I say schedule, but really it’s a rhythm. As I said in my “10 Things I’m Doing Now for a Great Summer,” one of my favorite ways to take care of myself is to create both a daily - and a weekly! - rhythm for our current season.

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! - summer schedule/rhythm!

our daily summer rhythm:

before 7AM:
- my Alone Time
7AM - 9AM:
- breakfast
  - see next section for what we eat
- independent play
- morning routines
9AM - 12PM:
- check mail
- snack
- Morning Outing
  - see next section for what we do each day
  - (Joey takes a quick nap on the go, ideally)
12PM - 3PM:
- lunch + tidy house
- put kids down for a long afternoon nap
- rest + recharge
3PM - 4PM:
- kids wake up somewhere in this time frame
- snack + independent play, if needed
- finish laundry + prep dinner
- work on household routines, if time/energy
4PM - 7PM:
- Outdoor Time
- dinner (+ music + Evening Family Quiet Time, if needed time-wise)
- bathtime + bedtime routines
- start evening routines
7PM - 9PMish:
- finish evening routines
- rest + recharge

This quick Instagram graphic gives more details on our daily rhythm (like Joey’s sleep and Joey’s eating!) and why a daily rhythm works really, really well for us.

Weekly Schedule:

M-Th:
- weekday breakfast
- Weekday Morning Outing
  - a trip to our gym with its niiiiice pool - here’s what I bring to the pool! here’s what I wear to the pool!
  - or an errand/appointment/event
- weekday dinner themes
Friday:
- weekday breakfast
- Friday Morning Outing
  - slowww morning at home - I reset the house from the past week: putting odds and ends back in their place, working on my Friday Routines That Take Care of Us Allllll Week Long, and doing Fresh Sheets Friday.
  - we then do a quick, easyyyy Morning Outing, usually an easy errand: gathering stuff for Fajita Friday, picking up a curbside order of something (maybe groceries), grabbing salad dressing for the week, indulging on a Sonic drink, driving through the car wash, etc.
- Fajita Friday
Saturday:
- saturday breakfast, usually taken to-go
- Saturday Morning Outing:
  - a Family Adventure to a local, new-to-us place from our Local Places list (the best, most joyful list to keep!)
  - our summers go better when we overplan and edit as needed, as opposed to winging it and hoping for the best. so before summer started, I sat down and assigned a Family Adventure to every single Saturday between now and September. I bought tickets, I made reservations, I bought gear, I invited loved ones. It admittedly took a lottttt of time and brain space at the time, but it was so worth it.
    - here’s our favorite adventure gear
    - here’s our outdoor adventure bag
    - here’s 10 things I did to make our summer go better
    - here’s 13 things we do before and after every Adventure to make them more enjoyable and successful.
- packed picnic lunch
  - here’s our favorite things for eating away from home
- Snack Dinner Saturday + Family Movie Night
  - because Saturdays are for Family Adventures, so we’re tired that night. and I love resetting the house and putting away our Adventure Gear while KK quietly watches a movie.
  - here’s 13 things we do before and after every Adventure to make them more enjoyable and successful.
Sunday:
- sunday breakfast
- Sunday Morning Outing:
  - a visit to the car wash
    - here’s four reasons I love my car wash subscription
  - and a trip to the pool
    - here’s what I bring to the pool!
    - here’s what I wear to the pool!
- Grill & Chill Sunday Ritual
  - here’s our Grill and Chill must-haves