ā¦and if you have kids, the start of summer can evoke all kinds of emotions.
I have friends in two camps.
Some (slightly) dread having their children home for summer because days become long and entertaining them can be hard.
Some LOVE having their kids home so they can play all the time and they are so sad when school starts again.
What camp are you in?! šļø
No judgement hereā¦
ā¦well, maybe a little bit of judgement but Iāll keep it to myself. š
Iām split between the two camps and itās because between last summer and this summer, we startedĀ a little business. šš»āļø
Working from home is hard when your kids are home and you just want to go have fun!
This first week of summer went great and Iām here to report why.
We had aĀ routine!
But unlikeĀ the chore chartsĀ on my fridge that never get looked at, I made it more lax and simple.
Steve and I get up at 7 am and get going on our day ā I know there are some 5 am-ers out thereā¦but we just aināt morning people, k?Ā
When the kids get up, there are 4 things they need to accomplish before they can ask for anything.
- Breakfast. During the school year, Steve is amazing at getting up and making a hot breakfast for anyone that wants it. In the summer, we let them prove their independence by having them make their own breakfast and theyāre getting pretty dang good at eggs!
- Chores. I wrote a list of all the chores in the house that I wanted to get done in the week and let the kids pick two off the list every day. They canāt ācallā the chores they want, they have to complete one before they can choose another, which makes it so everyone can get an āeasyā chore. Somehow no one wanted sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor and my shoes are starting to stickā¦just kiddingā¦that would be grossā¦but also, Iām not kidding, I just donāt know how youāre going to react to the state of my kitchen floor.
- Reading. Everyone has reading everyday of the summer. I love it because we are at the stage where everyone is an independent reader and most kids will read without me having to twist their arm.
- Workout. I call it working out but theyāre kids so any type of movement for an hour counts ā jumping on the tramp, walking the dogs, riding their bike etc.
After all that, itās time for fun! I bought a pack of theĀ reusable water balloonsĀ on Amazon and weāre fans!
And weāve only lost 3, so thatās great. š
But, all Iām trying to say here, is itās a lot like ourĀ Play,Ā Snuggle,Ā Sleep,Ā RepeatĀ routine, but for summer and week one has felt wildly successful!
If you want to feel successful as a parent, start with creating routines ā even simple ones ā that promote consistency and stability for your kids.
And if you donāt know where to startā¦start with bedtime!
WeĀ areĀ all aboutĀ an intentional, screen-free bedtime that fosters connection and strengthens families.
Read,Ā snuggle,Ā journal, andĀ connect. ā¤ļø
And if you you want a little something more,Ā some night-time coloringĀ might be your thang!
