5 Ways to Recover from the Summer Crazy with the Kids and End the Day on a High Note

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Are you already counting down the days the kids go back to school? Has the summer crazy with the kids wearing you out all ready?  Keep reading for 5 ways you can hit a reset after a rough day and end the day on a high note!

This post is sponsored by Red Baron but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Summer…

Sun-shiney smiles and running through sprinklers and bike rides through the neighborhoods…

Adventures as a family, lazily lounging in the backyard, all while your kids all get along famously…

Summer is the most relaxing time in the world…

Said no parent ever.

Parents fall on either side of the spectrum – some love having their kiddos back home and have all kinds of adventures planned. And some…well, they’re counting the days back to school after the first week.

Love summer or cringe over it, there’s definitely a whole other level of chaos having the kids home.  Red Baron Pizza did a survey of 1,000 moms with kids 3-17 years old, and almost half the moms reach their breaking point just 13 days into summer.  Not only does having the kids home add a whole new strategy of organization and planning to keep them out of trouble, but moms get behind on doing what they usually do when the kids are in school  – things like laundry, food shopping and cooking dinner.

Even if your kids are too young to be ‘home for the summer’ because, well, they’re always there, everything and everywhere is more chaotic because all the other kids are out for the summer. My boys are only 3, but they sense the summer craziness.  Going to the store is crazier because of all the moms who now have to drag their kids with them.  Going to the playground is crazier because desperate moms bring their kids to let them escape in the wild.  Don’t even get started on places where you have to pay good money like amusement and water parks.

Summer is not relaxing for moms. Summer is chaotic.

We experienced this last summer at a park near our house.  My boys, 2 years old then, were on the playground especially for 2-5 year olds.

This same park was also running a summer camp for elementary age kids.  I guess they ran out of things to do with them because the counselors just let them loose on the kiddie playground.  I wouldn’t necessarily mind, but these kids were congregating at the top platform of the slide, so, my little guys, my 2 year old little guys, had to crawl over this pack of ‘big kids’ to go down the slide. This was just in every way inappropriate to me.

I found the counselor and went all ‘tiger mom’ on him, telling him that this playground was for 2-5 year olds, and his campers really shouldn’t be there. He just kind of looked at me blankly, not really sure what I was so upset about.

Needless to say, it was time to go home.

Needless to say, the boys were not happy about having their playtime cut short.

And they were hot. And sweaty. And hungry. And tired.

It made for a really fun afternoon. Which carried all the way into the night.

So it doesn’t matter how old your kids are, if they are home for the summer or just affected by everyone else’s kids who are home for the summer.  The bottom line is that summer is more chaotic for every mom all around.

And in my house, sometimes that initial chaos only snowballs and continues to grow right up until bedtime.  I learned my lesson from that experience last summer, and unless I make a conscious effort to hit a reset from all the craziness, there’s nothing good that comes after that.

So, how do you hit a reset? How do you go out on a high note (to quote George Costanza) after it’s been one of those crazy, chaotic summer days?

Here are some ways that we do it:

 

1| Give everyone some down time.

This will look different for everyone, but there needs to be some non-chaotic time for everyone to decompress.  My boys are little, so naps still work here.  When they aren’t napping, sometimes it’s just quiet time in the crib or a TV show. I know everyone’s not a fan of the TV, but for us, because they have so much energy and will turn a quiet activity like coloring into chucking crayons across the room, it forces them to focus and calm down. For you, maybe it’s tablet time. Maybe it’s reading a book.  Everyone needs a little down time and space.

2| Regroup around dinner and pick a favorite.

On a day like this, a simple dinner that is easy and no-fuss is our go-to.  And it works so much better to pick one that everyone loves, just to circumvent more drama. We love to pick one of the boy’s favorite – pizza.  We keep a stash of Red Baron Pizza in the house.

 

Red Baron Pizza is perfect for the chaotic nights, and because they love it, everyone is happy.  This pizza is especially great for little ones because the crust isn’t too thick or thin. Everyone agrees on the Classic Crust Pepperoni Pizza, and sometimes my husband and I will throw in another flavor just for us (There are 11 different flavors!).  And I’m a fan because it’s super-easy for me.  Moms, we all know – if they’ve had a chaotic day, yours was even more so.

 

After an especially stressful and chaotic day, we’ll bring dinner outside.  That always helps to brighten everyone’s mood, too.

3| Do a family activity together.

After reconnecting at dinner, you can capitalize on that and do something together.  For us, we like to take the boys for walks after dinner.  It’s relaxing for them and relaxing for us.  Maybe you want to go for a family bike ride or play some games or watch a family movie or roast marshmallows in the backyard.  Doing something fun together as a family is something that totally hits the reset button.

4| Connect at bedtime.

We have a bedtime routine with our boys where, after baths (if I have the energy or if they’re dirty enough where I really have to), we watch about 20 minutes of TV together to settle down, go in their room, read books, pray, sing and then lights out.  As they are getting older, we’re starting to talk a little bit about their day – what we did, what was fun.  When your kids go to bed, if you’ve had an especially chaotic day, spend a little extra time with them at bedtime.  If this is already part of your routine, great! Maybe snuggle and read an extra book. Do the one thing they’re always begging for at bedtime – sing another song, play a short game.  Use bedtime as a time to connect.

5| Take some time for you.

After a rough day, the best thing you can do is take time to relax.  Those rough days are so draining.  A lot of times, after the kids are in bed, it’s tempting to do laundry, squeeze in a workout, catch up on chores, and be productive.  But on a day where the summer chaos has kicked in, make sure you relax so you can start the next day on a high note.  You know what’s relaxing to you: zoning out in front of the TV, reading a book, taking a bath, listening to worship music, or just going to bed early. You need some time to recover after a hectic day, too – so, now that the kids are in bed, have some personal time to reset.

There just isn’t such a thing as a relaxing summer once kids are in the mix. Their energy levels alone makes that an impossibility. But there are ways to minimize the stress and create some enjoyable and memorable moments along the way.  It won’t get rid of the chaos or the crazy, but it will make the crazy a little more manageable – and a little more fun.

{Be sure to check out Red Baron Pizza – our favorite – at your local store! They have 11 different varieties to choose from.  It’s just one weapon in your arsenal that you can use to fight the crazy this summer.}

Click here to learn more about Red Baron Pizza!

 

Thoughts? I’d love to hear them! What are your go-to tips to fight the summer crazy?