Make Time for Fun this Summer!

I am SO ready for summer. I am over the homework, the volunteering, the fundraising...I need the break. I am ready to throw away papers, sift through all the "art”, clear the school year clutter! I am looking forward to lazy summer days, swimming at the pool, just hanging out...but wait, I still need a PLAN! Here are few ideas on how to survive summer while having fun.

Talk to your family about what they would like to do and create a summer “bucket-list”.  The activities don’t have to be grandiose. It could as simple as taking a hike at Kennesaw Mountain or roasting marshmallows one night. Each summer one of my “goals” is to make a stepping stone with my children's hand prints and my kids have been talking about “camping” in the backyard.  If you need some inspiration to get the brainstorming going, check out About.com’s 100 Summer Fun Ideas for Kids and Parents.


Figure out what’s in the budget. It’s fun to dream but this is the real world so maybe the 14-day Disney cruise your preschooler suggested is out of the question. There are so many free and cheap things to do around town. Roswell has a really fun “spray-ground” at Riverside Park which only costs a $1 per person (opens May 28^th!) This is a really fun way to stay cool! Consider purchasing family memberships to your favorite places…they may seem pricey at first but usually if you tally up the cost of your family going at least 2x in a year, it saves money. It will also encourage you to go more often and you will be less hurried to explore since you know you don’t have to squeeze in all the fun in one visit!  The Cobb Libraries have a TON of free programs for kids all ages this summer - programs about Legos & robotics, family friendly movies, storytimes, book clubs for tween’s and teens, puppet shows and crafts! Cobb Tots & Kids will be including our “top picks” from the library calendar on our Facebook page and our website calendar but be sure to visit their Kid's Calendar to see ALL the programs.Click here to see more ideas for free summer fun. Hopefully, your “must-do” list will involve lots of “free” stuff…because it’s just like at Christmas or birthdays, what you do your kids want to play with…the new toys or the box it came in? Your kids will most likely remember the day you spent hiking together or the picnic you set up in the backyard over the trips to Six Flags.

Next, print blank calendar pages – fill in dates you already have on the calendar – camps, trips, all the things you have already said “yes” to! Each week, maybe Sunday night, fill in the “empty” days with one or 2 activities from your summer “bucket list” (a special craft, visiting the zoo, going for a hike or to a particular park you’ve wanted to check out) Be sure to balance them out with “down” days – days you just do stuff at home or for the fun stuff you find out about last minute or impromptu playdates! “Scheduling” summer fun might sound like going overboard but merging your summer “must-do” list and your calendar is really important – a list is great but if you don’t schedule the time to do the items, then it’s pointless!

Now that you have all your fun planned, how about the stuff you still “gotta do” – CHORES and your “to-do’s”? The laundry & going to the grocery store still need to get done. Chances are your “mommy work” schedule will be disrupted with the kids underfoot! If you are like me, you tried to get as much of that housework done while the kids were at school…at least the floors would stay clean for a few hours!  Since it totally stresses me out to take BOTH kids to the grocery store, over the summer I have hired a teen in my neighborhood to come down one morning a week for a couple hours so that I can get to (at least) the grocery store sans kids. So think about how you can work those chores into your summer schedule – maybe instead of having one day that you do all the laundry like you did while your kids were in school, now you throw in a load each day before breakfast.  My kids may not help me with the grocery shopping but I’m happy to give them a broom! J Get the kids involved! Check out this list of Age Appropriate Chores from Kathy Peel's Website.

You certainly don’t want to rigid in your planning, you will need some flexibility – it is summer after all but remember you gotta make time to have fun! So sit down with your family and make a plan! Be sure to stay connected with us – we will be keeping you informed of all kinds of summer fun!