Hey, summer

It's been three days of summer break!

Wahoo!

So far I am loving having all three of my kids home with me all day. With Tempe going off to full day school next year, I am really trying to take advantage of the time we have together.

We kicked off the summer with our annual sidewalk chalk party. I started doing this in 2011 and it's turned into a neighborhood tradition that kids look forward to all spring (not bragging, just stating facts as told to me by mothers of said kids... unless you're all lying to make me feel better about myself)

I ask everyone to bring their own chalk and I provide 100 Otterpops (they ALL got eaten this year) and that's all there is to this party! Can't get any easier than that and it's such a fun way to celebrate the beginning of summer! This idea was even featured on Tip Junkie a few years ago. Proudest moment of my blogging life.

I saw this idea floating around Pinterest and I just had to do it. My kids (especially Helena) always want to know what's next. I made a ton of these magnetic strips and every night before bed, I map out the next day's schedule on the garage door. Obviously, every day is different, depending on the day, and the first thing the girls do in the morning is check to see what we'll be doing that day. As soon as we finish a task, they take turns taking the strip down. It's so easy for them to see what we're doing now, what comes next, and what we'll be doing later. If Helena says she is hungry (which used to happen every 15 minutes all day, no joke), now I just point to the door and she can see when snacktime  will be. This has really cut down on the whining, the "I'm boooooored", and the "I'm hungry!" that I used to hear.
And you might notice the first thing on our schedule is yoga... we start every day off with 15 minutes of yoga. I found a children's yoga video on Netflix that I really like. It is filled with positive affirmations ("Listen to your breathing and find peace within yourself. We all have peace inside ourselves, even when the outside world seems difficult" and "Try to avoid judging your practice. Do the best you can, and then move one") and breathing/relaxation exercises. I think it's a great way for us to get ready for the day--I know I feel more relaxed and patient when we start out with 15 minutes of yoga!
How is your summer going? What are you doing with your kids?