As a life purpose intuitive and creativity coach who works primarily with mothers – and as a mom myself, I know the value of “summer time management.” With our kids in school for a good part of the year, the summer tends to bring a schedule that’s very different than the one we’ve grown accustomed to. Things get a bit topsy-turvy with summer camp schedules, family vacations, and a bit more free time with our kids (where they’re expecting us to come up with fun things to do).
So how do we work in time for our own self-care? How do we maintain a client schedule? How do we give ourselves a bit more flexibility during the summer season?
Today, I’ve invited my good friend and fellow colleague Jamie Willett, co-creator and co-publisher of Moms Growing with Goals Magazine to share some of her best tips for “Managing the Summer with Your Kids While Still Having Time for Yourself.”
Here’s what she had to say:
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Summer can bring lots of mixed emotions as a Mom. It’s a time of year with no homework and school activities. However, summer can also bring days filled with activities of its own and often your own self-care gets missed. Without consideration for YOU, it’s easy to find yourself on the back burner and as a result you (and your entire family) can suffer.
As summer gets underway, consider one or more of these tips to help you not just manage this time of year with your kids but THRIVE!
1. Child Care Swap – This is a wonderful way to give and receive support! Find one or more of your friends who have children of similar ages to swap childcare with. Agree to watch each other’s kids throughout the summer. It can be a set time each week or on an “as needed” basis. I belonged to a group such as this for 10 years and it truly helped me stay sane. This babysitting program is based on a “point basis”, no money is exchanged. Read more about this type of system at www.babysittingcoop.com. Set up something similar with one or as many Moms as you’d like. It’s a great system.
2. Start or end each day with meditation – I’ve found meditating to be very relaxing. I didn’t used to think it I could meditate because I thought it was impossible to “quiet my mind”, but if I can do it so can you! If you can manage to meditate first thing in the morning before the kids need you, this can set your day on a much happier note. If the thought of this stresses you out, make time at the end of your day to meditate, when your kids are most likely asleep and do not need your attention.
3. Recruit your own helpers – YUP, enroll your kids to be your little helpers. Now, the idea of this may just stress you out but this can really benefit you and create learning experiences too. If your kids are younger, let them know they can help out in smaller ways like picking their own clothes out of the laundry and putting away or do some light dusting. If they are older, they can do more involved chores like unloading dishwasher, cleaning up bathroom and vacuuming. This may take a bit more of your time at first as you teach them how to do a chore, but it will be a time saver in the end and free you up to do something for yourself.
4. Date Night – This can look a couple ways. You can schedule a date night with your spouse (and have a friend to babysit for the kids as suggested in tip #1) or have a ‘Girls Night Out’ with your girlfriends. I recommend filling your summer calendar with both of these options at the beginning of the summer. They are great ways to deepen your relationships and fill yourself up too.
5. Create a small goal for yourself – Decide on a smaller goal for the summer. This can be as simple as completing a house project or perhaps releasing 5 pounds. Then break that goal into small action steps and do something each week (or several times a week) to move you towards completing your goal. It’s super fulfilling and creates opportunities for self-care at the same time.
And here’s a BONUS tip: Take several opportunities to read something that inspires you! I am honored to be the co-creator of a motivational magazine for Moms which has articles provided by wonderful contributors like Tina Games. The best part is this magazine it totally free so give yourself a self-care boost and subscribe today at www.MomsGrowingWithGoals.com/mag
I hope you decide to choose one or more of these tips to THRIVE throughout the Summer!
Jamie Willett is happily married and lives on the Seacoast of NH. She is a Mom of 3 beautiful kids and continues to learn from them daily. Jamie is a graduate of Klemmer & Associates, a Premier Leadership Seminar Development company, training bold ethical leaders who will create a world that works for everyone with no one left out. She is excited to fulfill her purpose in life by helping Moms be inspired, enjoy self-care and discover their passion.