Tag Archives: pool

Summer at Home

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Julie

Summer is one of my favorite times of the year.

We get to put away the pencils and backpacks and trade them in for swimsuits and sunscreen.

Good-bye alarm clocks and car pool!

Hello swimming pool!

At our house, we like to swim until our hands and feet turn in to prunes.

It is the only way to beat the Texas heat!

We are in the season of our life here at Lilacs & Longhorns, where life is busy. At times, it’s too busy.

We have schedules and calenders full of activities.

We are busy driving to and from music lessons, soccer practice, birthday parties, sleepovers, sporting events, etc.

As a result, our summers at home are something to be treasured, delighted in and cherished.

It can be easy to forget to take a moment to treasure the present moment.

Especially when squabbling between brother and sister is at an all-time high or the same song played on the piano over and over again gets on your last nerve.

Someday, we won’t have our summers at home together. The kids will get older, they’ll be spending more time with their friends, they’ll get summer jobs and then – before I know it – they’ll be out on their own. I know it will go by quickly. After all, weren’t they just babies a short time ago?

So, when the fighting and the summer doldrums set in, I try to remember what summer is all about — what it was always all about for me as a kid.

It’s a time to relax and enjoy the outdoors. It’s a time to rejuvenate from a busy school year. It’s a time to spend with family and friends. It’s a time to just “be.”

Spending time in our back yard with my kids helps bring me to the present moment. I start to relax and enjoy the fullness of life.

We can be silly, lazy, sleepy, active and playful right here. We can eat popsicles and ice cream while dangling our feet in the pool. Or we can see who can make the biggest splash or the highest waves. Sometimes we make up silly games or have water wars. And, sometimes, we just chill and read a book or take a short nap on the porch.

It’s a great spot to soak it all in.