There is a part in the movie, Ratatouille, where the lead rat, Remy, finds some edible trash treasures and heads up to the top of a house in order to get struck by lightening, causing them to come together is a rush of flavor. He closes his eyes and you see colorful fireworks...and imagine the explosion of flavor.
Summertime reminds me of this scene in that it is a rush and a high of the combination of sunshine, lazy mornings, late nights including s'mores around fires, and long days at the pool. I find myself in love with summer and at the same time ready to pull my hair out. Although I do try my best to coordinate with my boys' friends when we go out for adventeres, there are days when I just need to stay home and pay bills, edit photos, send out billing for my husband's company, and clean. Not to mention the mounds of laundry summer accumulates.
The boys seem to ride this high...the explosion of flavor/fireworks...in thinking every day should be a grand gesture. I should have a perfectly planned (and executed) schedule of events to cater to their restless minds and bodies.
But the truth of the matter is...it is good for them to be bored. It is good for them to sit quietly and read. It is good for them to help with chores. To have down time. To be still.
More so, its good for me to be still. Which I find extremely hard to do in summer. I'm home more...which allows me time to see things that need cleaned and scrubbed that haven't had attention for months...if not years. I could easily fill each moment of the day with chores and tasks and, if I'm lucky, reading and journaling. But my kids need my time, too. A lot of my time, actually. I only have so many summers with them before they'll be out of here and I try to remind myself of this when my head starts spinning.
While we have an absolute BLAST with our buddies, neighbors and family visits over summer, I see the need for us to have down time, too. Not screen time...but true rest. Its in those moments of true rest that we are pulled back to our faith. We find calm. We find ourselves grounded.
Community is crucial and oh so much fun. But it is also distracting. When we connect with friends and I visit with other moms, I find myself chit-chatting away. When I should really be listening more.
I find myself riding the summertime high...which is far from a place of grounding my faith. There are gatherings filled with laughter, stories, and margaritas. There are cookouts with treats and summer deliciousness where I have one too many and regret it the next day. Its much easier to lay in bed and snuggle with my boys in the glory of their morning bed head than to get up and get everyone out the door in time for my workout class.
Summertime is distracting...and after a long, structured school year...its refreshing.
But with distraction comes over-indulgence. At least for me. If I am not very careful with my food, I can put on 10 pounds in a flash. If I miss my workouts for a few days, I tend to make excuses for the next week. I am a creature of habit. Summertime tempts the habits I work so hard to create throughout the school year. Summertime distracts me with its bright and shiny awesomeness.
It doesn't take much to have a healthy balance. But it does take intention.
When I purposefully take the time to sit down and read my Bible and study its words, I find truth and peace. When I write in my journal, I find answers for my anxious heart. I find clarity in the reflection. When I plan meals and shop with intent, I make better choices. When I specifically block time for us to get bored...we find the calm in our hearts that helps us be our very best version of ourselves.
I've found that summer works best when we find that balance. Taking time to play hard...but also taking the time to rest. Its hard to keep God close in your mind and his words on your tongue when you're playing so hard over the summer. But in the stillness you'll find he's there...always there. You just need to quiet your life to come to that realization. We must keep a teachable heart throughout the summer. Be willing to listen...not just make noise.
We must be flexible, too. There are times I have a day of work and chores planned and we'll get a call from a friend who invites us for an impromptu visit. It isn't always an option to drop everything and run out the door. But if I can move things around to accommodate, I always try to nurture our relationships. Making summer memories is what its all about.
But there are also times when plans are made with friends and something happens last minute to change things. Someone gets sick, something comes up. The disappointment is hard for my boys to process, but its a great learning moment. Finding the flexibility to recognize that God may have something else for you that day. Being willing to go with the flow. Sometimes those moments of having unexpected adventures with our own little family are my favorite.
Last, we must have loads of grace for summer. Every day I fall into bed exhausted. Especially since the boys like to 'stay up' in the summer. I truly need just a bit of downtime after they're in bed to collect a piece of my sanity before closing my eyes to wake up and do it over again. I drop the ball. I lose my temper. I forget I made promises. I feel guilty when I have to work in the office all day and they are bored.
As I must extend grace to myself, I must also extend grace to others. Summer is a busy and full time for everyone. We have friends we've tried to connect with for weeks and have had a hard time between travel plans, guests visiting, camps and commitments. Its easy for my boys to feel left out when their friends are busy and its a laid back week for us. But there are equal times when we are running and their friends are around. Grace and patience. To know that we will do our best to connect when we can and must take each day for what it offers.
We are doing our best to make wonderful memories, make the most of our time together, and to also keep some time to decompress. I can always tell when my kids are running ragged. They just need a nice long bath and a good rest. They need a day at home to relax. Or maybe they need a day of helping out around the house to help them learn appreciation and participate in teamwork.
I thrive on a solid schedule. Summer is a challenging time for me in that every week is different. It is also my favorite time where we have the ability to take what we need. Taking the time to find balance and not stretch ourselves too thin is crucial. Taking the time to calm our minds, read, pray, workout...is crucial.
