3 Ways to Help Summer Run Smoothly
Summer is around the corner whether we’re ready for it or not! I thrive on routine, so the wide-openness of summertime can feel daunting. This month I’m using two of the main tools I help my clients with — Awareness and Habits & Routines —to show you how you can help this summer run smoothly and how you’ll be taking care of yourself (mentally, emotionally and physically), too!
Know How and What You Feed Yourself
Have you noticed that you’re so busy feeding the other humans in your house that you often put your own nourishment on the back-burner? There are days we don’t eat well and then stuff our faces at the end of the day because we’re so hungry. Let’s work on changing that trajectory a bit , especially when schedules might be more flexible during the summer months.
Start with noticing how and when you eat. Do this without judgement; it isn’t about shaming or guilt-tripping. Simply notice: are you standing up, sitting down, or in the car? Do you prepare food for yourself or are you picking at whatever you can find as you’re running through your day? Do you graze all day then eat heavily at night? Do you forget to eat? Once you notice your patterns you’ll be able to adjust them if you want to.
My guess is there’s at least one way or one time of day that you’d rather eat differently than you do now. Start there. This summer, choose one area you’d like to focus on. You have the awareness of what you tend to do, now work on creating a habit around it to get you closer to your goal of how you’d like it to look. Maybe it’s to sit down when you eat a snack. Perhaps it’s to make a batch of overnight oats on Sundays so you have breakfast for yourself ready to go all week. Just choose one thing. If you work on it consistently, you’ll notice more energy (because you’ll likely be eating more nourishing foods) and also less stress (because you have a plan)!
Create a “Rainy Day” Plan
Speaking of plans, it can be so exhausting to be responsible for making hundreds, if not thousands, of decisions each day. Cancelled plans can lead to cranky kids and at-their-wits-end moms. Spend a bit of time now, before everyone is melting down, to create a “Rainy Day” plan. I love this idea because when summer plans change (due to weather or other circumstances) it can be easy to let the day completely spiral away from us.
Decide now what you’ll do when plans change and you’re stuck with a “Rainy Day”. What will you do and what will you be okay with NOT doing (i.e. allow more screen time, throw in an extra load of laundry you wouldn’t have been able to do)? What will you eat and what will you be okay with NOT eating (i.e. make it a snack kind of day or have a “fancy” lunch)?
My Rainy Day plan looks generally like this: being okay with more screen time, doing one special/being present thing with the kids, and creating pockets of time for me to have a little quiet so I’m not overstimulated.
My Rainy Day Plan
Morning: Share our Rainy Day plan so the kids know what to expect. Get the kids outside as long as there’s no thunder. Rainboots/umbrellas/swimsuits/water guns are encouraged and will be the reason they want to go outside. Bonus: I get some quiet time to enjoy breakfast in peace. Once they come inside, snack and suggest baths. (We typically do showers, so 99% of the time they’ll take me up on a bath.)
Lunch: Make it special. Enlist the oldest to be the chef (she loves that!) and help the other two set a fancy table (i.e. new placemats, light candles).
Afternoon: Open time. They can read, watch movies, do crafts, whatever they want, BUT if the fighting starts they’re all getting quite time in their rooms. Ideally I get a bit of time to get some bonus work or chores done, but I’m also okay with sitting down to enjoy the movie with the kids. Most likely between movies or video games, have a snack.
Dinner: Family dinner and evening routine as usual
Do Something Just for You
Creating a habit of scheduling something for yourself is helpful because it’s one way of prioritizing self-care. It’s also just good for us to have something to look forward to! This summer, I encourage you to pick something to do just for you. This will look hugely different for all of us and will change year to year. Last summer I was fortunate enough to get away for a weekend with several girlfriends. This summer it’s far more simple! I want to take my 10 year old to get pedicures after we reorganize her bedroom. It’s for both of us, but it’s also 1 - motivating for me to get her room done and 2 - I’m looking forward to this time just with her.
What’s one thing you can plan just for yourself this summer? Paying a sitter and getting lunch with a friend? Getting away with your spouse for a weekend? Driving through Starbucks while the baby is sleeping? Name it and enjoy it!
Still feel like you need help with awareness or creating better habits and routines? I encourage you to check out my new program! I’ll be opening a beta test of The Exhausted Mom Solution in July and it’s the perfect thing to do to for yourself this summer. I’m so excited to share this program with you. Click here to learn more and to sign up for the waitlist so that you get first dibs on one of the limited spots!
