That sweet smell of sunscreen that immediately transports you to your favorite  childhood memory of summer.  The rays of sunshine on your skin that feels so good. The trace amount of sand in your shoe and the sweet giggle of kids running in the bright green grass…. Summer is here!! 

 

Ok maybe it’s not officially summer time, but in my book- it is! The minute you wash those sun kissed kids toes in an early bath, and the comforting cool breeze from the air conditioner knocks them out early every night… It’s officallysummer time in my book! 

 

Every spring, you start to have high hopes for what you want to do “this” summer. The bucket list starts in early February. Weekends book up fast with days at the lake, city wide garage sales, family reunions, and the other endless amounts of activities that are scribbled on your calendar. 

 

However, when Fall rolls around and you pull out your fussy sweaters, and sharpen your back to school pencils… will it be those big trips or the expensive outings your kids will remember?

 

Some of my fondest memories as a kid are playing 500 in the front yard with my siblings or playing t-ball until we had worn out my parents’ grass sliding into the bases. The silly giggles, the countless asking for five more minutes, and mosquito bitten legs. Those where my summer highlights! Those simple moments.

 

As mom’s we try to plan events for the summer, trying to fill the few short months we get without freezing temperatures with a years worth of fun. However,  those moments we don’t plan. The moments that just happen are the best! Those laid back days of just letting the kids run free and allowing them to be kids are the ones they will remember the most!

 

The last minute family get togethers were you just grab something quick at the store on the way, the random afternoons spent outside watching the kids play in the plastic pool with a kitchen spoon and a bucket, or the late night rounds of flash light tag (with your twenty year old siblings).  Those are the best summer days…. the moments you hold close to your heart.

 

Summer is about the magic! The magic of bubbles, bottoms covered in chalk, muddy bath water, and an endless supply of popsicles! 

 

This summer, let your kids be kids. Drop the schedule and the summer bucket list and let them be kids!  The best memories they will make will be those you can’t plan.