my positive intentions for a summer with my daughters

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Hi, babes! Summer is here and we have kicked off the new season as best we could. We’ve honestly done everything we could possibly think of to start our summer off right. We spent our very first day of summer at our local pool, had donuts for breakfast, popsicles in the backyard, and just had the most memorable family staycation at the Fairmont Dallas!

All to often I hear of moms complaining of their kids being home for the summer or grumbling about trying to find enough activities to keep their kids occupied. I do get that to a degree – you want your kids to be stimulated. But, I feel like I’ve never been more excited for summer to get here simply so I can spend time with my girls. I think I owe part of this excitement to the fact that this is the second summer that I haven’t worked a “9-to-5” day job part-time and can actually be home with my girls. Being an influencer is definitely tough, but one of the biggest perks is a schedule that allows me to put my girls first.

Last summer was my first summer home and I had an absolute blast. I am even more pumped for this summer as my girls are a bit older and can do more. Knowing that life isn’t perfect, that each moment wont be perfect, and that time flies way faster than I’d like it to, I’ve spent some time this year setting personal intentions for the summer.

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positive intentions for a summer with my daughters:

be present – this one for sure seems like a no-brainer, but I’ve found this one to be the most challenging as of late. Being an influencer and having the flexibility to set my own schedule has proven to be more challenging than not. Truthfully, I find myself on my phone a lot lately whether it’s answering emails, responding to DMs, or making to-do lists. I’m challenging myself this summer to be fully present when my girl are awake. To set my phone down (except for maybe snapping a few pics of them) and just be in the moment.
one-on-one time – I have a sweet friend that every time I go to her to seek counsel for how my kids are doing, she asks me how much alone time I’m getting with my girls. It’s such a simple question, but one that humbles me every time. As my girls are getting older, I am realizing more and more how important alone time is for each one. It opens the door for deeper conversations, it gives them room to be fully them and not compete for my attention, and it gives me the chances to really listen to them.
listen – if you’re a parent, then you know how easy it is to tune out your kids or to give the token “uh-huh” answer when you actually have no idea what they just said. This summer I am setting the intention to really listen to everything my kids say. To not only listen to them, but to let them know that I value what they say and want to listen to them.
get outside – have you ever realized what being outside does for your soul, for you mentality? It does wonders for me and I see the same thing happening in my girls. I am vowing this summer to be outside (despite the heat) as much as possible. To go on relaxing walks, to feed ducks in the park, to listen to the birds sing, to catch fireflies, to just be part of nature.
try new things – this is one that I think goes for anyone at any age. Trying new things expands our minds, introduces us to new ideas and new ways of being, and instills in us a curiosity to learn more.
read daily – reading is one of the most important things to growing as a person and learning more. It’s also one of the easiest things to shove aside after a long day in the sun. I’m vowing not to forego something so important though. EG has a crazy desire to learn and read and I hope I can continue to foster that this summer!
do less – one of my faults is doing to much, planning too much. As an extrovert and people-pleaser (not always a great combo), it is super easy for me to fill our plate every single week. Because of my personality, my girls have gotten used to a busy schedule and actually prefer it (so they say). I am vowing this summer though to slow down, be more intentional, and do less. I want my girls to thrive in the crazy and thrive in the mundane. I could use some work in this area too…
be bored – I honestly never thought I’d write this, but I want my girls to know how to be bored. So often I’m noticing that if my girls aren’t stimulated 100% of the time they struggle to find something to do with themselves. I want them to learn that it’s okay to be bored, and that if you’re bored, you can make up something to do. You don’t need a screen or game to occupy your time.
memorize scripture – during the school year Travis does breakfast with the girls and each month they worked on memorizing a new Bible verse. This summer I am taking over breakfast duty and I want to continue to help my girls memorize scripture. It’s been neat to see them recall verses during times of need and even neater seeing Travis and I recall verses simply as collateral.
serve others – we talk incesently about our girls showing Christ’s love to others – selfless love, but this summer I want to model this. I want to show my girls and for my girls to participate in loving others well by serving others whether that’s people in our community, serving each other in our home, or serving our neighbors. I think we could all always use improvement in this area.