I’m not sure if it’s the endless list of things happening right now, but I am craving summer and the little pause it puts on our schedule. It feels like the last month we’ve been drinking from a firehose. From sports to my boys’ birthdays, birthday parties, school commitments, etc. It’s something my three kids, my husband, and I are just really feeling right now, especially in the lack of free time in our schedule.
We’re having to be super intentional to even get some family time. I look forward to not having to wake my oldest up because he is a sleeper and does not move fast in the mornings. Not looking in the mirror at all on how he got that gene. Summer also has its challenges of togetherness 24/7, but there is something really special that I have found in it and have an appreciation for since I stopped working and started to be home with the kids. This hasn’t always been the way.
Some of my favorite mornings at home with my family are the slower ones.
When we can make breakfast together and start the day slowly. When the commitments for the day begin at 10am versus our current Saturdays of 745am. Though the rain on Saturdays has protected many of these this season, thank you, Mother Nature. I just find that when we aren’t up against a clock to get whoever to school, we thrive. Lately, I have even so much as just given up on making the bus in the morning with my oldest. I don’t want our mornings to be filled with tension; I want to enjoy my kids. Therefore, if I have to drop off in the drop-off line, then I am going to do that.
The special thing about being at home with the kids for the summer is that I control our schedule.
I used to sign the kids up for half-day camps that would have us out the whole day, commuting to and from. This year, I decided we are staying local and capitalizing on what is around us. Usually, our town runs a morning soccer camp and an afternoon pond camp, which my two older kids are eligible for. We sign up for about 4 weeks of swim lessons at our town pond, and that gives us a month of friends and fun at the pond. For adventure days, we hit Davis Farmland, the Ecotarium, and go to some of the zoos around. We would even rotate yards in the afternoons for yard hangouts with Popsicles. Summer doesn’t have to be your most expensive time of the year. Simplify it and go with what works for your family.
My goal for the summer as a SAHM is to make it the most fun with the least amount of stress, surrounded by the people we love.
Last year was the first year I really made this happen for my family. By doing this, it was really one of the best summers we have had. Being able to hang out with our village and fill everyone’s cups made the summer feel less daunting.
I know that writing this comes from a place of privilege because not everyone can step back from the workforce and be home with their family. I am thankful that I get to make these choices and pause with my family during the summer as a SAHM.
