12 Low-key, Low Cost Summer Ideas That Can Be Yours Too

1. First things first. Cuddle up daily with my littlest ones and read Bible stories and good books.

2. Enjoy what we already have. Play games, take nature walks, go to the library.

3. Affirm. Look my children in the eyes each day, give them warm hugs, and tell them something I love about who God is making them to be.

4. Do something daily to engage our senses such as walk barefoot in the grass or sand, close our eyes and listen to the sound of the gurgling creek, bake something delicious and fill the house with the smells of peach cobbler or summer blueberry muffins, admire the petals on the peonies on our neighborhood walk or the green of the preying mantis on the screen, or hold that bite of watermelon in our mouths just a moment longer than we would have otherwise to actually remember to taste and see the goodness of God all around us.

5. Don’t dwell on my anxious thoughts. Write them down on index cards. Pray over them and then put them in an envelope to remember I’ve sent them to Jesus and I don’t need to carry them with me.

6. Recreate (re-create). Make a point to do 5 things I love that I don’t normally get to do during the busyness of the year.

7. Nurture friendships for myself and my kids. Remember friendships are like gardens that thrive with consistent care.

8. Laugh with my spouse.

9. Visit extended family; enjoy their company.

10. Mediate fights by reminding my kids that often the question isn’t about rights, but about love. How can we love and respond in love?

11. Create more: passively consume less.

12. Be present. Give attention. Listen.

Which is hardest for you? Which comes naturally?

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