As I look at our schedule for summer, I see some wide open days during my work-at-home mom days. These days are quite precious, as we tend to have busier weekends as a family. As such, I try to cram in as much home stuff and errand running as I can in these days, so we can enjoy our weekends a bit more.  Like so many other families, we are trying to squeeze every last drop of fun and enjoyment out of summer as we can. Our Wisconsin winter was so brutal that we truly deserve and savor the sweetness of summer.  Some of our plans are heading to the zoo, camping, going to weddings, seeing friends and family, hiking, biking, walking, swimming, enjoying picnics, and grilling out.

Nestled in between all of the busyness, I crave and hope for some regular old summer days. These days remind me of growing up as kids in our neighborhood, when we didn’t have any plans and often complained we were bored.  Eventually, we’d rally all of the neighborhood kids and create our own fun.  Nowadays I think we can miss out on this unstructured fun with our busy and often over-scheduled summers.

Here are a few elements that define a regular old summer day for me:

  • Slowly starting out our day, lingering over a breakfast and enjoying my coffee
  • Get outside to play in the yard / sit on the deck
  • Have a picnic
  • Lounge on the picnic blanket in the shade (and maybe take a nap)
  • Hang laundry on the line for a warm, sun-bathed scent
  • Take a walk / bike ride around the block or to the park
  • Stop by the local farmer’s market for delicious fare for an easy dinner
  • Smell like sunscreen
  • Make our own lemonade to drink
  • Grill out & eat dinner on the patio
  • Enjoy ice cream at the end of the day

Cheers to days like these!  What do you love about regular old summer days?  Do you have grand plans plus some free time just to chill?