10 Things I'm Not Worrying About This Summer

This summer, I'm doing things a little differently.

Instead of trying to fill every day with something exciting, I'm trying to make room for the ordinary moments that I know I'll miss someday. I'm excited for vacations with my kids, beach trips, and days at the water park, but I have a feeling the memories we'll hold onto the longest will be much simpler than that.

So while we'll still have outings and busy days, I'm just as excited for popsicles on the porch, playing in our own backyard, movie afternoons when it's too hot to be outside, and the kids getting bored long enough to invent a game together.

I've realized that creating a meaningful summer is about being intentional with our time and worrying a little less, not necessarily doing more.

So here are a few things I'm choosing to let go of this year.

I'm not worrying about boredom.

I know my kids are going to tell me they're bored. It'll probably happen more than once a day, but I've started to realize that boredom usually comes right before creativity. If I don't rush in to fix it, they almost always find something to do.

I'm not worrying about having a perfectly clean house.

There are four kids home all day. That means snacks, blankets, toys, swimsuits, and shoes everywhere. The house can be cleaned later. Right now, I want it to feel lived in.

I'm not worrying about packing our schedule.

For a long time, I thought a good summer was a busy summer. This year, I'm learning that slow days count too. In fact, they might end up being the ones we remember most.

I'm not worrying about making everything Pinterest worthy.

Not every activity needs to be elaborate. A sprinkler in the yard and a box of popsicles can make for a pretty great afternoon.

I'm not worrying about a little extra screen time.

Some days are long, some days it's raining, and some days Mom needs twenty quiet minutes to drink her coffee before it's watered down. That's okay.

I'm not worrying about checking every box on our summer bucket list.

I love making a list every year, but this year I'm treating it as inspiration instead of a checklist. If we only do half of it, we'll still have had a really good summer.

I'm not worrying about saying yes to everything.

It's okay to skip the extra outing or turn down an invitation if our family needs a slow day at home.

I'm not worrying about the laundry.

I have a feeling there will always be a pile waiting for me. Summer is too short to spend every minute trying to catch up.

I'm not worrying about getting the aesthetic picture.

I love capturing moments with my kids and the fun we have together, but I don't want to spend so much time documenting our life that I forget to actually live it.

And finally, I'm not worrying about making summer perfect.

I don't think my kids are going to look back and remember whether I planned enough activities or kept the house spotless. 

I think they'll remember that we sat outside after dinner, stayed up a little too late, laughed, played games, took trips to the mountains, and simply enjoyed being together.

That's the kind of summer I want to give them.