I love how summer just wraps its arms around you like a warm blanket.

Kellie Elmore

We are about a month away from the start of our first official “summer break” from school. Yes, as hard as it is to believe, our girl is finishing up kindergarten already. My emotional struggle with that can be addressed later… after I’ve processed it! The looming start to summer break from school has had me deep in thought about how we will be spending our summer. I have an overwhelming urge to drop our whole schedule and routine and just be wild and free. Sounds romantic doesn’t it? In theory it would be wonderful. We could go to bed whenever we want, sleep in late in the mornings, then just go wherever the wind sends us.

I have had those thoughts in my head for several weeks now, however I know deep down that the care free, no routine lifestyle would wreck my children, and honestly it would wreck me too. I know from my many years in the early childhood education field, my own education, and the past almost 6 years of being a mom that children thrive on routine. They need to know what is happening next, what to expect, and when each point of their day falls into the timeline.

Our Summer Routine

So with that knowledge, what do I plan on doing this summer with my family? We will still have a daily routine, however it will change a bit. Bedtime will likely move farther back in the evening, at least for our oldest. This is because we like to spend our evenings at my mom’s hanging out at the roping arena. Ada, who is our oldest daughter, absolutely LOVES hanging out on her horse with her uncle and all of his friends. We pack a dinner and go on over and that’s where we stay for most of the evening. My mom also has a pool that we spend a TON of time in during the summer.

I won’t be rushing everyone out of bed at 6:30 in the morning because there is no bus to catch. Will I be letting my children sleep until noon? No, we have things to do! In our neck of the woods we don’t get a ton of sunshine and warm weather, so we try to soak it up as much as possible. Swimming, parks, horses, quads, gardening, sprinkler fun, and of course bubbles will be consuming our days. We will also be sprinkling in a few trips to places like splash pads, the zoo, and children’s museums.

What Stays the Same?

When I think of our summer schedule the things that need to happen around the same time each day are bed time and wake up time, meals, baths, and snacks. If you have kids you know, hungry kids and tired kids are very unhappy little people. Being very mindful of meal times, with snacks in between can be the difference in a wonderful day and a day where both parents and children are in tears. Keeping bed time consistent will keep wake up time consistent and that will also ensure your children are getting enough sleep, which in turn makes your days much happier as well.

Your Family, Your Rules

This is quite a short post, and there is a reason behind it. I want to reach those mamas who aren’t sure if they should just let it all go for the summer, or keep a rigid routine. My education and past experience says walk right down the middle. You don’t have to do story time at 10:30 each morning, followed by a science experiment, then a writing exercise. You can relax your routine a bunch and still keep things on track. We get to choose what is best for our families. What works over here at the Huskisson Homestead might not work for you, and that’s perfectly fine! Of course, if you are working through the summer you won’t want to change routine too much, however if you have a flexible schedule my best advice is to plan a couple fun trips, get your sprinkler out, and watch the butterflies. Just make sure those littles get their naps, you have lots of yummy snacks ready to go, and bed time is right on time each night!

~Tara