Last summer I felt like I dragged myself into summer a teensy bit kicking and screaming. It was a long one - the boys finished preschool and had a phased start in September so didn't start full time until 22 September. We were in a between time - not yet into the full rhythm of school and having a bunch of school chums. and in the lull where it seems all classes finish. They were still at nursery which gave me a little time on my own for selfcare and projects.
This year we are fully into the routine of school and having the summer planner has greatly improved my summer for me, along with the vision board work we did early just as the holidays were starting.
Journaling summer
Another idea I've been having as a selfcare practice that I am going to be trying this week is to keep a summer journal - to see what is working for us. This way we have a note of what worked and what we enjoyed and any times that felt more difficult or tiring.
As a practice, this can be as simple as making a few notes each day about what you're enjoying about the day and the summer. Short on time? Just write a summary at the end of the week instead. Some questions to ask yourself:
What am I thankful about today?
What am I most enjoying about this summer?
How am I looking after myself as we head through the summer?
What is working for me, even a little bit?
When am I noticing that I need to take a little time for myself?
If you have more time, you may choose to make more of an art project or a summer holiday journal from your musings. You could include pencil colouring, paint collage or photographs and elements from your holiday.
Including the family - creating a family summer journal
Depending on the age of your family/children you could get them involved in creating a summer journal. Children often love to create a collage or memory of a summer day out. Asking questions once a week or at bedtime about what they have most enjoyed, or their best bits of what they were most thankful for that day, is a lovely way to end the day or week together.
Questions they may want to answer are:
What was most fun today?
Who made my day special?
Drawing a picture of their favourite part of the day is another nice way to capture their view of the day or keeping a photo log.
Until the practice next week friends,
Claire