I am a planner. This can be a blessing and a curse. But as summer is about to kick off and I prepare to spend LOTS of fun time with my 3 year old and 14 month old, I know that having a plan is going to keep me sane! So for all of you mommas out there, here is what I have planned for the summer. Hopefully it can give you some ideas and inspiration.

Daily Schedule:

9:00-11:00 Morning Activity
For our morning activities, I have a specific activity assigned to each day of the week. Ours are Monday- Summer Club! (more info on this to come!), Tuesday- Swimming, Wednesday- Grocery shopping (we still have to eat…) , Thursday- Library (ours has great programming for kids as well as just the usual fun things that the library offers), Friday- Field trip (this can be a park, playground, zoo, children’s museum, splash pad, planetarium, etc.)

12:00- 3:00 Lunch, nap, TV time
It is just too hot outside to do much else during these hours!

3:00-5:00 Day of the Week activity
These may change as the summer goes on depending on my kids’ interest, but right now the plan is Monday- crafts, Tuesday- Bible story, Wednesday- fun with food, Thursday-painting, and Friday- play date with a friend. These activities won’t take two hours, but the goal is for them to happen sometime in that time slot and have the rest of that time for free play. To keep track of these activities, I’ll set up a pinterest board and have them all lines up in advance, so that I can make sure I have the necessary supplies on hand.

6:00-8:00 Dinner, walk around the neighborhood, baths, and bedtime

I know this plan sounds like everything is going to go so smoothly! But as moms, we know better…

While having a plan really helps, just know that things will come up and force you to be flexible. And that’s okay! The plan is there so that you don’t have to come up with something to do on the spot when you are tired, frustrated, or simply lacking creativity at the moment. Just be prepared to have a lot of days where the plan gets thrown out the window, and that’s just fine.

It may rain on your outdoor activity. No problem! Put on your rain boots and splash in some puddles.

Your kids may be sick. That happens! Make a pillow fort out of sofa cushions and have a snuggle day in front of the TV.

Your toddler may have a meltdown, dramatic attitude kind of day. That’s normal. Take some time out to focus on placing boundaries and sticking to them consistently, even if that means missing out on some of the fun things you had planned.

Whatever you do, try to see the joy in everyday that you get to spend with your kids this summer. Yes, it is exhausting and the days can seem really long, but this time is short and before you know it they will be headed back to school. I pray that you and your kids make some precious and lasting memories together this summer!

Do you have some great ideas to add? I would love to hear all about them! Leave a comment so that we can all benefit!

Here are some tips specifically for my Lafayette, La friends:

• Blueberry picking is always on our to do list the last week of May.

• The zoo annual pass is really inexpensive and we use it all. the. time. If you have an empty summer to fill, get the passes. You won’t be sorry.

• In addition to all of the activities on the calendar at the public library, they have passes to five local museums that you can check out with your library which gives your family free admission! I can’t wait to use this new resource over the summer.

• The bowling alley has a Kids Bowl Free program for the summer. Mine are still too little to really enjoy this (the ball is as big as they are) but for older kids, check out that great option!