12 Steps to A Fabulous Summer

Especially for those of us living in a northern climate, summer is a rare opportunity to spend our days outside, soaking up the sun. For those with school-age kids, summer means a change in our normal schedule. How can you make the most of it?

Here are 12 steps to ensuring that you don’t arrive at Labor Day wondering what happened to your summer:

1. Start a summer notebook! Find a 3-ring binder and put in 12 page dividers (for the 12 weeks between now and Labor Day). Insert blank paper and some page protectors. Find a summer scene from a magazine that inspires you and create a front cover page. You can call it: “My Fabulous Summer – 2011!”
2. Plan fun events. On the first page in each section write the dates for that week. For instance, week one would be June 11-17. Now check your calendar for any fun events that you already have scheduled for each week. Maybe you’re planning a week at the cottage, or camping, or visiting relatives.
   If there’s a week you don’t have anything fun planned, schedule it now! Our local symphony offers outdoor concerts, or maybe you want to visit the beach or a local state park for the day. Maybe it’s scheduling a get-together with friends to come over for a backyard BBQ. Make sure that you have at least one thing to look forward to each week!
3. Read. Summer reading clubs aren’t just for kids! Make a list of books that you’ve been meaning to read. Write down one title each week. If it’s a larger book that you don’t think you can complete in one week, then divide up the number of pages and place that section on the page for that week. By the end of the summer, you will have made a huge dent in your reading list!
4. Take up a hobby. How many times have you thought to yourself, “I’d love to take dance lessons” or “I’d love to learn to play golf?” Now is the time! Make some phone calls and sign up for those lessons. And make some new friendships at the same time!
5. Develop a new skill. Do you wish that you were a better cook? Commit to trying one new recipe each week. Do you need to learn a new software program? Commit one or two hours a week to going through a section of the tutorial and putting it into practice. Do you want to learn how to knit so you can make a blanket for that new grandbaby? Buy a simple pattern and work on it a little bit each week. Get help if you need some. Don’t let the time go to waste.
6. Start exercising. Join a women’s gym or sign up for a walking club in your area. Make a date to go bike riding with a friend. Visit a local state park and go hiking. Exercise doesn’t need to be boring! We have a bike trail near our home and one of my favorite warm-weather activities is to go rollerblading. My daughter and I enjoy this fun time together.
7. Spend time alone. Make a weekly date with yourself to visit a museum or browse through a favorite bookstore. Go to a coffeehouse or a local park and write in your journal. Take time at home to shut off the computer, turn off your phone, put a “do not disturb” sign on your door and sit quietly with soft music just to think and let your mind be creative without all the distractions of the outside world.
8. Visit someplace new. Is there a nearby town that you’ve never been to? Look at a map of your state and mentally draw a 100-mile radius around your hometown. Now find a location within that circle where you’ve never been. Find out about it. Call or visit online your state tourism department and request information. Now plan a day-trip to this place. Or maybe, you might just want to set out and discover what it has to offer all on your own.
9. Volunteer. Find a local charity where you can get involved. Do you like working with people with special needs? How about teenage mothers? Or maybe you’d enjoy helping to build a home for someone with Habitat for Humanity? If you’re an animal lover, you could volunteer at the National Humane Society. Or you could work in a literacy program and have the satisfaction of teaching someone to read! No matter what avenue you take, you’ll be blessed beyond measure when you choose to give back to your community.
10. Become an expert. This step ties in with reading and discovering a new skill or hobby, but it’s worth mentioning separately. What would happen if you spent twelve weeks focused on one particular subject? Perhaps you’ve always wanted to learn about different wines. You could travel to a winery and discover how wines are made. Read a book, subscribe to a wine magazine, or join a chat room that talks all about wines. The best part would, of course, be going to a fine dining restaurant and testing out your newfound knowledge with your friends!
11. Write a book. Yes, you can write a book! Start collecting stories and articles about a subject that intrigues you. Browse online and find additional resources and people that you can interview about your topic. Outline your topic and come up with subheadings about each area that you want to cover. Now commit to writing the first draft of a section each week. By the end of the summer, you’ll have a manuscript ready for editing!
12. Get organized! Divide your home (including garage and basement if you have them) into 12 areas. Devote one week each summer to each of those areas. Your kitchen require two weeks? No problem! Devote one week to cleaning out all the upper cupboards and the following week to cleaning out all of the lower cupboards. Keep in mind that an area doesn’t have to be an entire room. Maybe an area is your back hall closet! You can plan a yard sale for the end of the summer, or better yet, make a weekly trip to a local donation center. You can’t clean a house that’s full of clutter! Bring peace to yourself and your family by eliminating what doesn’t truly bless you.