Things I Am Really Loving Right Now

Jena Muhr details some of her favorite things about summer—and none of them come with a giant price tag. What do you love about summer?

As summer is in full swing for some, or winding down for others, I wanted to share a few of the things that I am loving right now and truly enjoying. I am fortunate to stay at home with my kids during the summer, so I have been able to do these things more often, but I have become a big believer of quality over quantity—or, better said, making the most of what you have and using that time intentionally. And just because the season is ending doesn’t mean that these activities have to end, but they may look a bit different.

A short list of all the things that I am loving right now:

Lazy mornings. My kids have been very, very into these lately. They are loving waking up with a whole day of activities and nothingness stretching out in front of them. If I’m being honest, the morning starts with TV time which allows me to finish up my workout or get a few things organized for the day.

Sitting alone, whether it is at home during the last 20 minutes of nap time or heading to a local coffee shop for some quiet time. I love being left alone with my thoughts and a journal or a good book. This is something that I have had to get adjusted to doing as a mom. For a long time I felt that because I could not go to a coffee shop, the library, or just out in general that these times can no longer happen after having kids. But this is something that I have had to readjust my thinking about. By still taking the time while at home has allowed me to have these times that I enjoy but in a way that it can happen with regularity. I know this is not the same thing, but it is what I can make happen more than biannually. And I need this time more than that.

Arts and crafts. My kids love all things arts and crafts. They absolutely love painting, play dough, and anything with sparkles, and although I put the kibosh on slime, they have been loving all the opportunities to be creative. This is something I need to plan more for, so the supplies are ready at the drop of a hat.

Evenings with my husband. This is something that we strive to do year-round, but lately I have been appreciating it more and more. After we put the kids to bed, tidy the house, and do the dinner dishes, we try to sit down and spend 30 minutes to an hour watching a show and just unwinding. We usually watch a series (we're currently watching The Last Kingdom on Netflix) and will watch an episode a night. This time together is so important to us, and if we don’t have it for a few nights we feel it.

Stone fruit. This is a term that I learned last summer (yes, I'm very late to this party) but I love the term and love all of these fruits. Peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums ... yum yum yum. This is such a delicious part of summer and I wish that it could last forever.

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Some things that I want to do more of or at least experience once this summer:

Hiking with the kids. Right now it has been so hot in California, but I would very much like to go on a few more hikes with the kids before they go back to school. Not that it can’t happen after school starts, but with fall sports it gets harder to fit everything in.

Happy hour with the husband. I would like at least one date night with my husband without kids. But more than that, I would like to hang out outside and have a drink with him while the kids play. Maybe there will be a charcuterie board involved—but it’s not a dealbreaker.

A quiet morning for Mom. This might be my pie-in-the-sky wish, but I would like to finish my workout, clean up and sit to have a quiet cup of coffee before anyone else wakes up (and not wake up at 3 AM). This almost happened once early in the summer, but my #2 child has been waking up very early and crashing my party.

Click to tweet:
Just because the summer season is ending doesn’t mean that our favorite activities have to end. #CatholicMom

Summer is such a fun season. It is busy for our family but lazy. I love it and am loving my kids at the ages they are when they want to spend time together and am determined to keep this low-key party going for as long as I can.

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