For the past two years, summer has taken me by surprise and in a blink of an eye it was gone! I guess you can say that’s normal for a mom with toddlers – everything is so unpredictable, but I wish I would’ve had a summer plan last year. If you read my last post, this summer is special for us – with the kiddos going off to school in August and my husband and I are turning 30 this summer, I have no choice but to make it a memorable one. I’ve already started planning for the ultimate epic Ortiz summer.
Here are a few ways I’ve started to prepare for the summer:
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Home Organization
I spent the beginning of this year organizing my
home watching Do it on A Dime videos on Youtube and Instagram. While most of the organization worked well, I need to reassess some areas that I’m still having trouble with. I know I’m having trouble because the areas are harder to maintain. I’m planning to schedule in time weekly to work on this quickly so I can maximize how I’m balancing my time in the summer with work and having the tots at home.
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Summer Wardrobe
Someone invited me to a pool party next week and I
envision myself in a scurry to see if old bathing suits still fit the kids. Nope, not this year! I made a list of all the items the girls will need for pool fun and went to get them…in advance! I have bathing suits, water shoes, sunscreen, wet/dry bags (Target dollar spot), sunglasses ($1 in the Target dollar spot) and cover ups. I’ve placed all these items in a lidded clear bin from the dollar tree. These bins are great for grab-n-go moments to throw the bin in the car for an impromptu swim date. I also stock checked tanks/t-shirts and shorts. As much as I love shopping, we will not be having many “buy” days this summer. Please add YOUR summer wardrobe needs to this list. I forgot to do that the first shopping trip I took so I’m now looking for deals and organizing my “pool” bin and affordable summer outfit plan.
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Summer Playdates
I want to invest in summer playdates. It’s a great way to add a fun activity to the calendar for FREE and catch up with a mom friend. Sometimes I stress about planning playdates, but they don’t have to be elaborate. Your local park goes a long way. Your Kid + Their Kid = FUN.
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Summer Vacations
The earliest memories I have as a child date back to our
summer vacations in Mexico…my memories date back to just two years old. I remember very simple things like people, places and emotions but it’s enough to remember joy. We took my daughters to the beach last summer and they are STILL talking about it! At least one time a week they bring up our awesome beach vacation from last summer and say “can we go again tomorrow?” So, this summer, we decided to plan a nice beach vacation and two local weekend getaways. They will be finalized on the calendar early June.
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Summer Activities
Many times I hear about great events and I feel more times than not it’s too late to go because I didn’t plan it out or it’s FULL because it’s a free event that I didn’t sign up or register for. Grab a notebook and jot them all down and place them on your calendar NOW. This helps relieve so much of the pressure to keep the little ones “busy” with fun.
These are a few things we have on our summer bucket list and resources I use for summer fun planning:
- Dallas Moms Blog Summer Camp Guide. Fun camps happening for the littles!
- Last year we didn’t make it out to the Klyde Warren summer movie events. This year I have all the dates that will work for us on the calendar so I can finally check this out!
- Going to a drive-in movie theatre must make it on your list! There are two in the DFW Metroplex, Galaxy Drive In Theater in Ennis and Coyote Drive In in Fort Worth. This is an experience worth making time for and just picture the summer sky stars while munching on buttery popcorn watching TWO new releases. We have been successful with our two and five-year-olds.
- Don’t forget to check out EVENTS on Facebook and see what’s happening near you.
- I like to keep my eyes on the local libraries, local chamber of commerce and municipal social media accounts that will likely include city events. In my experience those are typically open to the public and FREE.
- Splash PADS – find them, enjoy them!
If you have a fun activity you’re doing this summer please drop it in the comments below. I’d also LOVE to hear about your successful local weekend getaways. Let’s share in the summer adventure!
