My Plan for a Simple Summer

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simple summer des moines moms blogBefore we had kids, I swore I would never be the “busy” mom running her kids to and from activities. I imagined we would have quiet evenings at home eating healthy dinners and sharing delightful conversation. My car would be clean as no toys, screens, or food would be allowed inside. Who was I kidding?!?!

I have two elementary aged boys who each participate in one sport per season of their choosing as well as one evening of piano lessons. My oldest plays basketball and soccer and my youngest is a hockey player. Between these activities, we have ONE evening without anything scheduled. They love participating in each of their activities and so I absolutely want them to continue to do that.

HOWEVER, this summer, I’m calling off all activities!

That’s right. No hockey camps, basketball camps, church camps, zoo camps, Lego camps, or anything else. This is the first summer in seven years we don’t have anything scheduled.

My reasoning? I want my kids to be at home, having fun together with friends, cousins, and neighbors. I want them to sleep in and eat picnics in the back yard. I want to walk to the park with them and shoot hoops.

I want, no need, time with them to recharge and reset after a busy school year.

In addition to them having some much needed down time to reset, I also want to save money.  A few weeks ago, I asked them how disappointed they would be if we skipped the camps and did more geocaching, pool time, and day trips to Iowa parks. On a scale of 1-10, their disappointment was only at a low 2. That gave me even more conviction to skip the summer scheduling and save money!

Here’s our summer bucket list. What are we missing?

  • Have friends spend the night.
  • Visit new playgrounds.
  • Hike at local parks.
  • Go geocaching and hide our own.
  • Stay up late to catch lightning bugs or watch movies.
  • Meet Dad for lunch.
  • Visit Des Moines area pools.
  • Participate in summer reading programs at the local library, Half Price Books, and Barnes and Noble.

Please note: I am in NO WAY judging anyone for sending their kids to summer activities!! I have done it many years and will likely schedule more in the years to come. I also have a job where I have a lot of control over the hours I work, so I’m home for the majority of the summer with my kids making it easier for me to be flexible with our summer schedule. I am just sensing my family needs a relaxing summer this year.

Here’s to a lazy summer! (And that where I won’t be regretting my decision by July 1!)

What’s on your summer bucket list?

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