It’s May and KK has one week left of preschool, which means I’m deep in the throes of preparing for summer. Here’s what I’m doing now to help Future Summer Haley.

I’m naming what I personally love and need.
- What are my favorite things about summer? Naming what I personally love will help me know what to prioritize this summer, instead of trying to do it all or trying to do what so-and-so is doing. As Busy Toddler says, I am the captain of our ship, so I can say what works best for me and my little humans this particular summer.
- I love trips to the pool, trips to local watering holes, trips to get ice cream, trips to get shaved ice. I love our daily outdoor time. I love going to the pool at our gym. I love summer fruit and sandwiches and grilling and no-cook meals. I love indoor art activities, sensory bins, and play dough trays. I love splash pads and sprinklers and water tables. I love lots of summer adventures, but also lots of easy summer days with a predictable rhythm.
- And in this current season, I love local adventures. Because in this current season of an infant and a toddler, I just want to sleep in my own bed at the end of the day. Our annual beach vacation is skipped this year, and that money is going towards some awesome local adventures instead. (PS Here’s 13 things we do before and after summer adventures to make them more successful and enjoyable.)
- I’m also naming what I personally need to feel my best. I need daily movement, plenty of water, my nightly vitamins, and time at home to recharge, to name a few things. Summer is a marathon - and a hot, active one at that - so I need to make sure I’m taking particularly good care of myself the next few months. See my full list of things I need to feel my best here.
- Now that I’ve named what I love and what I need, we’re going to lean into these hard this summer, and we’re going to let everything else go.
- So when I see that family is going to Disneyland, that family has a season pass to a water park, and that family is in summer camps every week - I can say good for them, but that’s currently not our priority for the season we’re in. And that’s okay! Our summer priorities will all be different.
I’m creating a weekly (and daily!) summer rhythm.
- So that I can get that lovely, comforting predictability I need to feel my best, but also so we can prioritize the things important to us this summer.
- And so that our days are already decided for Future Haley, and that we don’t wake up every day going, “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” Because it’s already decided. Which lessens my mental load significantly.
- But also? My toddler and I both do really well with the structure of a summer rhythm - having a predictable flow really grounds us. Having a rhythm also keeps me from being overwhelmed - I know what is happening when, and I can actually enjoy when it’s time to rest or play because I know when everything else is getting taken care of.
- And, we live completely on Brett’s income - when we are intentional with both our time and money, we live so very comfortably. This is where a rhythm is especially helpful - we’re not spending our days blowing money (and time!) on things outside both our budget and our priorities. We spend our days going to the pool and playing at home and visiting the local lake and eating picnics and taking care of our space and prepping dinner and working with play dough and enjoying a Movie Night and and and.
- A daily (and weekly!) rhythm helps us stay intentional in so many ways, and helps prioritize the things important to us, the things that bring us joy.
- Here’s our daily (and weekly!) rhythm for this summer.
I’m writing a summer bucket list.
- Part of our Weekly Summer Rhythm is to go on a new-to-us adventure every Saturday. So now I’m finding local places we’d love to try, and I’m pulling ideas from Our Local Places List - the running list I keep on Google Keep of all those fun places around us I’d love to try some day.
- (PS Here’s 13 things we do before and after summer adventures to make them more successful and enjoyable.)
- Let’s also find ice cream/shaved ice places we want to try, and restaurants I’d like to take Brett for Date Night. I’m researching it all now to help Future Haley, since I assume She’s very tired from all that pool time.
I’m putting everything on our calendar and I’m making reservations now.
- Thanks to my Weekly Summer Rhythm, I know that Saturdays are for Local Adventures. I’ve learned I’d rather over-plan (and edit as we go) than under-plan (and fly by the seat of my pants), so I’m currently assigning an adventure to every single Saturday between now and September.
- (PS Here’s 13 things we do before and after summer adventures to make them more successful and enjoyable.)
- Which means I’m taking that list of Summer Places I added to Our Local Places List, and I’m assigning them a Saturday now. I’m putting them on the calendar and coordinating with loved ones and making reservations now. I’m reserving a private gazebo on a river, I’m booking day passes to a local resort, I’m purchasing a Texas State Parks Pass, I’m buying tickets to a neighboring watering hole, and I’m scouring our library’s calendar. And I’m tucking everything into a Summer 2023 folder in my email.
