I’m so ready for summer. By this time of the year I’m DONE with homework and packing lunches and all the school stuff and ready to just kick back and have fun with the kids. There are certain things that power my days in the summertime and make summer livin’ even sweeter. I’m sharing them today and would love to hear what you can’t live without during this time of year too!
Summer camp
Yes, I love having the kids home, no alarm clock, a relaxed schedule. But I’m a realist here and I know “I’m bored” will hit me on repeat soon enough. Summer camp to the rescue! I signed my kids up last year for the first time and I swear it was the best week of their summer. They had SO much fun, stomping in creeks, petting farm animals, singing songs. Balance is the name of the game: We need equal parts structured, planned time and unstructured wing-it time. That’s what works best for us!
Ice cream
We have this challenge we do every summer where we seek out ice cream places we’ve never tried before and then rank them. It’s basically an excuse to eat ice cream on a regular basis. Definitely one of the best parts of summer!
The Beach
Our family LOVES the beach. We are really fortunate to be able to get there a few times each summer. Toes in the sand, digging up crabs, making drip castles. Bring it on!
Books
A more relaxed schedule means more time to read. I just got this hammock for Mother’s Day and with all the Kindle books I dig up for us every day, I’m a reading fool in the summer months. If you’ve got a great summer read suggestion, lay it on me!
Butterfly House
Raising butterflies in our own backyard is one of the highlights of our summer. Each of my kids has a butterfly house and we fill ‘er up every summer. My parsley brings all the caterpillars to the yard. Sing it with me now… 😉
Summer Drinks
Nothing says summer like a cold drink. An adult beverage? Yes please. Iced tea or lemonade? Sure thang. I like it all. Lots of ice, a fun straw, it’s a party. Here are some of my favorites!
Flip flops
This one is a given. When we’re not barefoot the best we can do is flip flops, maybe some slightly fancier sandals. Anything you can quickly slip on and off is key. I love summer shoes!
Fire pits
Summer nights are made for roasting marshmallows and eating s’mores around a fire pit. We have this one on our patio that is well-used. I need to see if Costco sells marshmallows because we really go through them at this time of year. I can hardly wait to cancel the 8pm bedtime and light that first summer fire.
Tell me, what are the things you can’t live without in the summer?
I’ve teamed up with seven other bloggers to share some of our must-haves throughout the year. See what they’ve gotta have to survive summer too. Meet the Moms Tell All group:

Carrie says
I want a fire pit SO BADLY. Right now our backyard is a mess thanks to our dog, but when he’s a little older, we’re going to have one!
Christina says
I love fire pits! There is nothing like relaxing around one in the evening!
Barb says
I love the idea of trying out new ice cream places. (BTW, great for Instagram!). We have a few already, and I’m sure we could find some more awesome ones.
Megan says
Your summer looks much like my summer except substitute swim team for camp. Hope you have a great time!