Doesn't summertime bring out the child in us all? Swimming in the scorching heat, feasting on cold watermelon, inhaling the wafting scent of the grill, listening for cicadas, watching for fireflies...there is a sense of wonder that comes with summer.
May is the end of all things student-related in our area so it is BUSY but it’s a good kind of busy, full of year-end festivities. Celebration is woven into our lives all year but it seems to be the theme of May and having a full month of it is…a lot. A lot of planning, a lot of effort, and yes, a lot of fun. It’s in no way sustainable but I love how there is a season for everything.
We kicked off summer like we always do with root beer floats. Then we packed up the books, slept in, went to the pool, and celebrated by doing not much of anything.
June is pool water blue, lemonade and sunshine yellow, sand colored tans, and cherry popsicles for us.
It’s grilled burgers and hot dogs (which I learned you canNOT call “BBQ” when you live in the south 😉).
It’s being outdoors for hours at a time and not minding the heat because it’s still a novelty and makes all the better swimming weather.
It’s breaking bedtime for movie nights and family coming into town.
It’s going through a sprinkler on purpose as you walk the dogs.
It’s a lot of reading and a little math when we can fit it in.
It’s board games and puzzles and playing cards.
It’s bare feet and cannonballs and swinging high to catch a breeze.
It’s hanging clothes out on the line so that your sheets smell “delicious like outside” when you go to bed.
It’s friends filling up the house and emptying the fridge.
It’s switching gears to “summer mode” and modifying the daily routine.
It’s sidewalk chalk drawings and bike rides and the song of the ice cream truck.
It’s fireflies and mosquitos and sun-kissed shoulders and the cool, cool feel of aloe on your skin.
Summertime is a necessity because what we need to be able to go full force again in the fall is play. It’s the refreshing, restful play that fills you up and restores you. Yes, you…not just your kids.
It’s easy nowadays to fill the summer schedule with camps and activities but summer at its best has a lovely, timeless, lull to it. Think back on your most important summer childhood memories. I bet you weren’t at an enrichment camp or doing bridge worksheets.
There was a time when we did school year round and to some extent we still keep our brains “going,” but I found that we all need at least a couple of weeks completely off here and there over the summer to heave a sigh of relief at a job well done and breathe in the sweet, recharging air of rest.
For the homeschool mom, summer is also a time for planning and preparation and I can't do that well while teaching a full schedule. It’s so beneficial to step away from it all to get a fresh perspective. I love to read a book over the summer that will inspire me as I plan my year and help get my head in the right place for fall. I’ve linked to some favorites in this month’s Everything Guide.
I hope your inner child comes out to play this June. I hope you slow down, clear your schedule, and refresh your soul. I hope your summer is full of the intoxicatingly sweet, buttery scent of gardenias in bloom. I hope you soak in summer with all of its splendor.
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