I Want a Back-to-Basics Summer

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a version this post first published in 2015, and I have updated and republished it for 2020.


I have been aching for simplicity and ease in our everyday routines. As we enter our last weeks of school, I can’t wait to turn off the computer (no more virtual learning!) and just be for a while.

We’ve spent the last 10-12 weeks adjusting to the unexpected shift in our lives called “social distancing” and “quarantine”. We’re staying home, learning at home, working at home. My youngest son blames everything on COVID-19, “We can’t go to {X} because of ‘corona’. I just wish ‘corona’ never happened.” Me too, little buddy, me too.

After all the change, I’m looking forward to a back-to-basics summer. I’m over the distance-learning, the Zoom and Blackboard classes, the barrage of emails from school administration (though I am grateful they’re communicating; emails from three schools and 5 students’ worth of teachers overwhelms me within an hour). I’m exhausted emotionally from the news, the unknowns, the chatter about how long we’ll be wearing masks and avoiding social gatherings. 

I look forward to purging old papers, reorganizing bookshelves, and no more logging in to class or trouble-shoot computer problems.

I look forward to letting my kids sleep in, while I turn on a podcast or some music, and Bible journal first thing in the morning.

I look forward to downtime to reset our brains, to reevaluate priorities, to settle into a summer to rest and grow. I can’t wait for the long days to read for hours at a time, or watch movies with blankets spread on the floor.

I’m hopeful to do a simple Bible study–like reading from the Gospels or short books like Ruth–with my kids + spend time in Adoration together.

If possible, we’ll visit the library and borrow as many books as we can carry. We’ll enjoy a family read-aloud or two. Click here for my 2020 summer book list.

When boredom hits, I don’t worry. Boredom is an opportunity for their young minds to grow, to find something to wonder at, to enjoy silence, to be creative.

We’ll keep up with our regular day-to-day things, like chores and learning to cook together. We will make ice cream, and I’ll also teach my children to put a meal in the crock pot, roast veggies, and plan a few meals on their own. My boys enjoy this cookbook for simple dishes they can prep on their own. 

Maybe we’ll even just be super silly and do a home-made photo booth with crazy props. That’s always fun, right?

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8 Comments

  1. Amen! That’s why my husband and I continue to give our boys new siblings to play with every couple of years! 😉
    Thanks for some great ideas – I’ve been wanting to find a homemade ice cream recipe.

  2. I completely agree about boredom being good for kids. I wrote a blog post about that very thing a couple of years ago that I plan to reblog later this week or next – look for it on CWBN. And thanks for the Craftsy link. I didn’t realize they had baking stuff too.

    1. Oooh! I’ll be on the look-out for it! And you’re welcome on Craftsy. I’m having tons of fun there. More posts on some of the classes I’m learning from to come!

  3. Great plan! I used to always feel as if I were the activities coordinator for my kids. I wish I would have known you when mine were little. Enjoy your summer. It sounds like a great plan to me.

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