You count down the days until school is out-either for your kids, yourself (if you work in the profession), or both. Even if you're working, you are still determined to live in the moment and experience a season of joy and bliss for three months, appropriately called "vacation ."There's a bubbling of excitement for what's to come. Images of adventures, experiences, and making memories big and small fill your head and heart. It all begins with great intentions of plans, schedules, and ideas set off by the declaration, "FIRST DAY OF SUMMER!"

However, every year reality hits faster than anticipated, and what you intended to be a well-organized yet funfilled "break" from the grind becomes a financially stressful, aggravating, emotionally draining pull and pressure, leaving you counting the days until school begins again.

It starts with great intentions but rarely goes according to plan and, more often than not, leaves you feeling incapable, unappreciated, completely drained, and counting the days until school begins again. Not because you don't love your kids but because you (and your children) crave simplicity and routine. It's also because the guilt and weight of "keeping up" have become the driving force behind intentions, thus leaving you feeling incapable and overwhelmed when reality doesn't align with your ideal.

Save yourself a lot of grief and disappointment by cutting the chord to social comparison and replacing it with boundaries.
Here are some tips to help you maintain a house filled with summer sanity.

**1. ) Commit To Your Lifestyle!**

It goes without saying that ensuring your summer plans fit into your current lifestyle needs to be a priority. If you work full-time all year, it only makes sense to have realistic ideas regarding time off, evening routines, and weekend expectations. Even though it's sunny and warm, you still need time to rest and recover from a hectic workweek. It would be unrealistic and draining to plan a short weekend trip between June and August. Equally problematic is detering from your current budget. If you haven't planned to have dinner out or stop at the ice cream truck 4 times a week, then doing so will only leave you stressed and struggling later.
The age-old saying, "keeping up with the Jones'" is genuine and very dangerous, mentally, emotionally, and financially. Plan accordingly and stick to that plan. Just because it's summer doesn't mean you have to deter from a lifestyle of stability and security.

2.) Eliminate The Sugar Coating

When it comes to time management, financial obligations, plans, travel, and expectations, don't try to shield your family (kids included) from real life. As adults, we bear the burden of adult issues, and there is a real need to protect young people from that (they are forced to face so much already) but not being honest about your present circumstances is a disservice to yourself and your family. Having age-appropriate conversations about the summer months is an okay thing! Overindulgence only leads to guilt, shame, regret, and stress. Eliminate those afterthoughts by eliminating the desire to sugarcoat reality.

3.) Negotiate the Negotiable

In other words, pick your battles. Wrap your mind around the fact that the summer months DO require some flexibility and bend in the structure. Understand, even if your day-to-day doesn't change, those around you may have a complete change in routine that will trickle over your way. When you're in the push and pull of expectations, it's okay (even encouraged) to engage in a little bit of flexibility. For example, if you have set expectations that your children have to do 30 minutes of reading and 20 minutes of math review daily, allow them to choose which one to do first. If it can be negotiated (without turning into mayhem sans consequences), then it's okay to give a little. This allows clear expectations without the battle for power while teaching time management and natural consequences.

**4.) Collaborate**

You can't expect children (or even adults outside of your daily life) to understand your specific responsibilities, pressures, and schedule. Even when discussed, no one lives inside your head. Therefore, it is impossible to truly grasp how you manage your life and respond to change. That being said, it's easy to forget the innocent excitement and dreams that come with "summer break." Therefore, collaborate with your family or friends about what they hope to do. This opens the door for conversation around tips 1-3 and allows everyone to feel heard. Collaborate on what the summer CAN look and feel like. Work together to come up with financial and timely experiences or activities.

The flip side of this is also collaborating on responsibility. Regardless of the season, there are still only 24 hours in a day, so if you're in a situation where YOUR schedule doesn't change, it's a perfect opportunity to collaborate in areas of service. If you have family members or children home, discuss sharing some age-appropriate tasks. This takes some of the "to-do's" off your plate, allowing more free time to fit in.

5.) Protect the Peace

Easier said than done at times but very simply: be okay with saying NO to anyone and anything that will leave you feeling less than, burnout, and stressed beyond a reasonable period. Even planned trips and vacations must have boundaries and limitations to avoid long-term financial deprivation. When trying to fill every "bored" moment with an educational or exploratory activity, ask yourself what you have time, energy, and resources to do. It is acceptable (if not encouraged) to allow those in your home to figure out how to pass the time themselves. Summer does not have to entail overindulgent stimulation and entertainment.

In short-the secret to keeping your sanity this summer is boundaries! Release the need to compare and keep up. Instead, embrace and embody a mindset of intention which will allow you to maintain a sense of peace while simultaneously enjoying the summer months with family and friends.

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