I am attempting something a little different with my summer work schedule this year. A few months back, I was thinking about the kids’ summer break and what my hopes and goals were around it. It dawned on me that I had a lot of paid time-off stored up, and why not make use of it for something other than an actual vacation or being sick? I decided to “cash out” to take off 4 days per week in June and July. So, essentially only working 1 day per week this summer. My intuition led me to the decision that taking the extra time off from work to spend more meaningful family time was a good choice for me. Thankfully, since my work is aligned with schools and my manager is very supportive, it was an option that was doable.
And now it is here. This is the first week of my summer schedule and I am keenly aware that the next 7-8 weeks will fly by. So in an effort to set some goals but still get the chance to relax and recharge, I have two intentions established for this summer :
To spend meaningful time with the boys enjoying opportunities to create, learn and connect.
To embrace the slower pace and use the time to dive into personal projects that bring me joy.
For my time with the boys, I am giving us a rough framework to guide our days. Every day I have with them I will join them in one creative activity. Nothing fancy or elaborate, just one creative project or endeavor per day. We will also read…a lot. Mainly because that is something we love to do together. Now that the boys are both able to read, I am going to attempt to implement an afternoon silent reading period where we sit together for 20 minutes or so and each read silently to ourselves. I think it might be a good way to establish this as a regular habit in our house. Who knows if it will stick, but it doesn’t hurt to give it a try 🙂 I also hope to take them on a few “field trips” to different museums and such. I am bound and determined to keep them curious and excited about the world around them.
For myself, I am going to try to follow a morning ritual that will allow me to feel like I have been productive on a personal level at the beginning of the day which will allow me to be fully present the rest of the day. I will wake up early, drink my coffee and read my favorite blogs & articles, then exercise after that. Then I will attempt writing daily. I gain and learn so much from writing this blog, but it has been tough to maintain a regular writing schedule with work and life demands during the school year. This summer schedule is the perfect opportunity to get stronger at making this a daily habit. So by 9am, I will have invested in 4 hours for myself. It might sound like torture to some getting up that early, but I love it and find my peak brain function is in the morning.
As a family, we intentionally don’t have many big plans scheduled. We would like to sprinkle in a few special outings that we will surprise the boys with throughout the summer, but nothing major.
I am very much looking forward to this summer and want to be present for all of it. I have a feeling spending my “saved” time and “splurging” it on myself and our family will be a very good investment.
