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Summertime, Not Timed Out

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Soon the kids will be on summer break and off their normal routines. Even though summer is a time to unwind, put away the backpacks and enjoy the nice weather, it's also better to keep yourself and kids on a schedule. How do you maintain a routine, but also enjoy the break? Here are some helpful tips:


Get Up At Same School Time: I know kids who are not early risers will resist this, but getting up at the same time will keep kids consistent and on a schedule. Plus, most kids have several activities over the summer and getting them moving in the morning, will prepare them for the day.


Get Dressed: If your kids are like mine, when school is out for the summer, the last thing they want to do is get up, take a shower and get ready for the day. Keeping kids on a routine throughout the summer will help them focus on activities and ease them back into the school year come fall.


Get Moving: No more recess and mandatory gym class means kids tend to fall into watching tv, playing on their Ipad or simply laying around. While it's great to have downtime over the summer, it's also smart to keep kids active both physically and mentally. Physically, it's a great time for kids to try a new sport or activity. Try enrolling them in a camp in some activity they have never tried before. Also, mentally it's great to do some of those bridge workbooks from school or go to the library and check out a few books. What says summer like reading a great book outside?


Get Meals Planned: In school kids tend to have a snack-time or two and a scheduled lunch hour. Food is either prepared for them or brought from home. During the summer, kids can turn to empty snacks or dinnertime is forgotten about without the routine. Summer is a great time to try out some new food. Everyone leads busy lives, but there are so many pre-made healthy meals out there these days or grill on the weekends and use the food in salads and other dishes throughout the week.


Get Organized: No schedule and no routine often means the house quickly becomes a dumping ground for several activities never completed and inboxes filled up with unanswered bbq evites. Take the time to talk to your kids about what the plan is for each day and that "age appropriate" chores must still be completed. For you, email can become crazy with the the constant summer get-togethers. Try and read and respond to these invitations as they come in. Delete any that you have answered and only keep ones in your inbox that you need to respond to and make sure they do not sit more than a week..


Summer is the perfect couple of months to refresh, try new things, but also stick to the same school schedule. Do you have a summer routine that works for your family? How does it differ from your school routine? Please comment below and let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback!