The Change Of Seasons | Summer Rhythms

rhythms of summer

Ah summer, you are so very delicious.

You start slowly around here and as you ripen you provide lots of joy and light and opportunities for connection. Thank you for reliably coming around again.

As we dip our toes into summer around here I've been spending a bit of time thinking about how I'd like to experience the next few months.

I want to live the length and the width of my life. (referencing this quote from Diane Ackerman)

Some people talk about surviving summer. My approach is this: how can I really be present during the summer? How can I take advantage of the things that are really special and unique to this season like longer daylight hours, fresh foods, kids out of school, etc? I want my kids to grow up knowing the deliciousness of summer.

Life is so different during these months of the year - I want to give myself the gift of full participating in and enjoying the next couple of months.

Here's some things I'm hoping for myself for this summer:


  • Eat lunch outside. Get away from my desk and into the light.

  • Work smarter to finish up what I need to earlier in the day to open up more family time in the afternoon and evening. This is the biggest challenge for me and also the biggest reward. If I'm here a bit less know that it's because I'm living up to what I set out to do this summer - live the length and the width of it.

  • Handwritten notes. Build in time for writing notes - to grandparents, to friends, people who have done something nice.

  • Support Chris on his quest to master the BBQ (maybe "become proficient" is a better term than master).

  • Help Simon learn to ride his bike. He was doing fine with training wheels but once they came off it became a lot scarier to him.

  • Generally go slower. Ride my bike (loved how we did that for date night last week). Go to the pool. Sip instead of gulp.

  • Instill a sense of love and wonder in my kids about the outdoors. Go on hikes. Take walks around the neighborhood. Camp. Be outside in the evening. Lay in the grass and look up at the sky (Simon is awesome at that).

  • Keep up the garden not out of a sense of obligation but of love. The veggies are coming along great. The sweet peas are amazing. The sunflowers are waist high.


A few weeks ago I also mentioned that we were turning off the TV for the summer. We are following through with that and have found what seems to be working for us: no TV or computer movies during the day with one movie at night as an option depending on the plan for the evening.

So far that's been going okay. Except for that time last weekend when I was out for a bit and Simon & Anna carried my laptop upstairs into Simon's room, closed the door and proceeded to start watching Dora after Chris had reminded them about no TV/computer. Not good...but I do kinda love that they are developing that special sibling bond.

Really what it takes is a bit of planning on our part to have suggestions and ideas for them when they start getting bored and start asking to watch a movie. Here's the list of activities and options (that I'm going to make into a printed list that I can tell Simon to go check out) that I'm encouraging:


  • Legos.

  • Swimming.

  • Letter writing. I've got a list of people they can write notes to - family and friends and a pen-pal that Simon is overdue on writing back.

  • Go outside. Mess around. Turn on the sprinkler. Climb a tree. Chase each other around. Jump on the mini-trampolines

  • Workbooks. These can be puzzle books like dot to dot or word searches or some other academic workbook. Something quiet, at the table, that engages a different part of the brain for a bit.

  • Read.

  • Play cars on the front porch.

  • Color or paint or draw or make a treasure map.

  • A trip to the library. Or maybe play library with the bunches of books we have here.


I know I'll think of other things as soon as I hit publish.

In our living room we've got a closet on the other side of our couch that holds games, books, a couple baskets of Anna-sized toys, some legos, etc. I'm using that as a command center with baskets for the different themes (one holds workbooks, one holds art supplies, etc) which makes them easy to grab. Getting that set up is in progress - I need to take some time later today to remove the toys that are now too little and add them to our donation pile.

Have you thought about what you'd like to see for yourself or your family this summer? Do you have a list of activities for your kids when they start getting antsy?

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87 thoughts

  1. Debbie S. says…
    06/28/2011

    Awesome! Happy Summer, Ali!

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. Jenn says…
    06/28/2011

    Having 3 kids, the oldest one being 13 now, I can say without a doubt that the BEST outdoor toys ever have been our power wheels jeeps and Peg Perigo John Deere tractor. My kids spend literally hours driving around in the yard. And the best part is that I am too big to play with it, so I can relax on the porch swing.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Kim K says…
      06/29/2011

      Agree with you on that John Deere tractor! It was difficult to justify the expense at first...but worth every penny!

