The Summer of Simplicity

Summer time… when the living is…. wild But when is life around our house not wild??

We have really been enjoying ourselves since the kids got out of school… not just school, but all of the other extra curriculars as well. FREEDOM FROM A RIGID SCHEDULE!  We’ve been riding bikes, playing with friends, running around barefoot and have some good diaper tan lines going… we’ve eaten lots of popsicles and we’ve played oodles of water games… we’ve had late nights with pals and even later mornings getting going.

Summer offers my favorite kind of life… the life where we worry less and enjoy more!

Don’t get me wrong… I haven’t completely turned into a slack-job mom over these warmer days. We still have speech and behavioral therapy, Scarlett begged me to do a ballet class and we are looking into a reading class to keep her improving while out of school… but, we aren’t stressing about any of it and we take each day in with SIMPLE SUMMER activities. I’m not pressuring myself into being a “cool mom” by jam-packing our days with extravagant bucket list items. I limit us to one “big” activity a week… anything else is extra and makes me just plain awesome, and is not to be expected! Also, let me be clear by explaining the “big” activity… it can be anything from taking the crew to a new park, the zoo, the local pool or out for ice cream. It’s nothing too crazy and HAS to be doable with all three kids. Not gonna lie, the zoo took a lot out of me! ;)  All other days of the week are filled with small and simple summer fun.

My boys are still really little and don’t quite appreciate the bigger activities, so all is well in a game of water tables and sprinklers on the tramp. But, that pressure with Scarlett’s age to fill her summer with memories of big fun events is very silly. She appreciates the little things more than the bigger things. She’d rather have four little neighbor pals over to throw water balloons at each other than interrupt her day with planned outings around town to keep her entertained. I really think that the majority of kids do! So, I nixed the idea of a summer bucket list and planned to be in the moment with my kids and soak up the lax days. So far, soooooo good.  I’m calling it, “The Summer of Simplicity”. Sounds like the title to an awesome book, right??

Now, a little PSA for you mamas out there. With our simple summer activities and even our “bigger” events this hot season, pretty much 80% of our days are spent in the sun. I made the mistake at the beginning of the summer of using some fancy organic sunblock and Welles got FRIED. It was so sad and I felt awful. His baby-like fair skin hurt so bad. :( We started using this Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen and his skin is much more protected as well as saved from harsh chemicals. I feel much better about putting Blue Lizard on all the kiddos and was really excited when they reached out to send us some.

Every Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen begins with a natural, not chemical, mineral base. Zinc Oxide, a key mineral in all of our formulas, is a doctor-trusted natural ingredient that provides true broad-spectrum protection from UV rays.

Chemical sunscreens soak into your skin and absorb the sun’s rays AFTER they’ve entered your body. Mineral-based sunscreens, like Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreens, act like millions of tiny mirrors on top of your skin and reflect most of the sun’s rays BEFORE they enter your body. Mineral-based sunscreens are cleaner, safer and provide better protection.

Dear mommy friends, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to have an extravagant summer. I think our kids favorite memories will be the ones of us slip and sliding in our clothes and sipping lemonade while picnicking in the grass. The simple things are usually the favorites.  

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Blue Lizard Sunscreen. The opinions and text are all mine.