I have a new mantra that I will repeat to myself every day this summer:
“Just wing it. It’s all good, mama.”
I don’t know about you, but every year at this exact time, I try morph into a combo of Perfect Polly & Carol Brady to plan the “PERFECT SUMMER FOR KIDS.” I’ll shamefully admit that those exact words are in my Pinterest search box.
Zoo day! Pick berries! Go on a hike! Camp in the backyard! Grow a butterfly! Make an outdoor obstacle course! Volunteer! Collect & paint seashells! Try a science experiment!
I have a rare moment of over-the-top giddiness thinking about how excited my kids would be…the memories they would have…and then it hits me: it’s never going to happen.
I will be perfectly honest, we are not “let’s get Pinterest creative with this summer day” kind of people.
As much as we love some delicious berries, the “OMG it’s so hot” and “eew is that a bug” comments would probably overshadow any fun that the Mommy blogger found on Google promised me.
So this summer, we’re going to stick to what we do best and we’re going to roll with the punches…wing it…go with the flow {insert other cheesy metaphor here}. I am keeping the expectations at a REALISTIC LEVEL because every year I don’t check something off the summer bucket list taped to the fridge, I feel like a dud…like I need to have my Mom-card revoked.
Our kids don’t need to ride a unicorn down the beaches of an island in South America while sipping out of a coconut to have a summer to remember. (But dang that sounds magical, right??)
My list for my kids?
Sleep in.
Get lost in a book that you want to read.
Go on a bike ride with your friends.
Eat a popsicle for breakfast.
Have sleepovers.
Swim until it gets dark.
Make S’mores…most likely with the toaster oven because we may not go camping…not because we don’t want to, but because your Dad and I have no idea how. Save the judgment 😉
Have a couch sleepover while we watch some CLASSICS…ya know… Goonies, Adventures in Babysitting, Hoosiers…we really could spend a week posted up on the couch.
Try the new rollercoaster…ya know, the one you were afraid of last year?
Ride the wave.
Let’s just do what works for us…
Let’s do what makes you smile…
Let’s do what makes you laugh until it hurts.
My family’s summer bucket list doesn’t need to be Instagram worthy or envied.
It just needs to be memorable…in a good way.
xx