- Also on my calendar? My sister’s wedding, our sister trip in August, KK’s one camp in July, my best friend’s birthday, our weekly Wednesday playdate, our trips to grandparents’ pool, KK’s three-year check-up, my June haircut, our six Date Nights, etc etc etc. It’s all written down. You’re welcome, Future Haley.
- Did you catch that? I already preplanned six or seven summer Date Nights. Meaning I coordinated childcare, picked out six or seven restaurants we’d love to try, and put it all on the calendar. Summer is looking so fun.
- I’ve also planned KK’s birthday, following the 3 Things We Do For Everyone’s Birthdays. And! And! I’ve planned our Mother’s Day traditions, our Father’s Day traditions, our July 4th traditions, and our Wedding Anniversary + Family Birthday tradition. And put it all on the calendar. You’re freaking welcome, Future Haley.
I’m taking inventory of our summer essentials.
- Admittedly this took a ton of brain space, but I’ll be so glad I did it. Based on what we like to do in the summer, what our daily/weekly summer rhythms look like, and what we have planned this summer, I’m seeing what we’re lacking, what we’re low on, and what needs to be replaced.
- Pool must-haves? goggles? pool-friendly food containers? indoor art activities? outdoor toys? things to spend the day by the river? s’mores supplies? popsicles? first aid and summer cold remedies and things for burns/bites/stings?
- The list goes on. I’m taking inventory now. Future Haley appreciates it so much.
- Here’s our pool and splash pad must-haves. Here’s our favorite outdoor toys (and my favorite garage cart to organize it). Here’s our favorite things for eating away from home. And here’s our favorite outdoor gear for spending the day by the river, the lake, or the park.
- Here’s our grilling must-haves.
- Here’s 20 things we keep on hand for when we don’t feel well (or when we’re hurt). A necessity for summer (or any time of year).
- Here’s our s’mores kit. You better believe I’m restocking it for summer.
I’m checking our Monthly Play Themes.
- We have 12 Monthly Play Themes and we love them all year long. Past Haley decided on a sensory bin, a play dough tray, a set of books, a rice bin, a play kitchen toy, and a list of art activities for each month of the year. So that all I have to do is pull out the tub each month and we have a plethora of new activities that I reuse each year. It’s awesome.
- And while we love these things all year long, we really lean into them in the Summer. With no school, slower mornings, and really, really hot weather, our May Activities, June Activities, July Activities, and August Activities save my bottom multiple upon multiple times.
- (Not to mention we have a daily rhythm of Evening Family Quiet Time where we listen to music and KK can work on her activities.)
- So I’m checking our May activities, our June Activities, our July Activities, and our August Activities, and seeing if we’re lacking anything, if we’re low on anything, and if we need to replace anything. Our May Activities have already proved to be the MVP, and we’re only in the first week of May. You’re freaking welcome, Future Haley.
- I already mentioned it, but I want to say it again: I’m also checking our stash of outdoor toys.
I’m making sure I have things I feel good in.
- It’s warm outside, and I deserve to feel good. And besides, who do you think is taking these kids to the pool and the river and the splash pad and the road trip and and and? Mama, that’s who. and Mama deserves to feel good doing so.
- Here’s my list of warm-weather things I love. I already ordered a fresh pair of my favorite shorts and a pair of my new favorite adventure sandals, and I’m giddy.
I’m stocking the car for warm weather.
- There’s a whole slew of things I’m adding to my car for pool trips and outdoor adventures. See the list of what I keep in my car here.
- But first and foremost, I’m making sure my retractable sun shade is ready.
I’m figuring out Summer meals.
- Summer is a time I want to spend at the pool, or resting after spending the day at the pool - not to mention Texas is an armpit in the Summer. So I want easy meals. And I don’t want to reinvent the wheel each week, so I’m making a dinner rotation that delights in the easy meals, the restful meals.
- And when my friend suggested our friend group do a weekly dinner this summer where we rotate houses and bring all our husbands and kids, all four of us gave a resounding yes. Connection, community, and dinner help, all rolled into one!
- I’m also thinking through summer adventure logistics. How am I bringing food to the pool? The river? The park? The potluck friend dinners? Here’s our favorite things for eating away from home.
I’m building a Packed Pool Bag + Outdoor Adventure Bag.
- This was the first thing I did, come to think of it. And I’ve already thanked myself for it over a dozen times. And we’re only in the first week of May.
- See my post on what I keep in my Packed Pool Bag + Outdoor Adventure Bag here.
- And here’s a full list of what I bring to the pool.

Woo! Cheers to Future Summer You and cheers to a great Summer!

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