  3. Tiara says…
    06/28/2011

    Ali,
    I love that you took time to make a list of what you want to accommplish/experience this summer. Just last night we sat down as a family and helped our three kids make a list of ten things they want to enjoy this summer...(stay in pj's all day was on all three lists). I plan to keep on the fridge, and then add to Project Life at the end of summer. Thank you so much for your inspiration!

    Reply 4 Replies
    1. dawn says…
      06/29/2011

      Gypsy, thank you for the ideas. I love the charity idea and think they will too. We do that at Christmas time with the giving tree but now would be perfect too. We have just decided to have a fun day at a local amusement park that is cheaper then the big ones. I like the Disney marathon movie idea too and could even bring out the Disney album from our trip 7 years ago. Now I feel better already, thanks so much. Have a great summer.

    2. Gypsy Chaos says…
      06/28/2011

      Dawn - try finding a way to satisfy whatever urge the outlandish ideas would satisfy, or an alternative that works for you and the kids. We've done this with a Girl Scout troop.

      For example, the shopping spree turned into a charity project. Each girl brought $5, they broke into teams, and were challenged to buy the most baby care items with their money. The purchases were donated to a local shelter. For a family, you set a price limit, they choose a charity, check out the wish list[most have one posted these days], go on their spree, etc.

      Disney World - seeing the characters the thrill? Have a Disney movie marathon one day or over several days. Rides the thrill? Visit a local amusement park.

      Hope these helped.

    3. dawn says…
      06/28/2011

      I just did this with my kids today and some of the ideas were good some were a little out there like a shopping spree for the day and going to Disney World. I had to explain it again for them and then we redid their lists. Thanks for the reminder to put it in my PL at the end of summer.

    4. Ali says…
      06/28/2011

      Love the idea of having them write down what they'd like to experience this summer - awesome.

  4. Kim says…
    06/28/2011

    we've learned A LOT from http://www.amazon.com/Char-Broils-Everybody-Editors-Creative-Homeowner/dp/1580112080 but mostly from trial & error! good luck & keep back up foods in the freezer ;)

    Reply 0 Replies
  5. madeline St onge says…
    06/28/2011

    Love your Pillow with the word LIGHT on it
    Have a wonderful summer Ali

    I have no kids here any more but do hope to visit the before the end of the summer.

    Reply 0 Replies
  6. tara pollard pakosta says…
    06/28/2011

    my girls are excellent at coming up with games and things with their American Girl dolls! I never have to entertain. with that being said, we do go to alot of pools, parks, out for ice cream, read, paint, bike rides, math review sheets etc.....it's more so I have someone to play with that we do all of this, they are content with being home playing!
    tara

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. Amy says…
    06/28/2011

    We did make a list of things we would like to do. Most we would normally do during the summer but some would need some mental effort, like grilling an entire meal, dessert and veggies, on the grill, making our own chalk, making our own ice cream, etc.

    I keep wanting to set aside time to make craft bags/boxes for my almost 7 yo daughter. Something with just enough stuff to make something on her own when I am busy with the younger 2 kids and without her taking out the entire box of stickers, pom-poms, etc. I run through a verbal list for hre when she gets bored but she never wants to do what I suggest of course.

    Good for you for limiting the television time. I am trying to do that. I keep telling my daughter she does not need tv to survive when she complains that she has not gotten to watch any of her shows on a given day.

    amy s

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. Kim Howard says…
    06/28/2011

    Love your goals for the summer! to help Chris master the BBQ, may I suggest this book? We have NEVER had bad food come off our grill from this book, whether or not we use the recipes or not. Following the grilling times/instructions for us has been the first step. Our favorite this summer throwing chicken breasts (skinless/boneless) in the fridge in the a.m. marinating in a bottle of dressing. Throw some ears of corn (in the husks) on the grill just before the chicken. Delicious!! Good Luck Chris and Ali don't be afraid to grill either...I think I'm better than hubby at it ;-) http://www.amazon.com/Webers-Real-Grilling-Original-Recipes/dp/0376020466/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1309289311&sr=8-2

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. Lisa W. says…
    06/28/2011

    Love that pillow too. Caught my eye immediately. And just want to curl up on that big couch with those kiddos. Mine are much to big to want to snuggle anymore. I have not "set" plans. Just hoping to breath in the sunshine...feel the wind on my face...and just truly truly enjoy. I don't have a bike right now. Need to get one for more reasons than one...lol...but now I really want one when you mentioned you had a "date night" and rode to the restaurant. How much fun is that...I loved that!!! We live in a very rural area..no riding bikes to a restaurant. But just "riding" sounds delish to me. Thanks Ali!

