Switching Gears For The Summer
I've realised something three weeks into summer. It's happening again.
I spend the school year excited for the summer holidays - a break from all of the driving, the school routines, homework, weekly activities for the kids, etc. Then, the summer shows up, and I can't believe how busy we still are!
I had planned on writing a post about "slowing down for the summer", but in reality, nothing seems to be slowing down over here! Despite the continued fast-paced days, it's still quite a change from what we're used to during the school year.
One of our hardest struggles over the summer as a special needs family is adjusting to the change in routine.
Whether you are dealing with a disability in your home or not, I think all kids have some degree of difficulty switching gears.
Here's what we do over the summer to try to ease the transition from school days to holidays. Maybe these tips will help you too!
1. PACE YOURSELF WITH ACTIVITIES
Every summer, I plan activities for certain days of the week (we go to the library on Wednesday, etc) to keep some structure to the week. On the other side of that, I make sure that my kids also have unstructured time to be bored. Sounds strange, but it's good for them! I'm not the entertainment director 24/7. Being bored often leads to creativity!
2. DECIDE WHEN TO SAY NO
Those last-minute invites to the park, BBQ, playdate, etc. are so tempting! Sometimes you have to look at the state of your week and check whether it will be worth it (we were already up late last night and have to get up early tomorrow... is it a good idea?) It's hard to not feel like you are missing out, but chances are another opportunity will come along that you'll be better prepared for anyway.
3. PLAN MEAL AND SNACKING TIMES
My kids are born grazers - they would eat all day long if they could find enough food to do so. I know for a fact they can survive longer than half an hour without eating something since they do it at school all year! I try to set regular meal and snack times and do my best to stick with them. It saves on the grocery bill too when the cupboards aren't constantly being raided. ;)
4. FIGHT THE TEMPTATION TO HAVE SUGAR EVERY DAY
Now I'm preaching to myself here, but it IS possible for a summer day to go by without an ice cream cone or a freezie ;) Too much sugar just makes everything harder for us. This seems to be a much bigger temptation during the summer months. We have a reward system this year that the kids can earn tokens to cash in for treats. They do this by reading, doing some workbook pages, typing, etc. This makes all of us happy!
5. TRY TO KEEP A CONSISTENT BEDTIME
My little Ezra gets so upset each spring as it starts to stay light later at night - he thinks I'm trying to get him to bed earlier than normal! Even if it's a later bedtime than normal, trying to keep sleep times and wakeups somewhat consistent and close to what they usually are works best for our kids. Too many late nights in a row is a disaster over here!
6. REMEMBER YOU ONLY HAVE SO MANY SUMMERS TOGETHER
Despite how long some of the summer days may feel, in reality the summer is gone in the blink of an eye. When you consider the fact that you only have about 18 summers with your kids, it puts it all into perspective!
This can be a hard time of year! You want to relax from what you do during the school year, but you also want to maintain some sanity for everyone involved. The reality is, you're probably going to end up eating more ice cream than you planned. Have kids up later than you want them to be. More playdates than you're willing to drive to. Just do your best and "slow down for summer" as much as you can!
