Preparing for Summer
When the calendar switches from May to June, my mind goes from spring to summer. To be prepared, I planned ahead so we can enjoy the days of summer.
Recently I was mixing up a batch of tuna salad. I stabbed a bunch of pickles with my knife and pulled them out to chop. These were my mother’s bread and butter pickles that my children love, but I don’t exactly, except that they are hers. But I pop one in my mouth, “For summer’s sake.” I thought.
The main thing on my mind when I think about this summer is moving. Mainly, “Where?” But also packing logistics and the sense of loss. Another summer of transition. This will be the fifth summer in a row with some sort of move involved.
For my birthday, my children bought me the Magnolia Magazine. The theme in this summer’s issue is reclaiming summer. This comes to my mind as I chew the sweet and sour pickle. “What does summer feel like? What do I remember from my childhood?” I immediately think of badminton. In my preteen and teen years, as the summer days cooled in the evenings, I’d play badminton.
I never was a very athletic person, but I did love badminton. I resolved then and there to buy a set. This sparked a desire in me to really, actually reclaim this summer. It doesn’t have to be frustrating or full of grief. Sure, there will be adjustments and hard time, but what can I do to bring familiarity as well? What can I do that will help this summer still feel like summer — for me and my children?
Here are some other ideas that came to me:
- Popsicles
- Sprinklers
- Star gazing
- Summer desserts
- Peaches and cherries
And also, to give the days some structure I want to make sure that each day I:
- follow my current morning routine
- spend a little time with each child
- work on projects
- rest
- play
I’ve spent time this week thinking and planning. Below are the two resources that helped me know what to think through.
- 10 Questions for the Start of Summer by the Lazy Genius podcast
- A Masterly Summer by Joy Cherrick (Also a podcast episode on However Imperfectly, but this was more helpful to read due to the content.)
My Planning Process
- Answer the questions from 10 Questions for the Start of Summer.
- Decide our daily rhythm.
- Decide our weekly rhythm.
- Think through questions prompted by A Masterly Summer — mainly, what chores can I add/change and what activities can I have available for my children when they are bored.
- Brain dump shopping, projects, and other items to address for the summer.
- From that list, plan out what I can and make a master list of the rest to remind me.
- Make a meal plan for the summer.
No matter where this summer finds you, I hope this post helps you give some thought to the season ahead. When we give thought to our days, we can be in charge of them rather at the mercy of them.
Let’s fill these days of summer with purpose, rest, play, and delight!
Hi friend! I love the idea of reclaiming summer. I’ve been thinking along similar lines as summer approaches (maybe it’s a middle age thing! For some reason I feel most in touch with my childhood duruing the summer).
For me what I remember from my childhood summers that I’m trying to reclaim:
– summer reading/library reading challenges! Our library would always give us a passport and we got one of the spots filled in with a stamp or sticker and I’m trying to find a way to make reading fun this summer. I also would hang out at the library a lot in the afternoons b/c it had AC and was quiet. Summer afternoons are often hard for me (I wrote a book about the noonday demon, right?), and I realized recently they weren’t that difficult as a child. One reason for that, perhaps, is that I instinctively knew to head for a cool, quiet, calm place until the worst of the heat passed for the day. Thinking about how I can reintroduce that habit this year.
– Finding a way to make peace with heat. I actually miss my childhood ability to weather the heat better (despite living in a similar climate with similar temps and humidity). We never had central AC growing up, so I think my body just acclimated better to the heat. So I’ve set my ac lower than last summer and so far feel like my body is acclimating better to the heat than in previous years.
– Showers before bed rather than in the morning, leaving my hair wet, and watching Nick at Nite reruns!
I love all of this!!! I hope you’re able to implement these into your summer!