Seven Ways I Enjoy Summer
I’ll be honest… I’m a cool weather girlie and I don’t enjoy the heat. If the temperature never got above 90 then summer would be glorious! But as it is, I don’t want to spend more of my life being miserable for 1/3 of the year. So regardless of the blistering heat, here are some things I’m doing to intentionally enjoy this season:
Visit the Pool/Splash Pad – This one is pretty self explanatory. It’s not quite as much fun as when you’re a kid, but taking your own kid is pretty close. Except when you forget to reapply sunscreen and you look like a raspberry for a week. Which I do. Constantly.
Have Fresh Cantaloupe for Breakfast – Ah, a fresh, juicy cantaloupe to start off the day. I’m not someone who can eat big breakfasts early in the day, so some fresh fruit is perfect for me. If you wanted something more substantial, you could easily add some Greek yoghurt or have fruit on the side of some sausage and eggs.
Cook Seasonal Favorites – There are so many foods that are just better in the summertime. BLTs are just not edible unless you have fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes. Grilled meats are on the menu at least weekly, fresh crunchy coleslaw goes with just about everything, and this is the season for cold desserts! Pies, cobblers, ice cream, popsicles… YUM! This is also a great time to preserve some of those fresh vegetables for later use. I have had a blast making homemade pickles and jams.
Visit the Farmer’s Market or Farm Store – To go along with the previous point, go visit a weekly farmers market or farm store to buy those seasonal ingredients! Fresh veggies and fruits right from the farmer taste better and are more nutritious because they haven’t traveled hundreds or thousands of miles to your grocery store. They are picked once they’re ripe and sold directly to you. If you’ve never tried a sun ripened tomato, run, don’t walk, to the farmers market and try one. You’ll never go back.
Evening Walks or Bike Rides – Where I live it’s only tolerable to be outside at dawn and dusk during the summer. We make time after dinner to go outside and walk or ride bikes. As an unexpected benefit, this also provides motivation for a certain toddler to finish dinner
Make Sun Tea – This is the absolute easiest way to make tea. Grab a gallon size glass jar, fill it with water (we prefer filtered water), add 3 – 5 teabags and set out in the sun in the morning. By afternoon/evening it will be ready! Remove the tea bags, add sweetener to your taste and refrigerate. I like to use 3 black tea bags and 2 chai bags. Alternatively, you could use 5 black tea bags and add in a cinnamon stick. You could also use green tea bags and sweeten with honey. It’s divine, trust me!
Go to Seasonal Events – Say it with me… YARD SALES! LOL. Summer is typically packed full of events to attend. Fairs, rodeos, festivals and rib cookoffs; depending on how tolerant you are of heat and crowds, you may really enjoy most of them! Or maybe, like me, you prefer to stay home in your cool house. We typically do make an effort to attend our local County Fair and the Labor Day parade. My husband plays in a local band so sometimes I’ll take the kiddo out to listen to them play.
Bonus: Wear More Dresses – I try to wear dresses and skirts all year round, but it’s just different in the summer. It’s cooler, and it puts you in a homey kind of mindset. Add an apron and you’re in true production mode. It’s not about how you look necessarily, it’s how it makes you feel. Wearing dresses, skirts and aprons make me feel homey and feminine.
I don’t do all these things all the time, but adding them into my summer schedule adds some enjoyment.
Here are a few things I am planning on incorporating in the next year or two:
- Hanging laundry on a clothesline
- Packing picnics
- Growing my own garden ( I had one then we had to rip it all out. =( Long story that I’ll tell you later)
Please leave a comment with some things that you do to intentionally enjoy the summer season. I would love some new ideas!
Until next time,
Ariel
