We are in full blown summer break mode at my house. Summer means nine glorious weeks where I don’t HAVE to be anywhere or spend two plus hours a day commuting kids to and from school and extracurriculars. It means getting to see my people throughout the day as they pop in and out from their activities of choice. The downward shift in my cortisol levels the past couple of weeks is palpable, and I’ve come to embrace the calm that comes with a more relaxed schedule. I used to envy those who packed their summers full of adventures galore and wonder HOW in the world they did it all. Then I realized, I’m not them. And that’s ok. Here’s why I refuse to make a summer bucket list. Having a schedule that is filled to the brim drains my tank faster than a bloodthirsty mosquito tracks me down at dusk. If your feed is inundated with everyone and their brother’s highlight reel and summer bucket list, and you have no desire to make one of your own, you are not alone. If home is where your heart is, and you’re a checklist kind of person, who desires to at least do SOMETHING this summer, here are some ideas that you can enjoy without leaving the house.
It’s time to normalize the joy of lazy summer days and time well spent in the comforts of home. When was the last time you held a book? Listening to one on your way to your next task or reading one on your glowing screen doesn’t count. I mean physically held a tangible book and flipped the pages and made time to enjoy and experience the story as it unfolds before your eyes and in your mind. If you have no idea what to read, check your local library for the librarians’ picks, or check out the library’s selection of Newbery medal winners. The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie is chock full of recommendations for all ages as well. Those are some great reads that will take you on an adventure while staying cozily nestled in your favorite nook. Enjoy solo reading time, or incorporate a family read aloud time into your schedule. Add that to your summer bucket list (if you feel the need to have one).
A few summers ago, I decided to challenge myself to take up canning. I had seen my parents laboriously prepare and can fruits and vegetables from their garden harvests throughout the years, and the thought of taking on that task was a bit overwhelming, so I started simple. Berry season is in full swing, and the best berry jam only requires a few ingredients and some canning jars. My favorite jam recipe is from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom. It calls for a pound of strawberries, 3/4 cup sugar, and 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice. You can switch up the recipe with your favorite fruit and adjust the amount of sugar to taste. A couple of my favorite fruit jam combinations are strawberry-rhubarb and strawberries with wild black raspberries. I stumbled upon the strawberry and wild black raspberry combo a couple of weeks ago when I was just shy of enough strawberries from my garden, so I topped off the recipe with some wild black raspberries that I had in my freezer. Every year my dad picks a boatload of wild black raspberries and shares them with the family to freeze and enjoy throughout the year. Raspberries are quite seedy, so if you prefer a smoother consistency to your jam, you can puree the fruit in a blender once it cooks down a bit and then return it to the saucepan to finish cooking to the appropriate thickness before transferring it to jars and canning.
Once I got the hang of making jam, I decided to give elderberry syrup a go. Several years ago, my husband’s coworker gave us some elderberry tree shoots that we planted in our backyard, and we’ve been harvesting elderberries since the trees started producing. Elderberry syrup is an excellent immune system booster and one of my go-to supplements when cold and flu season hits. While it is not advised to consume raw elderberries due to the risk of GI upset, cooking them down with some water and organic spices, such as ginger, cloves, and cinnamon, and then mixing equal amounts of raw honey and the spiced elderberry juice makes for a delicious, healthy morning jumpstart. I enjoy a Tablespoon of elderberry syrup mixed with a shot of lemon juice and 4 ounces of warm water. In addition to boosting your immune system, the warm concoction is a great morning wakeup for your digestive system. Elderberry syrup prepared with raw honey should not be canned, as extreme temperatures will kill the health benefits of the raw honey used in the syrup. If you prefer to can your elderberry syrup, you may opt to use cane sugar in place of the honey. I have made it both ways and prefer to have the added health benefits of the honey as opposed to consuming added sugars when I’m trying to keep my body healthy or fending off unpleasant symptoms.
Instead of canning my elderberry syrup, I put it in 4 ounce glass jars and freeze them, so I can take them out and consume the syrup as needed throughout the year. Elderberry syrup keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 months and retains its flavor and potency in the freezer for up to 6-12 months. The past two years, I’ve had an abundance of syrup, so I’ve made it available for purchase to those who can pick it up locally. It’s a labor of love harvesting and cleaning and prepping the elderberries for syrup making. Harvesting, cleaning, and stripping the elderberries from their stems takes multiple hours followed by the time investment to cook and can the syrup. I no longer question how expensive it is to purchase elderberry syrup. The laborious task is worth it to have the homemade goodness on hand whenever it’s needed, and it’s a joy to share it with others, so they too can experience the health benefits.
If spending time with a book or in the kitchen isn’t your jam (pun completely intended), perhaps a family game night is more your speed. If you have a house of teens, give them a heads up. Surprise schedule changes that put a kink in their plans are not always appreciated, but advanced notice is. Have everyone give you a list of their favorite snacks and beverages, gather the goods and your crew, and whip out the gameboards for an evening of family fun. Different personalities prefer different types of games, so have a variety of options available to keep things fresh. Over the years, I’ve endeavored to be more healthy, but I’ll never pass up a game night with my Loves and some Twizzlers chock full of red food dye and artificial flavors. There’s nothing that a double dose of elderberry syrup can’t reverse, right?
During the surge of COVID, Friday night fires was one of our favorite traditions that we launched. It allowed us to keep in touch with neighbors and enjoy time outdoors and snacks and chats around the campfire while maintaining social distancing. One night we dragged the firepit and some wood up to the driveway and set out several chairs for anyone who wanted to join in. What began as a spontaneous get together evolved into a weekly tradition. It became a joke that my husband was putting out the “smoke signal” to let the neighborhood know that a Friday night fire was happening whenever he set up the firepit in our driveway on Friday afternoons. The tradition stuck, and now every year as we approach summer, we all look forward to Friday night fires. This is an activity that even draws the teens away from their screens and gaming because who can resist s’mores and a campfire?
Whether you give one of these at-home activities a try or choose to completely chillax all summer, know that enjoying a season of rest is good for the soul and should be normalized and prioritized. We spend so much of our time hustling to the next best thing while running on empty. Rest is necessary to allow us to recharge and recoup. Going from Mach speed to idling can play tricks on our minds and bodies. Sometimes it takes a bit of practice to allow ourselves to enjoy some down time. When I started practicing intentional quietness, it felt off, as if I was either depressed or something was wrong with me. It turns out my body and mind were just figuring out how to adjust to a sense of calm rather than a state of flight or fright. With practice, calm becomes a welcome, new normal. Give yourself permission to hit pause and soak up the simpler things in life this summer.
XO, Katie