If you’re anything like me, summer excites and overwhelms all at once. And to balance summer with a career and kids can be hard. The demands of my job are 24/7. And my kids now have free time 24/7, which can take some juggling. By placing some priorities into our routine, it has helped me balance summer time with both my kids and job.
Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom or a working mom, we can all benefit from learning from each other! Here are some of my family’s priorities in order to make the most of summertime fun:
Summer Priorities:
1. Think Like A Day Camp
If you look closely at most summer camp programs that are designed by schools or major entities, not every day involves major exciting outings. In fact, most have only have one day with the major highlight of the week. If you’re home with the kids, not every day has to be filled with Disneyland-type activities. Likewise if you’re working: to balance summer, if you can, let your kids choose and prioritize their favorite camps so you can budget accordingly.
2. Create Routine
My children crave routine, and I believe it can be done even in the midst of summer. For instance, we limit video game time (for our sanity!). Just because it’s summer, we will still create routine even if it’s adjusted for the summer hours. When my kids wake up in the morning, they know they have to complete a routine daily. In addition to breakfast and some lounge time, they have get completely ready, make their beds, and do an educational worksheet before they get to do their play of choice.
3. Find Coverage
Plan for back-up plans. I have been burned before from a nanny hired and ready to go for the day, and inevitably something comes up which leads to a cancellation. I’d like to say it has only happened once, buuuuut unfortunately it’s happened several times. I learned that it’s best to have a few different sitters on call in case something comes up.
4. Health Is Still A Priority
There is a saying that my husband says to me all the time:
Summer bodies are made in the winter.
I agree. But there is something to be said about taking care of my health even if my kids are off of school…for them and for me! I need to stay healthy and active so I can keep up with my kids. The same works for them too: if I pump my kids full of ice cream and candy, I swear it changes them!
5. Plan, Plan, and Plan
I plan as much as I can for summer, including boredom. I want my kids to get creative, make forts, dig in dirt, and enjoy their summer. I also want to create that structure to where I know I can get certain things accomplished in addition to their summer activities. I know things come up, but I want to do my best to mitigate as much chaos as I can.
6. Fun And Free Activities
There are so many around our county. From local bloggers to libraries and museums, get online and check out local programs and places to go for a good time! Our favorites include new parks, library events, and concerts in the park. Make sure you are following us on Instagram because we post upcoming events consistently which includes some wonderful free ideas. And don’t forget this awesome post about the best OC beaches for family fun!
Summer should be fun. I’m looking forward to nights of s’mores-making and star gazing, in addition to hustling it in my busiest season of the year for real estate. To balance summer, having these plans in place help me balance both as priorities!