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. Teresa Lynn Cotterman says…
    06/28/2011

    Love the idea......I hate the TV, but am the only one in the house who feels that way. Would have to do some serious talking with everyone. I think instead of movie night, we would have to have a baseball night as we are diehard Yankees fans, stuck in the middle of Ohio and that is how we see them. I will see how it goes.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. dawn says…
      06/28/2011

      I feel the exact same way about the tv. I tell the kids and hubby they are going to come one day to a tv free house and my hubby says well if the tv goes so do I then and the kids say so do we, lol. It's them against me everytime. I live in Ohio too and just got out the bat/ball last week so every night we have been having a little family game in the yard. It's fun and great exercise to run down all those balls. Good luck and have a fun summer.

  11. Valencia says…
    06/28/2011

    Very timely post. I've been feeling as though I'm just 'existing' and not really living. Any books you or your readers recommend on becoming more 'Present' in my life?

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. Robyn says…
    06/28/2011

    My daughter's teacher sent them home with a list of summer plans that we are going to try to check off! They included going to the zoo, counting your money, make lemonade, read 3 chapter books, learn a new game and many other activities.
    Also something your kids may like.. Barnes & Noble has a summer reading program where if you read 8 books on your reading level you get to pick a free selected book. Something fun to work towards. In our house for the summer we do "Turn Off Tuesdays and Thursdays".. no TV or electronics on those days... Enjoy these fun, unstructured days!

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. Amber Lee D. says…
    06/28/2011

    After 10 months of the school routine it is so nice to have my children around.
    This summer my goal is to discover new places for us to go to. Preferable free. As my family has changed (this year I notice a big difference in what makes my family happy as we have a teenager and two pre-teens) I have to come up with new ideas for our summer routine. I am looking forward to having this challenge. Thank goodness I have a mini-van and can fit a few of their friends in the car too on our journeys this summer.

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. ELISA says…
    06/28/2011

    we plan on visiting every local farm this summer. there's something about supporting a local farmer and building menus around what is available. i want my son to appreciate them too. and it doesn't hurt if they have a few animals for him to feed. and lots of walking/hiking in local parks.

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. Sharon Dryjanski says…
    06/28/2011

    Hi Ali, Love your ideas thanks so much. I am the great aunt who has the 2 girls 10 yrs old(going16!yikes) and 9yr Brayden & 7YR Brionna and we have planned to go to Creative Quest to a make and take for cards on next week, the older girls and Brayden have been exposed to stamping and doing art journals. They all love and are artsy even if I am partial! I try to take them at least once a week in the summer to some activity like the museum or wild animal park. It makes a difference to be involved and luckily they all swim and have access to pools since that is a mainstay of Arizona folks. thanks for more suggestions...hugs and blessings

    Sharon

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. Marie says…
    06/28/2011

    I think that you have such fabulous ideas. One that I would like to mention (that you have kind of already hinted at) is creating a fun "bored bin" for Simon to pick from. For instance buy a bunch of colorful plastic balls and write fun things on them for him and Anna to do. They can be really simple or really complex, but they can just be fun things that they don't normally do. When they are bored, they pick a ball and do whatever is written on it whether it be a picnic in the backyard, building a fort in the living room, making a bird feeder, etc.

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. Melissa says…
    06/28/2011

    Blowing bubbles! And not just the mini-container of bubbles, but those really, really cool, elaborate bubble blowers! When I was little I had a Radio Flyer wagon. Used to pull my little brother all over the neighborhood in that thing. Jump rope, hop scotch, chinese jump rope, four-square, Lemon Twist, jacks -- all fun outside. Make your own ice cream together! As a girl, we had an old hand-crank ice cream maker. We'd take turns sitting on top (for the weight) while dad turned the crank. Awesome! Our summer this year is taken up with packing and moving. A process that started June 24 and won't end until August 5. Ugh. Thank goodness my son can spend time with grandma, spend time at the pool with his Aunt and spend two weeks at camp!

