Summer days will soon be here, which bring a shift to every home. Schedules go out the window and vacations are planned. As we approach these months, I’m making this one, huge promise to myself and think all moms should, too.
This post is sponsored by GOJO, the makers of PURELL® products. Thanks for supporting Project Motherhood!
The Promise All Moms Should Make This Summer
We have one month almost exactly left here in New York City before school is out for the summer. This means big things, this year especially because we will be moving in July and being a work-from-home-mom, having one more child to attend to during business hours adds a whole new level of excitement to our everyday. Branden really is a very big help with Blake, but there is also fighting that still happens between them and a need on my end to be able to supply them with endless entertainment to keep them both occupied. It’s a lot of change and I’ll admit that I’m not one who likes to mess with my routine, but motherhood means that I’ve got to embrace the crazy, so that’s exactly what I’m doing with the help of my friends at the PURELL® brand.
In order to avoid moments where I pull a George Castanza and find myself screaming “I’m looooosing it,” I made a promise or a pact with myself before letting summer break completely wash over me and I think all moms should make it, too.
I promise to make it a stress-free summer.
A stress-free summer? How the heck are we going to do that?
I’m not naive enough to think that stressful moments won’t exist. But, here are my tips for keeping things as stress-free as possible.
1. Have an on-the-go bag handy.
Within this bag is where I keep things like diapers and wipes, obviously for the little one, but it’s also where I keep my must-have PURELL® items. While the PURELL® portfolio now includes so many awesome products to use in-home (I’ll be sharing more about those later on this summer), they also have a plethora of items that I feel were truly made just with busy moms in mind. Living in the concrete jungle, I always keep my PURELL® Advanced Hand Sanitizer Refreshing Gel within arms reach (typically on the stroller) and our favorite PURELL® Hand Sanitizing Wipes for messier moments.
Knowing that I have these items ready to go for whenever the mood strikes us, makes me ease up a bit as a mom, knowing I don’t have to scramble around our home to gather all these items.
2. Let go of expectations
This is a big one for me and I know something that a lot of you moms can relate to. We have an idea of how the day or week or vacation is going to go. We picture sandy toes in the beach and instead the toddler has a complete meltdown. We picture an Instagram worthy moment of the kids eating ice cream at the park and instead it melts all over them and creates a huge mess (hello….see #1). I’m guilty of this so hard, you guys. I want those perfect moments for my kids, but I know I need to realize that perfect isn’t real and I need to just embrace the chaos to alleviate some stress from my life.
3. Plan out the things that matter
I’m a stickler for having a plan and get a little bit on anxiety when I don’t have a firm grasp on the days or weeks plan – it’s my type A personality. But I’ve realized that in order to kiss some stress buh-bye, I need to focus on only planning the big things and let the other stuff fall into place. Growing up, I had a friend’s mom who would list out the whole week’s worth of dinners on their refrigerator so she never had to hear anyone asking “what’s for dinner?” and I’ve tried to follow that during summertime, along with some fun activities that I have in mind for the week. It helps to keep us on a schedule and allows me to also know that I can balance work and things I need to do in between!
Looking for more on summer vacation? Here’s more good stuff!
- How to Work From Home With a Baby Or Toddler
- 5 Cool Mom Apps That Are Saving My Summer
- How to Travel With a Baby (The Most Overlooked Tips)
- How to Make Busy Boxes For Toddlers
- How to be More Present When Traveling With Your Family
- Where to Find Awesome Support Groups For Moms
Okay mamas, can we collectively make this little promise? I know that summer is filled with so many fun moments ahead and it’s hard as we navigate those moments with the pressure to be the ring master of all the activities, so let’s make it a stress-free summer, ok?
XOXO,
Allison
Love these ideas- I am aiming for a stress free summer too! We always have PURELL with us- especially when headed to the playground!
LOVE my Purell a.k.a germ gel. I have some in my van and my diaper bag. Plus I use the Purell disinfectant home cleaner. I have to get these wipes, I have never seen these before!
I’m looking forward to summer because I don’t have to get up a certain time or walk them to school. I do the write the weeks worth of meals on the fridge thing. Of course the little ones that can’t read yet still ask but it’s a lot better. We keep Purell handy all the time too.
YES! Love these ideas. This is what I tried to do when my daughter was little too. I even had a picnic basket all packed (just add food), a beach bag packed, etc. That way we could just grab one of the bags and go on a spontaneous fun day!
I don’t like getting stressed out. We are moving in August to a new city and I’m already compiling lists in my head. I always have Purell in my purse. You never know when you will need it.
These are really great tips! Will definitely keep these in mind for summer fun!
Purell is always on hand in our home, and especially this summer. It’s such a great habit to get into!
I’m a germaphobe so I always have some on hand!
I’m loving this post so much. I do my best to have a stress free lifestyle. Some days are better than others, but that’s real life. I will join you in your promise. Stress free summer!