276 - 5 Tips for a Smooth Summer
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Happy summer! I’m so excited that summer is finally here! Today’s episode is simply five tips for you to have a smoother summer.
For the full episode, hit play above or read through below.
You're listening to Work and Play with Nancy Ray, episode 276. Much of our daily lives can be divided into two categories; work and play. Simply put, that's where our life and our legacy take place. This is a podcast all about learning to work and play well, which leads to a healthy soul and a fulfilling life. Let's dive in.
Okay friend, let's talk about summer! Are you pumped? I'm pumped! I'm so excited about summer. I love it! I have loved the last several years as we've navigated summer with little kids, with kids getting bigger, with kids who want to see friends, just being out of school with lots of camps, lots of trips, all the things that summer brings. I feel like I've put some things in place that have helped my expectations and some practical things that I do at the beginning of every summer that just help it run so much smoother. So that's what I'm going to share with you today. This episode is going to be short. It's going to be sweet. It's hopefully going to give you the gift of a smooth, easygoing summer. So let's jump right in.
1). Give yourself two weeks of buffer
Number one, when you are out of school, I want you to give yourself two weeks of buffer. Two weeks of buffer. You're not going to implement any summertime routines or rules or rhythms or chores or whatever. I mean, you can make your kids do chores or whatever you need to do, but just give yourself two weeks to acclimate, two weeks to clean up all of the school stuff, to throw school stuff out. Two weeks to just rest and veg out a little and not really follow a strict plan or routine.
I have given myself that two weeks, I think last summer and this summer, I went in, we got out of school and I was like, “Yes, I'm so looking forward to the rhythms of summer, but I'm not going there yet.” I'm not putting it into place yet. I just need a second. I need a second to catch my breath. The kids need a second to catch their breath after working so hard towards the end of school. Having that buffer time actually allows you to think about, what do I want my routines to be this summer? How do I want our family to look? How do we want to run our household? How do we want things to feel and go? Just don't jump into that summer routine mode too quickly, I think is what I'm trying to say. So that two weeks of buffer is going to allow you to get all of your summer plans and preparations in place. It's going to feel really good to not put yourself under any expectations those first two weeks. That's tip number one.
2). Prepare your car for summer
Okay, I had to pause the podcast for a second because Winnie started crying during her nap. Now she's here with me so you guys get a little bonus buddy on the podcast episode. We're going to see how this goes. So let's move on to number two. Prepare your car for the summer. Now your car is going to be working for you. It's going to be taking you to and from the pool, to and from the beach, to and from birthday parties, to and from whatever errands you're doing. I just want to share how I like to prepare my car for summer. I do a big clean out of all the stuff. I take it and I get it washed. Doesn't last very long, but I take it and I get it washed and cleaned out. Then these are the things that I like to pack in my car so it's always ready to go.
First, the pool bag. I'm gonna let my pool bag just live in the car. I'm gonna make sure at the beginning of the summer it is stocked with newly bought sunscreen, ready to go towels, goggles, and pool toys, and it's gonna live in the trunk of my car. I'm also gonna have a bag in the back of my car with a change of dry clothes for every kid and extra diapers and wipes for the baby. There have been so many times where I have been at a splash pad or some park or some event and the kids have wanted to get wet in some way, shape, or form and I've had to tell them “no”, but guess what? I can say “Yes just go ahead and get your clothes wet because guess what? Mom has a change of dry clothes for you in the car at all times.” So pool bag, changes of dry clothes.
I'm going to keep a snack basket in the car as well. I'm going to have things that don't go bad like bags of chips or cereal bars or applesauce pouches. Things like that so that I always have snacks on hand if we want to stay somewhere longer than we had anticipated. Then I'm gonna put some empty trash bags in the car so that if they do have wet clothes or wet towels or smelly trash, we're prepared. We have a way to put things where they need to go.
3). Say “no” to more things
Okay, number three, I am going to say “no” to a lot more things this year. Okay, this is one of those lessons that I had to learn the hard way last year. I signed my kids up for so many camps. Now last summer I was pregnant and I thought that it would help me by having them go to all these camps and do all these things. I was wrong. I was very wrong. It was a lot on me to actually get in the car and go back and forth so much. So this summer I said, “We are doing one camp.” One camp. That is it. Then we are going to build out whatever other plans that we have this summer. We are going to do one other family vacation with Will's side of the family to Dollywood, which we're very excited about. Oh and we're going to Nashville and Kentucky at the end of the summer for family.
Everything else is pretty fluid. Like we can go to the beach if we want; we don't have to. We could go to the lake if we want; we don't have to. We can basically be home and be bored most of the time, which I'm thrilled about honestly. It allows us to go to different pools with friends and just plan different things But just say “no.” Say “no” to more things than you think you should say “no” to because that allows you to say “yes” to summer boredom and creativity and quiet and that feeling of not feeling rushed. That feeling in the summer. You don't want to be rushed. You You want to be lazy, right? Summer feels good when you can feel like you're just relaxing and lazy. That's what we're after. That is why I want to say “no” to more. I feel like I learn that more every single year as a mom. But that will help your summer run a lot smoother is if you're just not overcrowding it with too many things.
4). Prioritize the simple joys of summer
Okay, number four… Prioritize the simple joys of summer. Ask yourself right now, whatever you're doing listening to this episode. Are you walking? Are you driving the car? Just ask yourself this question. What are the simple joys of summer to you? I'm going to answer for you my answers, but I want you to think about it and keep adding to this list as you think about that question. What are the simple joys of summer?
