Being a mom is a full-time job, and when summer break rolls around, it can feel like the workload doubles. With kids out of school and a change in routine, summer break can be chaotic and overwhelming. However, it's important to take care of yourself and find peace in the midst of chaos.
Here are some tips to help busy mamas, like you, find peace during summer break:
Embrace imperfection
As a mom, you're used to juggling multiple responsibilities and trying to make everything perfect. However, during summer break, it's important to let go of the need for perfection and embrace the imperfections that come with this crazy, chaotic, fun time. This can mean letting the kids have a messy day of crafting or letting go of some household chores to enjoy quality time with your family. Using a priority list over a to-do list can be huge here.
Challenge your thoughts
It's easy to get caught up in negative thoughts and stress during summer break. If you challenge those thoughts and focus on the positive, you can find peace in the chaos. For example, instead of feeling overwhelmed by the kids' energy and constant demands, try reframing it as an opportunity to spend quality time with them and create meaningful memories. If it's a time where you're needing a break, or cashing in on some you time - reach for the Peace & Calming oil and add drops to your diffuser.
Take risks
Summer break is the perfect time to take risks and try something new. This can be as simple as trying a new recipe or as daring as planning a family adventure. Maybe you've been saying "next year" to a trip or staycation. Now is the perfect time to book that trip and enjoy this time together. By stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing new experiences, you can find joy and excitement in the chaos.
Find purpose
Summer break can feel aimless and unstructured, which can lead to boredom and frustration. Take some time to reflect on your passions and interests and find ways to incorporate them into your summer break. This can be through pursuing a hobby or volunteering for a cause you care about. By finding purpose and meaning, you can find peace and fulfillment. Summer break isn't just about the kids. Take advantage of them being out of school. Utilize those summer camps and summer programs that allow your children to have experiences with friends giving you time to focus on you.
Practice radical self-love
As a busy mom, it's easy to put your own needs last. However, it's important to prioritize self-care and practice radical self-love. This can mean taking time for yourself, setting boundaries, and asking for help when needed. By taking care of yourself, you'll be better equipped to handle the demands of summer break.
Cultivate resilience
Summer break can be unpredictable, but by cultivating resilience, you can handle any challenges that come your way. This includes building a support system of other moms who understand the struggles of summer break, practicing self-care, and reframing negative experiences as opportunities for growth. Don't be stray away from those catch up dates that you do while the kids are in school. Schedule them during the summer too! Grab other moms and get together at the park or anywhere the kids can play safely and you can chat, blow off steam, just support one another.
Summer break can be chaotic and overwhelming, but by applying these tips, you can find peace and fulfillment during this season. Embrace imperfection, challenge your thoughts, take risks, find purpose, practice radical self-love, and cultivate resilience. As a busy mom, you deserve to find peace and happiness during summer break, without counting down the days till they go back to school.
We took a day trip up to Orlando a few weeks ago to visit my sis and brother-in-law, who were flying in from Colorado, to spend some time at Universal. It was a last minute thing, perks of living in Florida.
I know technically we are still in a pandemic state so to speak but most everything, here is open, and I wanted to give anyone looking to take a family summer trip to Universal, a little bit of a heads up of what it was like while we were there.
If you've ever been to a major amusement park then you pretty much know what to expect. Lot's of people, long lines, whining, and too much money being spent. Well it's still exactly like that but add in masks and lots of sanitizer being passed around.
Masks were not required to be worn outside in the general area (this was while we were there, check before you go because things change all the time), although they were asking you to wear them while you were in line and in close proximity to other people. And you know that at amusement parks people have no concept of personal space, this is still true. Universal did a really good job at trying to keep spacing and directing traffic the best way to maintain distance. I love my personal space, I was like this before rona, and I felt like the park did a great job at trying to provide that for everyone. I mean they could've had this in place long before now, just saying.
The sanitizer I mentioned being handed out wasn't the usual mama chasing down her crew making sure they had clean hands. Before you got ready to grab your 3D glasses or even get on any of the rides, there was a ride staff member who gave you sanitizer. They were definitely giving it out like candy on Halloween so I highly recommend that you have lotion or something because my hands became super dry and they wouldn't let me use my Thieves sanitizer instead, protocol I was told.
When restaurants started to reach their max numbers they would close the doors. Lines did seem super long but it was more due to how they were having people line up and not because of service speed or wait times.
Now wait times for rides is a whole other story. You know that waiting for rides takes forever no matter what state the world is in but, there were some ride lines that normally went pretty quickly that were taking way too long because of the sanitizer and mask situations. I highly recommend getting your passes for those must ride attractions because the lines may be a little longer of a wait then their usual 45mins - 1hr.
All in all we still had a really great time, despite all of the added protocols. I felt safe and wasn't worried about the safety of my family either.
* Please be sure to check all mandates because things are constantly changing*