Summertime fun is a beautiful distraction, and stillness replenishes our tired selves and sets our hearts straight.
What ways do you find balance in the summer?
Summertime reminds me of this scene in that it is a rush and a high of the combination of sunshine, lazy mornings, late nights including s'mores around fires, and long days at the pool. I find myself in love with summer and at the same time ready to pull my hair out. Although I do try my best to coordinate with my boys' friends when we go out for adventeres, there are days when I just need to stay home and pay bills, edit photos, send out billing for my husband's company, and clean. Not to mention the mounds of laundry summer accumulates.
The boys seem to ride this high...the explosion of flavor/fireworks...in thinking every day should be a grand gesture. I should have a perfectly planned (and executed) schedule of events to cater to their restless minds and bodies.
But the truth of the matter is...it is good for them to be bored. It is good for them to sit quietly and read. It is good for them to help with chores. To have down time. To be still.
More so, its good for me to be still. Which I find extremely hard to do in summer. I'm home more...which allows me time to see things that need cleaned and scrubbed that haven't had attention for months...if not years. I could easily fill each moment of the day with chores and tasks and, if I'm lucky, reading and journaling. But my kids need my time, too. A lot of my time, actually. I only have so many summers with them before they'll be out of here and I try to remind myself of this when my head starts spinning.
While we have an absolute BLAST with our buddies, neighbors and family visits over summer, I see the need for us to have down time, too. Not screen time...but true rest. Its in those moments of true rest that we are pulled back to our faith. We find calm. We find ourselves grounded.
Community is crucial and oh so much fun. But it is also distracting. When we connect with friends and I visit with other moms, I find myself chit-chatting away. When I should really be listening more.
I find myself riding the summertime high...which is far from a place of grounding my faith. There are gatherings filled with laughter, stories, and margaritas. There are cookouts with treats and summer deliciousness where I have one too many and regret it the next day. Its much easier to lay in bed and snuggle with my boys in the glory of their morning bed head than to get up and get everyone out the door in time for my workout class.
Summertime is distracting...and after a long, structured school year...its refreshing.
But with distraction comes over-indulgence. At least for me. If I am not very careful with my food, I can put on 10 pounds in a flash. If I miss my workouts for a few days, I tend to make excuses for the next week. I am a creature of habit. Summertime tempts the habits I work so hard to create throughout the school year. Summertime distracts me with its bright and shiny awesomeness.
It doesn't take much to have a healthy balance. But it does take intention.
When I purposefully take the time to sit down and read my Bible and study its words, I find truth and peace. When I write in my journal, I find answers for my anxious heart. I find clarity in the reflection. When I plan meals and shop with intent, I make better choices. When I specifically block time for us to get bored...we find the calm in our hearts that helps us be our very best version of ourselves.
I've found that summer works best when we find that balance. Taking time to play hard...but also taking the time to rest. Its hard to keep God close in your mind and his words on your tongue when you're playing so hard over the summer. But in the stillness you'll find he's there...always there. You just need to quiet your life to come to that realization. We must keep a teachable heart throughout the summer. Be willing to listen...not just make noise.
We must be flexible, too. There are times I have a day of work and chores planned and we'll get a call from a friend who invites us for an impromptu visit. It isn't always an option to drop everything and run out the door. But if I can move things around to accommodate, I always try to nurture our relationships. Making summer memories is what its all about.
But there are also times when plans are made with friends and something happens last minute to change things. Someone gets sick, something comes up. The disappointment is hard for my boys to process, but its a great learning moment. Finding the flexibility to recognize that God may have something else for you that day. Being willing to go with the flow. Sometimes those moments of having unexpected adventures with our own little family are my favorite.
Last, we must have loads of grace for summer. Every day I fall into bed exhausted. Especially since the boys like to 'stay up' in the summer. I truly need just a bit of downtime after they're in bed to collect a piece of my sanity before closing my eyes to wake up and do it over again. I drop the ball. I lose my temper. I forget I made promises. I feel guilty when I have to work in the office all day and they are bored.
As I must extend grace to myself, I must also extend grace to others. Summer is a busy and full time for everyone. We have friends we've tried to connect with for weeks and have had a hard time between travel plans, guests visiting, camps and commitments. Its easy for my boys to feel left out when their friends are busy and its a laid back week for us. But there are equal times when we are running and their friends are around. Grace and patience. To know that we will do our best to connect when we can and must take each day for what it offers.
We are doing our best to make wonderful memories, make the most of our time together, and to also keep some time to decompress. I can always tell when my kids are running ragged. They just need a nice long bath and a good rest. They need a day at home to relax. Or maybe they need a day of helping out around the house to help them learn appreciation and participate in teamwork.
I thrive on a solid schedule. Summer is a challenging time for me in that every week is different. It is also my favorite time where we have the ability to take what we need. Taking the time to find balance and not stretch ourselves too thin is crucial. Taking the time to calm our minds, read, pray, workout...is crucial.
Summertime fun is a beautiful distraction, and stillness replenishes our tired selves and sets our hearts straight.
What ways do you find balance in the summer?
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