Make 2012 a Summer to Remember!

Picture taken form Sky Ranch Ute Trail Family Camp

(this blog is a "Blast From the Past" from last summer...but too good not to Re-Post!)

Hey Moms! How many summers to do you have left with your kiddos at home?   3? 6? 9? 0? Oh no! Don’t cry! Get motivated to make this a summer to remember!

How many times have your summers come and gone and you say to yourself, “Well, that was fun but what did we do?  What did we accomplish?  I felt like a referee most of the summer!”

Many of us have been there.  Those 10-12 weeks go by very quickly.  Plan now to make each week special and intentional.  Here are some ideas:

Spend some time each week learning.  We don’t want our kids to lose what they’ve learned this school year, and we certainly don’t want them to be brain dead upon returning to school in August.  Spend some time, maybe an hour or two, each week working through old workbooks or maybe even pull out some flash cards.  This is especially important for those kids who struggle academically.  If nothing else, READ.  Make it your goal for your children to complete a novel or two this summer.  Readers are leaders!

Get physical! Ride bikes, walk trails, swim…but get outside as a family! Make physical activity a MUST each week.  Our kids are prone to stay inside and play video games.  Don’t let this be the highlight of your child’s summer.  Set limits on all electronics!  If your children are 14 or older, consider some kind of work opportunity for them.  Help them figure out how to get a job that is age appropriate.  Our children need to know what it means to work hard.  Before they graduate high school they need to have had a job…an employer…received an official paycheck.  It’s important!

Encourage spiritual growth.  Ensure your kids have a devotional or bible study to work through each day.  Maybe this is a good summer to start a family devotional study together! Check out the new “Open Your Eyes” Family Devotional guide for Sky Ranch Camps!!!  Also, continue to make church attendance and fellowship a priority over the summer. 

Finally, SERVE.  This is the best way to grow as a family and to grow in your relationship with God.  Each week, set aside time to serve someone in your neighborhood, or a family member or in your church family.  Visit a nursing home.  Bake cookies for a neighbor.  Take a meal to someone who is in need of encouragement.  Write a note to a grandparent.  Make a donation.  The opportunities for service are limitless.  Service is our outward expression of love for our Father. 

So, let’s make the summer of 2012 the best yet! Moms, you steer the ship of your home.  You might want to take your calendar out now and start plugging in dates/times to make sure these things happen! Before you look up it will be August and another school year.  God bless you!

~Lisa Clark, Sky Ranch Parenting Mentor