I think the simple joys of summer are pizza by the pool and unlimited popsicles. Maybe not unlimited. We actually do have a limit. I tried unlimited popsicles. That backfired big time. But popsicles, okay? Popsicles in the driveway. Homemade ice cream, peaches, reading books, taking naps, catching fireflies, like the simple joys of summer.
So think about that for you and how you can prioritize those things and make sure that those things happen for you and your family. I mentioned popsicles and I laughed because I had said unlimited popsicles two summers ago and my kids abused that to the point that they were having like 8-10 popsicles in a day. I was like, “Whoa, okay, no, you guys have no self control.” So I think this year, we're going to limit it to like two or three popsicles a day. But here's the thing. With that, I'm going to get Trader Joe's like all natural fruit popsicles, like the squeezy pops and they don't have to ask permission. They do not have to ask permission to get a popsicle. They can just go get it whenever they want and they can have up to three a day and they have to help their little brother who can't use scissors yet. That's the rule. And they have to eat them outside too. That's another rule. But just putting simple things like that in place. This is making it smoother for me. You don't have to come ask me about this. You can just go have a popsicle and enjoy. It's going to be great. Prioritize those simple joys.
5) Have daily and weekly rhythms
Okay, last thing. Number five. Have daily and weekly rhythms. Now I told you, don't do it right away. Two weeks of buffer is mandatory. Just enjoy. Just let it be crazy. By the end of those two weeks, you are going to know exactly what you're going to need help with around the house. You're going to know that this isn't going to work the whole summer and we need to put some routines and rhythms in place. Okay, this is what it looks like in my house.
In the morning, you need to get dressed. Can't be in your jammies all day. You need to make your bed and you need to come down and unload the dishwasher at some point before lunchtime. If the dishwasher's not ready to be unloaded, which usually it is. We usually run it overnight, but if it's not, they need to do that before dinner, like later on when I tell them to, if I had forgotten to run it or something like that. But every morning, get dressed, make your bed, and unload the dishwasher.
In the middle of the day, we're going to have some quiet time. You can read a book. You can take a nap. You can play with your brother or sister if you want to as long as you're quiet and mommy is going to do whatever mommy needs to do. That is how mommy is going to be happy and healthy this summer.
In the afternoon, the kids are going to tidy the main living areas and whatever mess they've made. So if they've been outside… for example, just yesterday they were outside and they opened a coffee shop. They got like eight to ten plastic cups from the kitchen and they were in the driveway filling all of them up with mud and water for their coffee. So I told them, “This is great. I love you guys playing like this. This is wonderful. I expect that all of these cups will be put in the dishwasher, that you'll rinse them out really good with the hose and they'll all be put in the dishwasher before dinner time, okay?” And they're like, “Okay, mom.” Well, maybe they push back on me a little, but ultimately they knew they needed to clean up the mess they've made.
They need to set the table every night for dinner and they need to be in bed by 8:00. If they're in bed, great. They can read as much as they want. They can read until whenever, but they need to be in bed at 8:00. Now I will probably go in there and check on my six year old and make sure that he has the lights out by like 8:15-8:30, but the girls, I don't mind if they stay up till 9:00 or 9:30. That's not a big deal.
These are just like simple ways to make your summer run smoothly. Llet's not put too much pressure on ourselves at first. Let's give ourselves that two weeks of buffer. Let's prepare our car so that it can be the space that works for us to make the best memories throughout the year. Let's say no to a lot more stuff. Let's not sign up our kids for every single camp and every single thing to do. Let's prioritize the simple joys of summer. Keep those popsicles on hand. Plan an easy dinner night, a pizza or pizza by the pool like once a week. Put it in your calendar to make that homemade ice cream. Yeah, just have some downtime. Then number five, have those daily and weekly rhythms that work.
So that's what it looks like daily for us. Weekly, we still honor Sabbath every week. I still have my kids do their household jobs once a week. So we've got a bathroom manager and a trash manager and a food manager. That happens once a week. Then we just rest and chill on Saturdays for our Sabbath. All of those weekly and daily rhythms are just so important to help you have a really enjoyable, smooth summer.
That's it. That's it. Listen, if there is anything else that you do in your summer to make it smooth and enjoyable, I would love to hear. I don't usually put my email on the podcast, but y'all can always email me with ideas and things that you'd like. Nancy@nancyray.com. Llet me know what's making your summer smooth.
Can I also just put this out here? I did not plan to say this at all. But y'all know I take off every January and every July from the podcast and so it's coming up here that I'm gonna be taking a month off in July and I would just love, if you don't mind, if you are a longtime listener, if you're one of those that listen every week, if you have something that you would like to hear me talk about in the podcast or if you are just struggling with something in your life right now, I just want to invite you to email me about it. I know that sounds crazy. I might not email you back. I do want to let you know that because I'm very rarely in my inbox this summer. What I would like to do is if you put “podcast” or “Work and Play podcast” in the subject line, what I'd like to do is on my month off of the podcast in July, I would really love to go through those. Let them help guide me in the content that I'm making for you in the fall on those podcasts and also just give me an opportunity to connect with you one on one, like a person, not just a listener, but a person. I'd love to pray for you. I'd love to get that email. If there's something you're struggling with or something specific that you'd like to hear me talk about, I would love to pray for you and I'd love to hopefully incorporate that into the rest of the year and the content. So that's my invitation for you.
Guys, this was a fun episode for me. It's simple. It's short, but it's fun and I hope that these five things help your summer run smoother.
Thanks for listening to episode 276 of Work and Play with Nancy Ray. Everything I've mentioned today can be found in the show notes at nancyray.com/podcast/276. You can find me at nancyray.com or follow me at @NancyRay on Instagram almost daily.
I'm going to close with these words from Jenny Han who said,
“Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.”
Thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time.
