Based on the past weekend I think we've found our summer groove. I'm happy about that because that means, I hope, that we will make the most of this summer from start to finish. We're into a bit of a routine with the little person's days now that school is out.
She is settling in with a lot of reading, two books last week and a trip to the library to join the summer reading program. We are also getting in the flow with all of the things we hope to have her learn and master this summer, including some cooking, taking on more chores around the house and keeping the school skills fresh.
This past weekend was nothing if not relaxing. We slept an amazing amount, rested at home and had lots of chances to get out and see friends and do things too. We kept meals simple with lots of fresh fruit and salads.
Here are a few things we got into a groove with that I hope will stay with us for the summer.
1) Light, Healthy Eating: We always eat pretty healthily around here but I love the simplicity of our meals and all the fresh fruits, vegetables, nutrient packed smoothies and big delicious salads.
2) Rest: We need the rest. It feels good. Getting plenty of sleep is good and needed for all of us. Keeps the body and mind healthy and strong.
3) Time With Friends: We have a fantastic group of friends right now. In the past week we've spent time with single friends, married couples, an older widower and families with kids. It's good for our family's souls to spend time with friends and it makes our life richer. More of this please.
4) Nights Out: We have started going to the park in the evenings. I love living in a neighborhood where many of the kids go to the same school. This means that walking around our neighborhood or going to the park we get to see friends we know and The Bug has lots of kids to play with.
Now that school is out, the park is much more crowded as parents get their kids out of apartments now that they aren't in school all day. Every night there are friends at the park for The Bug to play with and it's good to get her running around at high speed burning energy and staying fit. I like taking a bag of magazines to look at and I can sit and enjoy myself on a nearby bench while The Man plays basketball and the little one runs with friends. I get a little me time at the same time after doing my workouts earlier in the day.
5) Walking & Riding Bikes: We are trying to use our feet more for errands and incorporate exercise into our daily routines. Our area doesn't necessarily feel like a neighborhood that has everything, but if you can ignore all the traffic, you realize we do really have just about everything we need within walking distance of our house.
There are fantastic restaurants, places to go for a treat, post office, clothing, hardware, craft and grocery stores all within a few blocks. We also find we enjoy the neighborhood a lot more when we can actually look around. Walking and on bikes we see and appreciate a lot more of the beauty around us.
6) Creativity: I have been on a bender to do some creative projects this weekend. It's always a little scary when I get in that mood because it could mean I get into all sorts of mischief. I have a little craft project I am going to do today with some clay I have tucked away in a drawer. We also have sewing to do.
We are getting the art supplies out more and I have a great list of fun projects I'd like to try. A mountain of rubber band bracelets were made here this weekend. It's a great time to make bracelets of all kinds, since we're a stacked bracelet loving clan. We have a full drawer of goodies we can play with.
7) New Things & New Places: We have been visiting new neighborhoods and doing things we haven't done before. I have really enjoyed this the past few weeks and want to keep it up over the summer. It invigorates me to do news things in the city I've lived in most of my adult life and in a city this big that is easy to do without going to far from home.
We had a lot of BIG hopes for this summer that so far just haven't worked out, but we're making the very best of it and trying to live happily every day anyway. These little things in small moments are bringing joy and happiness to our life and helping us live the fullest with what we have.
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