Its officially Summer, wohoo!
I am one of those weird moms that actually enjoys having their kids home for the summer. I love all of the fun it brings, but it can also cause complete and total chaos in my house if I let it.
To keep my head from exploding, I needed a plan. Before school ended I managed to carve out some time, in between Teacher Appreciation Week and End of School parties/activities, to set up our summer. One thing is for sure, we definitely won't be bored!
The key with my kids is, if they are busy and active they will have less time to pick on each other or get into trouble. Being bored is the worst thing for my three girls (and my husband for that matter). When left to their own devices for too long, they tend to figure out new ways to drive Mommy slowly nuts. Or they want to "help" with activities definitely not fit for little people.
Once my 4 hour planning session was wrapped up, I had a complete wall (literally) of summer stuff sure to keep their busy hands and minds, well, busy. We have a Weekly Schedule, a Daily Schedule, a Chore Chart, lists of activities we want to do on a regular basis and another list for things we want to do at least once this summer. I also have Summer School stuff to keep their minds fresh.
There is a ton of stuff on Pinterest to help you organize everything and give you ideas to fill in any gaps. My main thing was keeping them happy and productive, but not always in need of my supervision. That way I could have breaks to work on some of the goals I set for myself this summer (plus the super popular cleaning/cooking that is still required).
Once I got the girls' stuff in order, it was time to figure out what I wanted out of this summer.
I would, of course, continue my journey to Donutism. This part was tough, how was I going to workout almost every day AND keep up with my fun theme days? I decided that I could do it all, I just needed to stick to my charts and if all else fails, I can complete a home workout video during nap/quiet time.
I also want to focus on getting my business stuff ready for my launch this fall. That means research all of my recipes, get them perfect, find a logo, make a website and a million other things. It gave me a headache to make this long list, but once it was completed and in front of me I felt a little better. I just need to take one step at a time. Nap/quiet time would serve as a good way to get this stuff done.
My blog and Mother's Group were other areas that needed my attention. Lately, I have felt guilty for not being more active, so those were other things to add to the list. If I can focus on writing/editing 3 times a week, I figured that was better then nothing. Better then I have been doing anyway!
I can't take it all too seriously though. If we miss part of our day because we found something else to keep us busy, its ok. Its all about having a fun, productive summer with my babies and accomplishing some things that are important to me. If my 4 year old doesn't learn to write her whole alphabet this summer, it wont be the end of the world. She will learn it in preschool, but as long as she is inspired to learn, we will try our best.
Family comes first, but I am learning to put my projects at a close second. If I take a little time for me each day, I have learned that I can enjoy my time with the girls more. I feel better and have more energy when I workout and when I write, I feel like my mind is suddenly less full of the "stuff" that can weigh me down emotionally.
They are only little once, I'm going to enjoy every moment of it!
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