How to enjoy summer at home with the kids

Summer break from school is supposed to be fun and relaxing, but sometimes it’s not. If your lazy days at home are stressful and you feel like you need a vacation from your vacation, you’ll love this advice on how to enjoy summer at home with the kids.

Let’s chat just a moment here, mom to mom {or dad}.

You love your kids. You want to spend time with them. They mostly want to spend time with you.

Maybe even you spend the last month of school thinking about how glad you will be to not have the school-activities-hustle routine every day. Somehow, by the end of summer, your adorable cherubs will have turned you into a crazy, frazzled person who cannot wait until school starts again because wine o’clock cannot come soon enough each day.

I’ve been there and it leaves you feeling guilty.

Guilty that you yelled at them again. Or didn’t, but you let them watch cartoons for 12 hours straight so you could get a break.

Guilty that summer wasn’t fun and you didn’t do anything Instagram-worthy. That when you did leave the house, your child screamed and laid down on the ground in a public place.

Guilty that you spent too much money on activities, just to get out of the house. And your child still laid on the sidewalk crying.

There’s always something that’s going to be imperfect. I’ve spent a lot of years trying to plan the best summer ever, but I’ve got a new idea for this year. We might actually all enjoy summer.

How I’m going to enjoy summer this year

I’m trying something new this year. It’s a secret, so don’t tell my kids. All these years I’ve been planning summer vacation myself. This year: no plan.

The kids are in charge. I’m just not telling them that.

We’re going to start with a simple daily routine that’s pretty similar to what we do on weekends:

• Everyone wakes up when they want to.
• You must get dressed and eat breakfast before you start a cartoon, video game, whatever.
• Do your daily chore at some point.
• Make your own lunch {or ask for help} when you are hungry.
• You must stop and clean up whatever you are doing at supper time.

Note: You might want to add a little more to your morning routine. Money Saving Mom has some tips for a more detailed summer routine.

In the morning when everyone’s up and moving, I’ll ask them what they want to do that day. I might make free activity suggestions, like “The library is doing a LEGO day for the summer reading program. Who wants to go?”

On days when they say they just want to veg and play on their computers, that’s fine. I’ll get as many things done from my to-do list as I can! {Work, chores, etc.} On days when they say they want to do something together, we will do that.

I think this will be much less stressful for everyone and by the end of summer, we will all have done the things we wanted to do. And no, I don’t think they will spend 12 weeks glued to electronics.

I may have to do more writing in the early morning while the kids are sleeping in or after supper. I’ll definitely have to plan ahead now and then, but to have whole days to just hang out with them and have fun will be fantastic.

What do you think? How are you planning to enjoy summer at home with your family this year?

Just remember that whatever you do, it shouldn’t turn you into a hot mess. Yes, they’re only young once, but this is just one summer.