Summer Prep
Today, I want to tell you about summer prep and how I am preparing to have a really great summer. I really believe (and this goes for anything in life; not just summer) that if you can take the time on the front end to stop and think through, plan, and prepare, it allows things to go so much smoother on the back end.
The first thing is I am going to prepare this summer is our wardrobes. That is something that I did earlier in June, actually. I went through my closet (and our boys’), tried on things and determined what fit and didn’t, what needed replacing, and any items I need to add (especially when looking at the calendar— do they need new baseball socks/pants, polos for golf camp, plus shoe inserts, etc.). I checked if we were good on bathing suits, shoes, go through hand-me-down stuff to complete their summer wardrobes.
As for me, I make sure I have a curated capsule that includes skorts/athletic shorts and tanks/tees. That is my go-to summer uniform. Then I have a couple cute dresses for fun events going on, a couple athleisure rompers and a couple golf dresses that can be worn for a variety of occasions. I also go through and rotate out our shoes and bring out all the sandals, strappy stuff, etc. I also invest in a pair of summer shoes every year. I realized that besides workout shoes I get each year (along with shoe inserts), I wear mainly one pair of sandals every summer that I always slip on when we leave the house (I have the tan lines to prove it!). This summer, I went with a pair from Old Navy which are wearing down quick. Next summer, I’m considering getting a pair of these Reef sandals ($10 off coupon here) for added support.
The next is straightforward: my calendar. I use a weekly planner all the time for ALL the things, but I always grab a large wall calendar like this one from the Target Dollar Spot section, hang it up, and write the kids’ activities and milestones on it so they can track along with what is going on. I just want the kids to be able to look and see what’s going on this summer, where we are in the year, and give them some context for things. Kids have a really hard time understanding time. I do too. I forget what day of the week it is too when we are in summer mode!
It’s not too late to do this if you are a visual person like me. I hang it in our kitchen and map out all of the important dates of our summer and color code it, highlight it, and do whatever I need to so that I know what is coming and I can start preparing for it the week before. All of those things require prep work so I want to make sure that I am prepared for whatever is on the calendar the following week.
My next area of prep is my car/mud room. What I mean by that is I am going to have both of these areas stocked so we always know where things are and can be ready to load up and go without a fire drill trying to find the bits and pieces we need to get out of the door. Some things store better in our mud room vs the car with the high temps, but having a basket of snacks and a basket with swim stuff/towels/goggles at the ready along with bug spray and sunscreen is SO helpful. I’ll add any return packages, outgoing mail and overdue library books to this area too so we know it’s going out to the car with us and I don’t have to hunt for it.
Keeping some extra plastic grocery bags in the car is great for storing trash, wet swimsuits, etc. I can also replenish my first-aid kit and the kids’ book bin they keep between their seats with some fresh options. I keep a little accordion file of coupons and gift cards in my car for restaurants/local spots so I will have it on hand if we make an impromptu stop (and have enough Scoopie tokens for a free Culver’s kids meal- yeah!!)
Here’s another way I am going to prep for my summer: food. We got a Blackstone and I am very excited. I want to really prepare for some tasty summer recipes on the Blackstone. I am very excited to try new things, but I want to prepare. I just started a trial for the meal plan with Lillie Eats and Tells where you prepare a bulk protein early in the week to use for recipes throughout the week. The app is super flexible and can be customized for travel, pizza nights, or nights when we eat out. I’d love to use the Blackstone to prep this bulk protein.
I also really want to have more smoothies this summer. I want to prepare and get everything on hand for smoothies—the bulk fruit, flax seed, spinach, almond milk and my favorite protein powder (SQUAD10 for 10% off). I want to buy the healthy things I can toss in the smoothies. They are perfect for an on-the-go or quick option and are nutrient dense too. So those are a couple of food things I want to prepare well for the summer.
That’s it. Those are the ways that I am planning to prep well for this summer. I hope this will continue to spiral off in your mind in a good way; in a way that helps you create so much margin in your days, the ability to say “yes”, the ability to have fun, really delight in the food you’re making, enjoy your people, and have a lovely summer.
“Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.”
This post is in partnership with Responsival.