Summer Prep

Every time summer comes around we all get excited about all the fun things to do in the summer sun!

Last summer was my first summer with 2 extremely active toddlers. Which by all means was terrifying to me. How on earth do you entertain 2 kids on the weekend when it’s 300 degrees and when all of us definitely have that freckle/pale combo complexion?

I did the usual weekend routine, you know… the park before 10 am, snow cones at pelicans, nature scavenger hunts at Anne Close Greenway, Evening picnics at Walter Elisha park. And of course target runs with that sweet, sweet redemption of air conditioning. Are y’all seeing a trend with my deep relationship with target?

I tried all of the Pinterest fun activities, that are actually more stressful than fun, because you know, toddlers. I found every toddler approved activity.  I even made a dinosaur fossil dig out of corn starch. Which of all of the activities was probably the easiest. The hardest

I could not, for the life of me, figure out what I was supposed to be doing to wear these bouncing balls of energy out. So, I went above and beyond to schedule every waking moment. Bending over backwards to create amazing insta-worthy memories to look back and remember how awesome of a summer it was. My schedule became work all week and entertain all weekend, and then wake up Monday morning to do it all again.

It wasn’t until we spent a week in the mountains when I realized that a simple walk around the lake was fine. That’s an activity. It may sound simple, but it blew my mind. I had been walking through the past year just trying to wrap my brain around having 2 kids, I hadn’t paid attention to the boulder on my back full of anxiety and fear. Fear of letting my kids down, fear of toddler tantrums in public, fear of letting my job down. And all the anxiety that comes with those fears. I realized I had been scheduling every moment of my life, so I could ignore myself.

THIS WAS EXHAUSTING.

I will always be grateful to the mountains for the poor cell service that kept off the grid from work. I could enjoy the stillness and quietness of Lake Junaluska. I will always be grateful for the tree swing on a giant oak tree for letting me sit in quiet with my kids and just enjoy the crisp mountain air.

That being said. If you know me, you know I like to be prepared for anything. See my last post about being a human Swiss Army knife. So, this summer, I will be prepared, i’m gonna prepare so hard.

And by prepare I mean the following:

I will… ignore Pinterest.

I will… drink water

I will… stick to the plan of going with the flow

I will… laugh when my plans go awry.

I will… schedule time for self-care

I will… drink more water

I will… create memories in whatever we are doing.

I will…remember that I’m still here.

 I might forget to drink some water. But this summer, i’ll be prepared to be here. Every insta-worthy moment will be there regardless if we are standing in a sunflower field. I’ll be prepared to laugh and sing and play. Because I have learned from last summer. Remember I’m here, practice self-care, and by gosh please future me wear sunscreen.