Summer. A time to focus on the family. Although, if we’re being honest…all year long is the time to focus on the family.
Yet. Summer has a special place in our hearts – we’ve all anticipated the freedom of those long summer days, sprinklers + splash pads, watermelon + popsicles, picnics + barbeques, camping + late nights…
Summer can be insanely wonderful + create all sorts of the best memories. + it can also be stressful, chaotic, + way too busy. + often, a little lot of both.
Over the years, I’ve learned how to do summer really simply. + mostly due to the fact that we’ve had my step-daughter come to stay with us for longer stretches of time. Now that she’s older, + things are harder, she’s here so much less. But the lessons have been learned! + here they are…
First. Have you thought about the kind of summer you want to have?
Our simple summer looks intentional. It means thinking about the activities we’ve enjoyed in the past, the memories which hit the heart the most, + figuring out how we’re going to create more of that this summer. It means focusing on how we want to feel as opposed to what we want to do.
Years back, my sister + I created a Christmas Planner together, + the very first page asked people to reflect on their values, which would inform their approach to the entire Christmas season. The same approach is necessary here. What are your values? How do you want to feel this summer? What kind of summer do you actually want to have? Do you want it to feel spacious and leisurely? Or do you want it to be jam-packed with experiences + adventures? A little of both? If you don’t plan for what you want to experience, you’ll just end up being subject to whatever happens…+ if spontaneity is what you want, then that’s an approach that’s perfect!
However, my next lesson is that routine is key. There is such a wonderful sense of freedom after that last day of school, like you can relax, forget rules + routines, expectations. But as much as kids need space to play + explore + experience, they also need to know what to expect, + that comes from a solid routine + knowing what’s coming next. Having your days entirely packed + scripted is no good for anyone. But none of us thrive when we don’t know what’s happening day-to-day, moment-to-moment. I’ve found that if I can work pockets or chunks of spontaneous “what are we doing now?” time into what our days look like, but within a gentle structure of routine that the kids know about ahead of time, they don’t feel like they’re being jerked around, so they’re in much better spirits which means we can be in much better spirits. That’s win-winning.
And finally…being prepared. Totally necessary. + by being prepared, I mean that the shit is planned out. Menu planning, activity planning, looking at the summer + knowing what we would like to do + what time is actually available. I menu plan every single week. I don’t know how people function when they don’t menu plan. Because it just makes my life so much easier! I know which meals are happening when so I never get to the end of the day + stand with the fridge door open saying “what should we do for dinner?” – that is just not a thing. Sure we sometimes decide to do something else besides what’s planned for that day’s dinner – but those are easy calls because I’m not expending energy every day trying to figure it out. We actually only have a limited amount of decision making energy each day – so menu plan to alleviate that expenditure of energy!
I think everyone ends up planning out most of their summer anyways, because 8 weeks really isn’t that much time…really. Or, at least, it seems to go by incredibly quickly. + there’s the coordination of summer vacation time between partners, + at work with coworkers. Figuring out summer camps + daycare. When friends + family are available for visits. Special outings + experiences. But this is where I come back to the first lesson – How do you want to feel this summer? What do you want to experience? Your answers to those questions inform how you plan the rest of the summer. I won’t commit to every invitation received, we’ll figure out our top experiences + make sure those get space + lots of it.
Summer doesn’t have to be crazy + complicated. + I don’t believe it’s our job to make our children’s lives magical + memorable. But a sprinkler, a backyard full of family + friends, + a frozen juice popsicle or plate full of juicy watermelon make for some pretty great memories. Kids don’t need fancy + that suits me just fine.
What are your best memories? What are your tips for making summer a fun (+ simple!) experience for everyone?
If you’re interested in kicking it up a notch, watch the video I recorded last summer for my essential oil community about how we do a simple summer + how we support that simplicity with my beloved oils. Enjoy!
Grab your copy of the accompanying free ebook as well :
What about you? What are your favourite summer memories or activities? Are you creating space for those things to happen again this summer?