Waking Up to Sunshine

It is nice to wake up in the morning to sunshine.  Gone are the short and dark days of winter where it is only sunny when we are stuck at work.  We have time to get some sun before and after work and we must not take this for granite.  However, with this weather comes a lot of problems to work through.  Schools will be ending soon, it is vacation season at work, and there will be countless local outdoors events to attend.  These activities will be fun but will not be without stress.

Children

When we were young, we could not wait for school to end for summer break.  We would get to have some summer fun at home, at day camp, or even go to sleep away camp.  We would count the days with excitement.  Now that we are adults we count the days till school ends with dread.  Summer break means several months of us having to manage our children.  There are countless programs and camps that can help but figuring out which one works best is a challenge on its own.  Hopefully by now you have some sort of plan but until a regular routine is developed it will be touch and go.  How will we get the children to said program, camp, or planned babysitter? If we have older children, how do we ensure they stay out of trouble when not in school?  If they are going away to camp, do they have everything they need?  These challenges can be stressful, and no one always does everything perfectly.  What we must remember is to think things through, do the best we can, face all challenges, and everything should work out.

Vacation Season

If you are like most American families, you try to take at least one family trip during the summer.  This can be seeing family, going to a regular beach or campground, or just traveling to see another city.  Maybe you travel a few hours away to catch a baseball game in a new stadium, maybe you rent a cabinet in the country, or maybe you keep things simple and hang out at the local pool instead.   These all seem like fun things to do but work always seems to come up.  Planning a getaway can be simple and fun; however, planning work coverage can be challenging.  It is important to coordinate with your coworkers and boss to ensure that not everyone takes the same time off.  Furthermore, you will have to cover for others when it is their turn to take a vacation which can add to your already full workload.  All these things can be done but it is important not to procrastinate.  Planning in advance will always ensure a smooth work transition.

Living Local

One of the best parts of summer is all the local activities you can find.  Every weekend there will be some sort of concert, art show, festival, and countless other family fun and adult only events occurring.  We all want to partake in them, but doing everything is unrealistic.  These events involve time, money, short travel, and often getting the whole family situated.  This can be difficult, but the good news is it is okay not to do everything.  Like everything else there will be some wins and some disappointments.  It is important to set priorities and make decisions as to what is a must attend event and what things we are comfortable skipping.  Furthermore, it is important to pace ourselves.  We do not want to do too much too early.  We also do not want to wait until the end and do everything in August.  Finding the right balance is key. We need to pick events throughout the summer to go to and we must make sure everyone gets to do some of the activities they love.

Home Chores

The last thing to do during summer is also often the most unpleasant.  After a long winter our homes, vehicles, and countless other things will need maintenance.  This could be cleaning out a garage or a dirty car.  It could be fixing the deck, or it could be power washing your home’s exterior.  There are countless chores that can only be done when the weather is nice, and we must make time for them.  Like everything else, we cannot do everything all at once.  We need to come up with a list of goals and work through them as the summer progresses.  Just remember not to procrastinate.  Waiting too long could result in some unpleasant days working in cooler weather in the fall. 

The long days of summer bring with them challenges but also great times.  We all have some fond memories of summers past, and it is important that we give our children moments to remember for the rest of their lives.  If we make proper arrangements, create a good schedule, and come up with a solid plan we can enjoy summer without neglecting the burden of responsibility.  Enjoy the sun and make sure you have a June to remember.