Summer has always been my favorite time of year. As a child it always meant freedom. I spent long days at the neighborhood swim pool, kickball in the street, and roaming from kid to kids house until my mom rang the dinner bell (much to my embarrassment, I mean this was the 80s and 90s, dinner bells weren’t a thing any more except at our house).

Every summer I want to bring that magic back to my own kids but it’s a challenge as an entrepreneurial mom who works mostly from home. Finding that balance between work and life seems multiplied during the long summer days.

Here are my tips for bringing the Summer Magic back:

1. Schedule Work and Schedule Play:

Our family believes in “Work Hard, Play Hard.” In order to make that happen with a crazy schedule we have to put it on the calendar. I would love spontaneous trips to the river but it seems like something always comes up, so I’ve given up on spontaneous fun, and just make sure my kids get fun and I get my work done. Our schedule looks like this:

Monday: Big clean day. We all know we’ll have extra chores.

Tuesday: Moms work day. Unless absolutely necessary, nothing else gets scheduled.

Wednesday: Fun day. Maybe a trip to the museum or play dates with cousins.

Thursday: Half work/have fun. We’ll do a few extra chores, sometimes I have appointments, and then often we go to the pool.

Friday/Saturday/Sunday: Dad is home. Often this is when I am photographing on location (yeah, the house doesn’t have to be spotless for those!). We work on projects, yard, and often go camping or movie nights, although lately our weekends are full of softball tournaments.

To me if I can keep Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday on schedule, I can make sure all the important things are happening, and then the rest of the week just happens.

2. Boredom is a Good Thing

I actually wrote a whole blog on boredom on my photography site a year ago. Boredom is one of the best things. That’s often were creativity and inventions come from. I try and keep my kids screen free as much as possible. And it’s painful sometimes. They think they have it bad being the “only kids” without a phone (translation: three of their friends have phones) but they don’t realize I have it much worse as a parent whose kids aren’t entertained by screens. (Don’t get me wrong, I do pull them out when I am desperate plus we love family movie nights). The, “Mom, I am Bored.” is so hard. But just hang in there, be strong, and the magic will happen.

3. Get Outside

Nothing refreshes the soul like being outside. Take your morning coffee outside. Skip the treadmill and head for the street. Send the kids outside and let them explore. Do a picnic at the park and catch up on reading while the kids run around. Go hiking. Walk outside barefoot.

4. Get Childcare 

Summers throw off work and childcare schedules. Even if you can work with kids at home, sometimes it’s best to have that separation. It’s so much easier to focus and give your best work when you aren’t worried about fixing snacks, wiping bums and refereeing arguments. Plus you kids can just focus on having their best summer and not worry about disturbing you. Then when you come together again, you can be less distracted and more present.

5. Have Things to Look Forward To

Every July we go to a traditional Fourth of July parade and celebration in my husband and mine’s hometown. Afterwards we also eat some Walla Walla Sweet Onion Rings at Burgerville (an Oregon equivalent to In-N-Out, that some would argue is better).

Every August we go to Enchanted Forest, a little theme park outside Salem OR that has been stuck in time. For those near Disney, you’d probably laugh and think this park is cooky. But that’s exactly what we love about it.

Traditions are a wonderful thing. Maybe you have a cabin you rent every year, or a summer festival you don’t miss. These special things, help bring us together as we create and build upon those memories every year.

Then don’t forget to add in new experiences to look forward to. We are making a road trip soon to visit family and some national parks. We all need somethings to plan and dream about. Often I find the anticipation of something exciting is just as great as the actual adventure.

Now that I’ve shared some of my favorite ways to have a Magical Summer, I’d love to hear from you. What is your best tip to make the most out of summer while still balancing work life?