Summer and Sunshine
A guide to deliberate leisure
Our homeschool year has come to a close, and although we didn't finish all our books, we hit most of our goals, or at the very least grazed them, so we are on break!! (Alexa, play “School's Out” by Alice Cooper) I am thrilled–elated! Summer purging is underway, and the gift of Vacation Bible School (VBS) is upon us. Our parish hosts an amazing weeklong camp for the kids, which includes Mass, activities, music, and crafts. This summer is the first year that I have three kids at VBS and one little toddler at home. It feels like the world is my oyster, and I have all the time in it.
I know there is a case for not planning your summer and letting rest and relaxation be the only plan for the day. And if that's where you find yourself, I am so happy for you. Truly. But I approach my summers differently. During our school year, we go on weekly adventures, museums, and exhibits, and we often do that as a tiny little clan. Most kids are in school, so we usually find ourselves with a handful of other homeschooled kids or families with tiny toddlers. Summer is brimming with kids and opportunities for fun everywhere. The library, the park (complete with incredible splash pads), VBS, and our favorite place, the community pool, provide so much fun. Having this many options means I am meticulously scheduling fun for the kids so we don't get trapped in our house watching hours of TV, avoiding the oppressive heat.
Phoenix is an incredible place to raise a family, and even though our summers get a bad rap, I love how many community events are available. Swim classes are a yearly tradition, and they are short and extremely cheap. Our community pool is 8 minutes down the road. It has a giant water slide, and an enormous mushroom umbrella spouts water from the top. It provides shade on the beach entrance of one of the three pools. Being an anxious mom, especially around water, it calms my nerves to have ten lifeguards around. The kids in my little brood who are not strong swimmers are in life jackets, but still, it's nice to go to a pool with kids and enjoy it.
One thing that I struggled with during Covid was not looking forward to anything. We were living day to day with no impending joy to help us through the challenges. I try to find joy in the present moment, but having something on the horizon that will lift my spirits can provide the joy I need in a challenging moment. Planning is my jam, and summer is where I shine. And the nice thing is it's all happy leisure that we can savor together. Homeschooling is wonderful, but sometimes teaching how to read the word 'the' for the 5th time in a week takes a toll. I can lose sight of enjoying my time with the kids. Summer is just us rejoicing in all our time together, but not lying around fighting.
We have a camping trip planned for August, and I will take some time over the next several weeks to teach the kids card games. I didn’t grow up playing card games; my friends taught me how to play card games in my twenties. Given how much fun I’ve had playing these games, I thought it would be wise to spend some time teaching them. First up: Uno. We taught it to our oldest boys last week and have been playing daily. THEY LOVE IT. And it's helped remind me that I am fun. It feels incredible to laugh and play with my kids, with no need to do anything else. Sometimes, I can forget that I am fun because I'm constantly trying to reinforce our family culture, the rules of our home, manners and help them excel academically. I can be very bossy, don't believe me? Ask my kids.
Games, camping, library reading challenges, and park play dates can all bear tremendous fruit in our children's lives and remind us of the joy that having children brings into our lives. Will there be meltdowns over the wrong color Popsicle? Yes. Will I love swimming with my 3-year-old and having him jump into my arms over and over? Also, yes.
Here are some things that help me plan and enjoy while also giving me and the kids summer downtime:
All our activities are in the morning and done by 1 p.m. That means our afternoons before dinner and bedtime are spent calmly at home, watching a movie, playing, or reading together. Naps are also welcome.
This summer, our Friday “activity” will be hitting the movie theater and watching kids' films released in the past few years. They show a different movie every week, and buying tickets for all of them costs $8 for the whole summer. FOR SO MANY MOVIES.
Our library is poppin' with free summer activities. We will drop into one here and there, but this is a fast-and-loose activity.
Everything I plan is free or cheap, so if we need to cancel them, it's not a big deal. The only exception is VBS, which my kids would not miss for anything.
Our kids are young, so they still have a relatively early bedtime, and my husband and I get a lot of quiet time in the evenings.
There are weeks when we have nothing planned, so we have a lot of leeway.
So, if you're a summer-loving parent like me, I hope you enjoy this time! Revel in the fun aspects of summer that bring you nostalgia. Teach your kids your favorite game. Show them your favorite movie from your childhood. Do the things you wish your parents had done with you. Do the things your parents did that made your childhood magical! Summer is only a few short weeks; this time with our kids is precious. And don't worry if you have yet to plan and feel exhausted by the idea of summer. It can still be a beautiful time for you and your family.
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Hi Diana - thanks for sharing! I’m not a planner by nature but I loved reading your scheduling ideas and that you have all activities done by 1pm. That’s so smart with the naps, dinner rush and bedtime chaos right around the corner. Your kids are so lucky to have you as their mom! Have a great summer!
Sounds just lovely and reminds me of our summers when the children were younger. Yes VBS is a non-negotiable! A lot of work but so much fun, and what the kids remember! Also, I’m nostalgic about the end-of-summer fair in our area and so happy we get to revisit it this year after moving away. Do you go to the fair?