2 Steps to a Simple Summer

When you live in a state like Wisconsin, where it is winter a good portion of the year... okay pretty much mostly winter all of the time, it can be hard not to come to the sweet, sweet summer months with guns-a-blazing. 

"Let's do all the things!"

says every well-intentioned mother on the planet. 

But then summer hits. I'm almost never organized enough to get anywhere on time. Somehow, the house is a disaster on the daily, even though I thought we were playing outside (because, THE SUN IS SHINING PEOPLE!). My visions of children building ornate sand castles get stomped. The joy of summer seems to get sucked right out of me like a one of those ridiculous straws that I can never get cleaned. 

I am trying a new plan this summer. A new mantra if you will. Well the mantra isn't new but it is a new one for me... you get the idea here. 

Keep it simple (stupid). 

 You can leave the stupid part out because shhhh we don't even say that word in this house! 

This is my last summer before my oldest child starts Kindergarten. <insert a mom's ugly cry here> She will be in school all day, every day. I want to enjoy this summer for the simplicity that it is. From here on out there will be practices, groups, clubs and what not. And that's okay. But for me, right now, this year, I need simple. 

So here's my plan. I have no idea if it will work. I have no idea if I will stick with it. But hey! I'm sharing it anyway.

  1. Share the work. We all clean for around 15 minutes per day. Many hands make light the load. Even if the hands are small and distracted, it's still better than me doing nothing at all. We set a timer and get to work for 15 minutes and then we're done! I follow a cleaning schedule usually which helps overall to the general house cleanliness. 
  2. Plan simple. This is tough for me. My daughter is one that enjoys doing things--but cannot be scheduled all the time. My son could be running 24-7 and still have enough energy to do more. My other son still naps twice a day. With all these different needs I am planning to make our days reasonable. Let's go to the zoo.... for 1-2 hours only. Let's go to the pool... for just a little bit. I don't *have* to pack lunch. I don't *have* to miss nap time. Filter in a few day long adventures here and there (when we are all feeling good and rested) and it shouldn't feel like we are missing out on anything. 

So that is kind of it. 

Simple, right? Only two things to remember.

I love being outside and enjoying God's beautiful seasons with my children. I don't love the mom I become when I'm overwhelmed with housework with cranky kids hanging on my hip. I want our summer to be about sand and sunshine, parks and pools, watermelon and strawberries. So I'm hoping my new simple mantra will help me out.

I hope that you fellow mothers out there can find your groove this summer as well. It doesn't have to be The Best Summer Ever. It doesn't have to be Instagram or Facebook approved. It just has to be what works for you and your little creatures. And, also, you have to be okay with that. 

So I tip my (sun)hat to you. I hope you and I can share a relaxed laugh together. Soak up some rays. Thank God together for these beautiful days to make the mundane and the memorable memories with our littles. 

Happy simple summer friends.