Not too long ago I encouraged you to start your summer planning. We are creeping closer to the season so I would like to off more summer preparation tips:
- Stock up on your summertime snacks. Schedule a trip to a wholesale or discount store to collect nutritious tidbits for your hungry kids.
- Anticipate items to help your summer run smoothly such as:
- Placing a thermos full of ice water, paper cups and a trash can on the porch. This will help to keep the kids from running in and out of the house multiple times.
- Freezing juice pouches – they make great slushies.
- Using paper plates and cups for lunches and snacks. This will get you away from the kitchen sink!
- Store beach towels in a lower shelf so the kids can help themselves. (Hint: in our home, we have lower level linen cabinets. During the summer, I put beach towels there and move the winter items such as lap blankets into a zippered, under-the-bed, storage box. Each season I just switch them out.)
- Remove all winter clothes from drawers and replace with the summer clothes. Make sure the kids know how to find everything so you will not have to stop and assist every moment. You can also help your parent if needed to make clothing easily accessible.
- Re-stock your first aid kit. With all of the outdoor play, your children are bound to need some tender loving care. Fill up on Band Aids, antiseptic gels, tweezers, gauze, insect repellent and cold packs for boo-boos. While you are at it, make sure to fill your parent’s first aid kit and update all supplies.
- Discuss seasonal routines with your spouse and establish some guidelines for the break. In our home, it is difficult for us to stay up late at night during the week because my husband still has to go to work early the next day. Consider establishing routines for bedtime, sleepovers, play dates and the dinner hour.
- Gather up supplies such as paper plates, cups, plastic utensils, and store in a plastic crate. At dinnertime just throw in some condiments and you are ready to head out doors for your meal. If you do not have an outside table, throw down a blanket and eat picnic style. The kids will love it!
- Throw a summer “kick-off” dinner to celebrate all of your children’s accomplishments. Invite your folks and make fun foods like burgers, pasta salad, corn on the cob and a special dessert. After dinner, tell your kids how proud you are of all of their hard work. Take the time to open up a discussion about what activities they would like to do during the break.
xoxo Paula
What prep work do you do to get ready for the long summer season?
my husband built shelves for our laundry room and added hooks on the wall specifically designed to store and hand dry pool stuff.
That is a great idea! I need to install hooks for bathing suits and towels. Right now the nice outdoor chairs are the “drying” spot and it looks terrible. Thanks for the tip!
Fabulous ideas Paula! I love the summer kick off dinner party idea! That’s the thing about summer…the kids want to stay up late but we still need that routine. We’re more lax on the weekends!
We spruced up our backyard so it’s more inviting. Better for us to hang out and enjoy as a family.
[...] tell by now that I really love the summertime? If you are a new visitor, I have several posts about preparing and planning for summer. This is an extension of our warm weather discussion with a focus on some [...]