    Reply 0 Replies
  18. Clare says…
    06/28/2011

    We used to make a sheet tent in one of the kids rooms and the kids would put in there pillows and toys and enjoy hanging out in there for a week or so and then it would need to come down. Every year the week before school would start I would declare its kids day one day and they would get to choose everything that day for the whole day. What we ate, where we went, what we did and usually the sheet tent would be on the list. It was so much fun. My kids have been out of school for a month now, the summer just seems to fly by. Have fun Ali and do enjoy the moment.

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. Sara Mangan says…
      06/29/2011

      Another place that works great for a sheet tent is the clothes line.
      If you have the "old fashion" kind with two strong metal poles on each end, it works great. We spent hours playing in what we called blanket tents in our back yard.

    2. Ali says…
      06/28/2011

      Totally need to add the sheet tent to the list -

  19. Sue Kment says…
    06/28/2011

    Oh such fun memories. My kids used to play post office. I bought a big old leather purse at a garage sale and made pretend letters. You could add math problems on them or ABC's...all sorts of things like pics and make it a learning tool. We also made our own board games and personalized them to an event or reading or math problems to keep their skills sharp. I LOVED making the board games!

    Reply 0 Replies
  20. Paula G says…
    06/28/2011

    We have taken a trip to the mall recently - haven't been to a big mall in over a year -- and we did a few little things - sat in the food court and had either an M&M cookie or a cinnamon pretzel, checked out the Disney store and picked up 1 small item per kid, rode the indoor merry go round, the escalator itself even provided some entertainment....did some people watching, admired the photography and art shop...it was more fun than I thought it would be. Good for a rainy day.

    Reply 0 Replies
  21. Mary in IL says…
    06/28/2011

    Playdoh in a variety of colors and the fun tools to manipulate it kept my kids busy for hours. Also sidewalk chalk, let them cover the whole driveway! Do you have a sandbox? (more for Anna of course). Enjoy your summer Ali!

    Reply 0 Replies
  22. Amy J. says…
    06/28/2011

    Hi Ali,

    Our family has created a "bucket list" for summer, too. I put each item on notecards and hung them on a bulletin board in my kitchen.

    An idea for teaching kids to ride without training wheels was to take off the pedals and the training wheels and just practice balancing. (Someone told me they found the idea on the internet, but I've never tried it.

    A trip to a science supply store might be fun for Simon.

    Also, one way that I try to keep kids reading during the summer is to use a bingo sheet for each month and each square has a different topic/author/reading idea. When the sheet is completed, the students get a prize.

    Thanks for sharing your ideas and inspiring us even more!

    Reply 0 Replies
  23. Kristin A. says…
    06/28/2011

    Our summer vacation just started here in northwest Washington. My daughter's last day of preschool was just last week. Our kids are young (5 1/2, 2 1/2, and 8 months), so we are definitely realistic about what we can do this summer. We found a day camp through our city's rec dept that our oldest will be going to one week plus VBS another week. It will be fun for her to have her own special "big girl" things to do. Mostly I think we'll do lots of trips to the park, blow lots of bubbles, spend lots of time splashing in our water table, and read lots of books (all the kids - baby included - are signed up with to participate in our library's summer reading program; they aren't just for "big" kids!). Picnics, even just in the living room, are always a big hit at my house. Just like at your house, less TV and more life! One cool that my kids are too young for (or at least with a baby in tow isn't really practical) is $1 movies every Tuesday at Regal. Would be a fun little something each week or just occasionally depending on what's playing. Would make that special movie time even more of a treat. Here's the link to check out: http://www.regmovies.com/summermovieexpress/default.aspx

    Reply 0 Replies
  24. Heather Topich says…
    06/28/2011

    I just posted a summer list the other day... http://scrappingmomof3.blogspot.com/2011/06/summer-activities-for-kids.html

    Hope you have a great summer with the kids!

    Reply 0 Replies
  25. Leah G says…
    06/28/2011

    No kids, but plenty of children in my life. I snagged some of the Scribbles books by Taro Gomi from the reduced bin at my local big box bookstore. (http://www.amazon.com/Taro-Gomi/e/B000APENNA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1309297606&sr=1-2) I love that they encourage art and creatvity with short instructions like, 'Design t-shirts for these people.' These may be a good alternative to workbooks for some children.

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