Remember that song? “Summer time and the living is easy….” Yeah? Lies. All of it. This summer just started and it most certainly is not easy.
I blame it on the rain. Rain storms thunder through Florida every summer. But normally the storms blow in between 3-4 pm and are gone by 5:00 pm. Lately it’s been raining almost every day. All day.
Summer is always a little more stressful for me than the school year. Both the hubs and I work from home but his job is not quite as flexible as mine (since I own my own business). I end up being the one that doesn’t get much work done in the summer. Daddy has a schedule, projects, and meetings. Mommy spends her time out and about with the kids. We have a routine that includes our favorite fun and frugal summer activities — but the rain is cramping our style.
Normally, we would have already blazed through a few of our top ten favorite summer activities but so far we’ve only done a couple. I can’t wait until the weather cooperates so we can get back to it!
Our Favorite Fun and Frugal Activities during Summer Break
Swimming
Hands down, the absolute best thing about the neighborhood we just moved into is the amenity center and pool. This gets the kids outside and expending energy while their dad works. By the time we come back inside, they are ready for quiet time and I can get some work done, myself. They can lounge in floaties or go down the waterslide as often as they like!
Summer reading at the library
The library is a life saver during rainy weather. The kids love to pick out new books. Right now Pea is blazing through the Anne of Green Gables series! I am so proud of her. I read them when I was her age. Pork Chop is an avid fan of fantasy (just like his nerdy mama.) He is on book two of the Eragon Series.
Nature walks
One thing we started doing more of when Pokemon Go was a thing was taking walks in historic parks. While we no longer chase Pokemon, we still enjoy peaceful walks together when it isn’t too hot. It’s also a great way to get in exercise. Walking is low resistance and easy to do!
Soccer practice
Although both kids play soccer, it is more of my son’s thing. We don’t do soccer camps or summer soccer because of the ridiculous heat and humidity. But we do grab the soccer balls and run drills some mornings or in the early evening.
Ninja training
My daughter is very serious about her ninja training. She is always the smallest in her class. Her size is a constant cause of stress and anxiety for her. This year, the rest of her grade graduated past the “kindergarten pull up bar” in physical education. Though she jumped and tried to climb the pole to be able to reach the higher bar, she couldn’t manage it. Second graders aren’t always kind and even her friends laughed.
But when all was said and done, Pea did more pull ups than anyone else in her grade. They all managed one pull up. Pea was able to lift her pint sized body twice. She beat everyone in the entire second grade by one!
She’s determined to maintain her supremacy despite her small size.
Roller skating
The kids got roller blades/skates this past year. They are learning how to use them on the jogging trail at a local park. Our neighborhood has older sidewalks and the park’s paved paths are surprisingly much smoother.
Bike Riding
Sadly, the kids aren’t able to ride their bikes all day like I used to as a kid. I grew up on fenced in military installations.
A few years ago a predator kidnapped and killed a little girl that lived down the road from our old house. She was on her way home from school.
Because of how close to home that horrific event was, they are never outside without supervision. The predator is in prison. He was living at his mother’s home and since then the house has been burned down. But I still can’t help but worry when they aren’t in my sight.
Fishing
Another favorite past time is heading to Grandpa’s house by the river to do some fishing. The kids sit on the dock and fish with hot dogs while spending time with their Grandpa.
Playground hopping
We are lucky to live in a large (land mass wise) city with many playgrounds and splash pads. There are some days when we grab some drinks and snacks and head out to play in as many playgrounds as we can in a day!
The kids like the different equipment found in different parks. The change in park locations also exposes the kids to new children from other areas in town.
Our favorite on the go juice
All of our running around in the Florida heat make hydration a priority. While we drink lots of water, we are also huge fans of Fruit Shoot® juice drinks. These drinks have no added sugar and are packaged in easy to open and easy to reseal plastic bottles. The resealable bottles cut down on waste and reduces mess. Find out why thousands of parents in the United Kingdom already love buying these drinks for their kids and why it comes along with us while we enjoy our fun and frugal summer activities. Click this link to find Fruit Shoot® juice drinks.
More resources:
Have an adventure and support literacy
How having fun on a playground helps kids
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