How I Plan For Our Summer Break

As a kid, summer vacation was full of so much freedom. No school! Backyard slip ‘n slides and popsicles that stained my t-shirt. Reading all my favorite books from the library. Playing Mario Brothers on the Nintendo.

It was effortless and free.

But now I am a mom, a homeschool mom, a homemaker, the cook, and the planner of all the things. Summer does not feel the same. It is a lot of work.

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By the time April & May show up on the calendar I am ready to start my summer planning.

I usually forget my routine and it takes me some thinking about it to remember. Some of these might seem simple or silly. But, hopefully, I am saving you the time and mental effort. 😊 (You’re Welcome!)

Here are the steps that I go through to plan out the many details of our summer break.

Planning Our Summer Break:

#1 – the family calendar and scheduled events

First, I place the big events and bookends of my schedule first.

• When is the End of the School Year / Start of Next Year?

Next, I block out all scheduled events.

• Holidays & birthdays
• Long vacations planned
• The homeschool convention (in AZ it is AFHE and it is awesome!)
• Summer camps for the kids (church, science camps, learning camps)
• Swim lessons
• Sports – like dance classes or karate

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#2 – evaluating our time & our goals

Then, I see where we are needing some structure or what we have too much of.

• Do we have space for free time?
• Can any weekend trips or short vacations fit in?
• Do I have a variety of activities planned?
• When will I work on school planning and curriculum shopping?
  • As a teacher, this takes a lot of my time in the summer. Homeschooling is a full-time job.
• Will my kids have a chance to develop new hobbies and get bored?
  • I fully believe that bringing up well-rounded kids involves boredom.

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• What kinds of meals do I want to make?
  • Brainstorm my Summer Meals list for easy meal planning.
  • (hot dogs, BBQ, pizza on the grill, pasta salad)

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• Summer book lists!
  • Booklist for me, for each kid, for us to read together
  • audiobooks to listen to on road trips
• How can my kids keep learning fresh on their minds?
  • Will I have them complete workbooks?
  • Should they keep working on math lessons?
  • Will I have them write about what they are reading?
• How can I reward them for keeping their brains from turning to mush?
  • Sticker charts, tickets, cash for a vacation, shopping trips at Target?

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• When can I take some time to myself this summer break?
  • How can I schedule some time away to journal, think, and be alone? Moms are important too!

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Now I am ready to zoom out and ask some big picture questions…

#3 – big picture planning

What do I want this summer to be about?

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#4 – Reflection

– Does that one-word theme match my plans??

– What needs to be adjusted?

– How am I choosing to make space for what matters to our family?

– What do I need to say NO to? What is not working anymore?

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I know. I hear you. I can feel the eye-rolling and the questions.

            Seriously? This is a long list of things to think about!

            Why do these things matter? Who cares?

            Do I really need to spend the time to think about this stuff?

No. You do not have to answer all these questions.

Choose what is important to you.

For me, living a life with intention is at the top of my list.

If I am NOT the one deciding what my summer looks like then it gets decided FOR me. I stumble into August completely exhausted and worn out. I have no energy to start the school year well.  I am resentful that I did not get time to myself or enough time for planning. I am frustrated that I spent my time driving around in a hot car. My kids are crabby and ungrateful. We are angry with each other and I am depleted.

I will not live that way anymore. I will choose a different path. I do have control over what my summer will look like and feel like for my family.

So I spend a Saturday afternoon alone with my journal, our calendar, and a tall latte.

I ask myself all those questions. I make lists. I write out meal ideas and activities to try. I look up all the info on all the things.

I get peace and clarity along with my planning. Now I know that whatever this summer holds I will be ready. I have adjusted my expectations, thought about all our events, placed the important things first, and created a theme.

Then, I rummage in my closet for my flip-flops and consider shaving my legs so I can wear my mom shorts.

Welcome Summer! Let’s do this!

Smiles and Love – April