"Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer..."

Those are the only words I remember to that song--aren't you glad? I thought our theme this month was to be vacation and summer break and then Edna, our coordinator, sent me an e-mail saying our theme is "Take a Rest". What??? Are you kidding? I love summer, but one thing it isn't is restful- -and maybe not so much at your house either. The kids are home from school needing direction, the house/yard/garden needs attention, and getting ready for a vacation is enough work to make you wish you could stay home...take a rest, you say? Right.

Actually, while summer is still busy it does bring a change of pace and a variety of new challenges and activities. So, I offer you "Suzanne's 3R's of Summer Survival", or "How to have a Sane and Sensational Summer."

1. Relax. Relax on the porch and outside, relax your schedule and relax your standards. (Sometimes my standards are so relaxed you'd have to get a backhoe to retrieve them) Summer fun is going to get messy--welcome some mess as a sign you're busy, happy people--dirt will be tracked in--embrace it! I'm probably the worst offender at my house because of my gardening, but we had a sandpile for the kids, too--if you don't have a sand pile, make one. This is one of the great pleasures of childhood--I still enjoy putting my bare feet in the cool sand! (A sand pile seems redundant here where we live as most of our ground is sandy!)
While we're on the subject of summer fun, I do have some standards by which a backyard's fun quotient is measured. This is not the place to relax standards. Besides the sand pile, you also need a wading pool or lawn sprinkler to run through, trees or ropes to hang sheets over for tents and forts, a tree swing and/or a hammock. (We postponed the joy of a hammock for years because we thought they were $200--wrong! We got one at a sporting goods store last year for$50) A fire pit or place to build a small fire is also a big hit--maybe not so much in the summer, but we have used ours(my Christmas present) many evenings to roast hot dogs and marshmallows. We invite the neighbors or friends over and there is no substitute for sitting around a fire, under the stars talking. These are small investments in making big memories! Comfortable porch or outdoor furniture invites sitting and relaxing also.
I have mixed news for you about relaxing your schedule--cut down activities some so you can hang out in the backyard, but summer also provides opportunties for your family. I grew up in a town of about 12,000 with a great Recreation department. My mom didn't believe in children sitting around the house all the time, so our mornings were spent in swimming lessons, summer band, the library reading program(always a fabulous place to be--this year's reading program theme in Kansas is "Make A Splash"), children's theater, modern dance and Vacation Bible School. (We did our church's and then spent 2 weeks with my Grandma going to her VBS) As we got older, we added 4-H when we moved to our farm and had project meetings and the fair to get ready for plus summer camps! Strive for a balance between unencumbered time and things to do. Either way, children and even us adults, need and appreciate a routine. We had a morning routine of breakfast, doing chores, playing and activities.The afternoons were for quiet reading/rest in the basement(where it's cool)or swimming, and in the evenings we were back outside doing yard work, gardening or porch sitting--with root beer floats! As my kids got older,we had 4-H and sports, too.
Relax whatever you need to so you can enjoy summer. (A random thought--"relax"is a verb--a word that shows action, but can it still be a verb if when you relax you show no action? Hmm.).
Also while we're talking about 'relaxing" standards, running through the sprinklers at the end of the day before bedtime is a great "shower", and an ice cream supper is a memory maker,too!)

2. The next R is Rejuvenate!
Besides embracing more dirt and messes, summer is also a great time to embrace creativity, new projects, interests and sights. Redecorate the kids' rooms--let them choose a new paint color(with some boundaries) and paint the room together. Do artwork together, have water wars, go on field trips to interesting things nearby. ( I took my kids to Yoder on a Saturday morning and we parked in the park and watched the Amish families come to town in their horse and buggies) Learn something new--I read about a family that required everyone to come to the supper table with an interesting fact they had learned that day--they had to look one up if they hadn't learned anything! Go biking, hiking, canoeing, bird watching, put a quilt on the ground and lay out and watch the stars, play flashlight tag, catch fireflies(catch and release!) take a night walk around your neighborhood, celebrate the longest day, have movie nights with food that matches(Westerns, Italian, etc). To rejuvenate, get out of your rut and drag your family with you!!

3. The last "R" is...Reconnect!

Re-establish a feeling of closeness by spending time with your Heavenly Father and your earthly family and friends. Intentionally make times to seek out those closest to you. Some men/teens/children share best when you're engaged in an activity, others when you're sitting on the porch or at bedtime. The key thing here is to be there and pay attention! We always had bedtime stories together with Bible stories and then "chapter books" on a theme. Family trips are also opportunties to see each other in different ways and to share and talk. (Limit iPods, DVD players, etc.) Make a scrapbook/journal to record your trip. We have great memories of trips together--some good, and some not so good at the time, but funny now! Enjoy God's creation, whether on a trip or camping in your own backyard !

For more practical tips, see the Home Matters blog.

As for myself, I do plan to relax (tea on the porch in the mornings is great),rejuvenate(I'm getting a Kansas State Parks pass for myself and my husband to hike/canoe, plus learning about Brazil as my son is headed there for school next fall) and reconnect!

But for right, now, I've got strawberries to pick, my daughter to pack to move to KansasCity tomorrow morning, VBS crafts items to finish and the laundry to do--I'll rest some other day!