Summer has officially started in our house.  My 11 year old daughter just finished her last day of school on Thursday.  I realized that I’ve noticed a pattern started to emerge these last several years: I tend to overschedule the first couple weeks of summer.  I get so excited about all the options available to us that I say YES! YES! OF COURSE! to just about everything.  I enter this weird mindset which leads me to believe that summer days have infinite hours in them. Last night I looked at next week’s calendar and almost cried.  Golf tournament (hers). Sleepover (hers). Concert (mine). Float-in movie at the pool (ours). Golf match (mine). Golf match (hers). Professional networking night (mine). Not to mention the regular everyday life activities like meetings, swimming, tennis and golf practice, getting my daughter packed for camp and my part time job.  Are you crying along with me yet?

I love my enthusiasm.  I love how active we are as a family. And everything we have planned sounds like so much fun.  And to be fair, summer here in the north is short.  We work hard here to enjoy all those sun soaked days because we know they are numbered. But as soon as I publish this post I am going to write a reminder on my calendar for May 1st of next year that says “Hey there!  Just a gentle reminder that you tend to get a little too excited for all those fun things people will invite you to, and maybe don’t say yes to every single one.”  (What can I say, it sometimes takes me many years to figure stuff out.)

Because when I think of summer, the first thing that comes to mind is long unstructured days of reading, sipping iced tea, naps.  Sure, it’s unrealistic to expect every day to be that way.  Plus I’m pretty sure I’d be bored within a few days minutes. But I’m going to prioritize setting aside plenty of time that isn’t planned.  In fact, studies show kids and families are happier when they have ample time to just “be”.

How do you manage your summer calendar?  What tips do you have to share?  And also, I’d love to hear what summer activities are a “must” for you and your family?  Please comment and share!

As always, if you like reading my blog, I’d be ever so grateful if you’d pass it along or share it on social media. HAPPY SUMMER!