How was your summer? Fast? Mine too. Sad about that? Yeah…me too…this was a pretty big summer for us as we welcomed our new baby girl about halfway through it.
Any big plans before it’s time to face the realities of Autumn? My kids have some big ideas…some of which I smile faintly and nod and others (those that involve gas-powered riding toys) strike fear in my heart.
I do want to send the summer out with a bang, though. I need something special and memorable that will help the kids ease from summer to fall.
Need some inspiration for good ways to use August? Since I have a bit of extra time on my hands that I am focusing on family right now, I have been thinking precisely about these things…here are a few ideas I came up with!
- Harvest your garden
- Read a book in a hammock
- Skim stones until you are an expert
- Climb a tree
- Picnic under same tree
- Go swimming–in a lake or pond
- Go fishing
- Take a long stroll
- Gather wild flowers
- Weave wild flowers into a crown or head band
- Go to a drive-in movie
- Lie on your back and watch the clouds
- Sit in the garage during a thunderstorm
- Stargaze on a clear night
- Go camping (even in the back yard)
- Go to a baseball game and cheer like crazy
- Plan a fall garden
- Plan meals using only your garden produce
- Jump on a trampoline
- Make lemonade
- Have a lemonade stand
- Swing high on a swing
- Get up early before the birds wake up and listen to them begin to sing
- Go to a farmer’s market
- Learn how to whistle a blade of grass
I am thoroughly enjoying the beautiful excuse I have to be lazy this summer. Nothing like a brand new baby to slow you down and shift your priorities a bit. Not concerning myself with anything that does not directly impact my family at this point…no room for even wondering what extenze might be…nope…not even curious!
Seeing the summer through the eyes of my children is a blessing I’ve not had in years!
1. Delay dishwashing and laundry until evening on hot days.
2. Keep the house closed tight during the day. Ventilate at night either naturally or with fans.
3. Ventilate with fans in windows located on the downwind side of the house facing out. A window should be open in each room. Keep interior doors open.
4. Use ceiling fans to increase comfort levels. The standard comfort range for light clothing in the summer is between 72 F and 78 F. You can extend the comfort range to 82 F if you instill a breeze of about 1.7 mph.
5. Plant shade trees around the house.
6. Keep the thermostat set at 78 degrees F or higher if using ceiling fans.
7. Install white window shades. Mini-blinds can reduce solar heat by 40-50 percent.
8. Close south and west-facing windows and curtains during the day.
9. Install awnings on south-facing windows.
10. Keep unnecessary lights off.
We are all, no doubt, intimately familiar with spring cleaning. How many of us engage in summer cleaning, though? I find that my house typically needs a good deep overhaul at the end of the summer as the summer activities start winding down. This is the time that I start to feel the itch to reorganize, get into the nooks and crannies, swipe at those cobwebs, and get everything ready to close up the house again. I shudder to think of it…but it will be here before we know it.
Of course, as I’m engaging in this annual summer’s end marathon, I certainly have no need for weight loss supplements because while I am completing this madness I am also trying to preserve the summer’s bounty and prepare for another school year. This is enough stress to make anyone lose several pounds, let me tell you!
So…do you feel the need to clean at the end of the summer? What do you typically do to end the warm months and begin the cooler months?
School’s out here…how about where you are? In fact, this is the first official day of summer vacation at my house and so far so good. We quite a few things coming up that should keep everyone sufficiently busy and quell the sighs of boredom. Even so…it seems like after a few weeks things can slow down a little and we do have days that can stretch a little long.
It’s good to keep a few tricks up your sleeve for these days…so I’m going to try to share a tip or two to help spice up the down-times of summer.
Number one…might even be good for anyone with a public speaking fear…who knows?
Eak-spay Ig-pay Atin-lay! (Speak Pig Latin)
Baffle your kids by talking to them in Pig Latin. All you do is take the first sound of a word and add an “ay” to the end of the word.
Cat becomes At-cay
Dog becomes Og-day
Boy becomes Oy-bay
Get it? It’s fun!
