just shoot baskets with the neighbors.
Here are some of the things that I’m hoping for our family this summer, my “bucket list”, if you will:
In all honesty, we may not do half of the things I’ve dreamed up here. But, if I don’t brainstorm now, we’re even less likely to do a small fraction of the things that we could do. I’m not set on filling our days and making them busy. Rather, I want to be intentional about how we spend our free time.
I want to know we were happy and productive over the summer. The two really do go hand in hand.
Buy the Summer Survival Guide
The Summer Survival Guide is a 200+ page ebook filled with inspiring ideas and practical suggestions for making the most of the summer as a family. You will have a guide book for sailing through the summer with a smile.
Included you will find:
a summer calendar
summertime checklists
home management worksheets
bookmarks for everyone
tshirt transfer artwork
scavenger hunts
scrapbook pages
100+ family-friendly book and movie suggestions
inspiration for home management during the summer months, addressing meal planning, daily schedules, emergency preparedness, road trips, and more.
recommendations for family nights and summer reading
16 summertime learning themes looking at everything from Art to Zebras through crafts, games, books, movies, outings, and general family fun
See that little guy on the left, the one who’s not sure if he’s smiling? Well, the other day we were driving down the road and he said, “Could we paint tshirts today?” It was one of those moments when I could have said, “Not today.” But, I took a moment to think about it….
A trip to the beach is a wonderful way to spend a summer day. Be prepared for the adventure with this free printable beach packing list for families. One of the perks to living where we live is that the beach is just a ten-minute drive from our house, depending on which beach we want…
When the weather heats up and your family’s activities increase, the last thing you want to do is be stuck inside the kitchen! Keep a list of Lazy Summer Dinner Ideas on hand so that meal prep and clean-up are both quick and simple! Whether you put a Snacky Dinner on repeat or decide to…
Gear up for fun with these nine activities kids are sure to love. As summer vacation approaches, my 18-year old me tends to think of lazy days by the pool, sleeping in, and otherwise relaxing in every way I know how. 42-year old me knows that those ideas are clearly not for my season of…
Plan a staycation or vacation in San Diego, “America’s Finest City”. My childhood memories of San Diego are few. A family weekend get-away when I was 7 and me, carsick, puking on a cliff at a beautiful sunset. A high school yearbook camp ten years later, exploring UC San Diego and wondering about going south…
Get out with the family with no fear of being caught unprepared. Pack these activity bags to ensure that fun is exactly what your outing holds. It seems that in our current culture, at least at my house, it’s all too easy to stay home. There are devices to look at and all kinds of…
Maybe you’ve covered this in a post I missed, but do you have any suggestions for summer family read-alouds? I’ve already let a few weeks of summer go by aimlessly, and though I called it “lazy” weeks to compensate for all our busy ones, we need some intentional fun and a little bit of structure around here 🙂 Going to get that summer fun e-book this week.
I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy all of these type of posts that you share. They are so very helpful. My family will definitely benefit from this.
Our summer fun includes moving. Have any advice?? It’s a local move, but wih 3 kids ages 1, 3, and 6, I’m going to have to be ORGANIZED. We haven’t moved at all with kids (and the last time we moved, we moved everything we owned; this time, I’m determined to purge before we pack).
May was tough for me too and I can’t wait for school to end. My older son’s last day of school isn’t until. Tuesday, June 12 (No idea why his district always does that, ahem). Between my teaching job ending a few weeks ago, us staying with the Grandparents for a week while my husband varnished our floors, and my 3 y/o losing his nap I’ve been wandering aimlessly through my days. With the job change and summer coming (not to mention the younger boy starting K3 in the fall – yay!) I need to establish new routines and I’ve been putting it off.
Seriously Jessica, it’s the best Summer Guide out there right now and I’ve bought and looked at a lot. I can’t recommend it enough!!
Let the Summer Fun begin!
HUGS
Kim
Maybe you’ve covered this in a post I missed, but do you have any suggestions for summer family read-alouds? I’ve already let a few weeks of summer go by aimlessly, and though I called it “lazy” weeks to compensate for all our busy ones, we need some intentional fun and a little bit of structure around here 🙂 Going to get that summer fun e-book this week.
There is an extensive list in the Summer Survival Guide. 50 Books to Enjoy with Kids is a reading list for younger children. I also talked about that here: http://lifeasmom.com/2010/11/family-novels-you-dont-mind-reading-over-over-over.html
I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy all of these type of posts that you share. They are so very helpful. My family will definitely benefit from this.
Thank you! That is always so nice to hear!
Our summer fun includes moving. Have any advice?? It’s a local move, but wih 3 kids ages 1, 3, and 6, I’m going to have to be ORGANIZED. We haven’t moved at all with kids (and the last time we moved, we moved everything we owned; this time, I’m determined to purge before we pack).
Any and all suggestions welcome!
May was tough for me too and I can’t wait for school to end. My older son’s last day of school isn’t until. Tuesday, June 12 (No idea why his district always does that, ahem). Between my teaching job ending a few weeks ago, us staying with the Grandparents for a week while my husband varnished our floors, and my 3 y/o losing his nap I’ve been wandering aimlessly through my days. With the job change and summer coming (not to mention the younger boy starting K3 in the fall – yay!) I need to establish new routines and I’ve been putting it off.
Time to get off my butt and do it, eh?
Oh and I couldn’t help but notice you had no lead in your pencil in the 3rd picture. LOL! Too funny!
Ha! That’s actually a grease pencil to write on the laminated page, so I keep the tip short.
Seriously Jessica, it’s the best Summer Guide out there right now and I’ve bought and looked at a lot. I can’t recommend it enough!!
Let the Summer Fun begin!
HUGS
Kim