Summer Planning

I thought I would share a short series

 on how we plan for our summer.

As most of you know I am big on planning

and with three kids,

I guess I kind of have to be.

Let me start by explaining my summer motto.

"Summer is a journey, not a race"

Last summer it was a race for me...

you see, we had spent all winter and spring

locked up with a newborn who wouldn't sleep..

I had some mommy guilt and felt the pressure

to cram as many fun things into the summer as I could,

 because #3 was more mobile and

 her schedule was more flexible.

But this year, I want to slow time down...

I want the kind of summer I remember growing up...

long, fun, and full of memories.

a Mommy Friendly

Memory Making

kind of summer.

The first step I do is get my calendar going...

I start with a free printable calendar and a pencil.

Nothing is in the planner or in pen until the dust settles!

I start this at the end of April.

First I mark off our big events,

 like swim lessons,

Vacation Bible School, and our vacation.

Also, here is where the camps come in...

Mikey loves going to Lego camp

 and I try to get Adelyn into a dance or art camp. 

Next I plug in road trips or events that

 I need to coordinate with other people.

My parents live on the coast, and we like to

do two or three long weekends with them.

They also, have "cousin camp" and

those dates I have to coordinate with my sister.

Next up, is our family bucket list.

What are the small things we want to do?

This year we listed everything by category...

stuff to do, places to go, things to make, what to eat, etc.

The kids love to look at my summer Pinterest board HERE

and pick out their favorite things to try.

The bucket list then gets plugged into our weekly plan...

I like to stick with the above plan.

It is cheesey but it keeps me accountable

and the kids look forward to it.

It has really helped my stick to my motto,

as I plan one small thing a day and

do not feel the pressure to plan something

 big and entertaining!

On Mondays we "Make Something"

So far we have made slime,

this yummy S'more snack,

and a craft.

On Too Wet Tuesday we

 pull out the water slide,

fill up the water guns,

head to the river, or the splash pad.

Wednesday is "Wild about Reading"

or "What Cha Reading?"

We head to the library for new books.

I will not lie, this is hard...

I'm usually the crazy mom with three kids

running around yelling my name

as they are all enjoying different sections

of the kids area these days,

but we are there...

making memories and

reading some good stuff!

Thinking Thursdays is one of my favorite days so far.

Our neighborhood pool is cleaned on Wednesday,

so the cleanest it will ever be is Thursday mornings...

clearly my favorite time to go.

We try to hit the pool from 9:30 to 11ish.

And even though we try to do

 some kind of learning everyday for 30 minutes,

(I will post more on this soon) 

 Thursday afternoons Molly takes a good long nap...

you know the kind you love after a morning in the sun.

This allows me to spend extra time with the kids

working in their workbooks, writing, and reading.

On Friday we head somewhere fun...

the list is long this summer, but includes things like...

museums, the zoo, the park, going for ice cream,

playdates, berry picking, visiting cousins,

the jump house, or a movie.

This is where I plan each week...

this little planner was from WalMart,

but any weekly printable will work.

I usually split the days into am and pm.

I keep it very simple, as you can see.

 

Does you family enjoy fun filled summers

 or long lazy summers?

What are your summer planning tips?

I would love to hear your ideas!

 

Come back soon to see how we learn all summer

and how we are doing summer chores!