Stress Reducers For Moms
How to Enjoy the Summer

We often get asked for stress reducers for moms to employ while their kids are home during the summer break from school.  Moms often find themselves with less free time, more taxiing requirements, more family gatherings, along with the normal daily activities of laundry, meal preparation, housekeeping and work!   Your stress level rises to an all-time high.

Summer stress is a normal part of life.  But, these 3 sections below on how a busy mom can reduce this, and help you cope with your energetic kids and keep your sanity.  With these, you can keep the kids happy and have time to relax and watch the day go by in a cozy hammock.

Create a summer schedule.

Summer has a different feel to it than the other seasons.  Without school activities, the days can be more leisurely for the kids.  However, moms are still working overtime!  What can you do to keep everyone occupied and safe as you still keep up with household chores and your professional responsibilities? Create a schedule just for the summer months.

• Assign daily chores for the kids.  These chores need to be completed before they visit with friends. With no school, kids can do some additional summer season chores to free up time for you.   Not only the usual cleaning of bedrooms and putting dishes away.  Each of my two boys had some additional chores that were season.  Yard-work and car washing was included. 
• Build in time for self enrichment.   Your kids can enroll in an arts class, participate in day camps, enjoy a new hobby or read a book of special interest to them.  Libraries, museums and other community organizations offer summer activities for your kids.  Plan ahead and keep your kids learning!  My kids learned new sports such as golf and tennis that were not offered at their school. 
• Build in extended friend visits that are not possible during the school year.  My kids enjoy bonfires and we were able to plan some of these activities throughout the summer season.  We also planned sleep overs without too much effort.  Parents got together and shared in arranging these activities so that no one parent was overly burdened.
  

Let the kids plan the family outing!

 Maybe there is a local attraction that your kids would like to visit or some relatives your kids would like to spend time with.  What a great opportunity to let them learn how to make travel plans--even if you are not going far.  When asked about stress reducers for moms that work well, I always talk about letting kids get involved in planning.  They will be more enthusiastic about taking part.

 Create a stay-cation.

Sometimes you just can't get away!  Because of schedules, finances or traveling burdens, you simply can not take the family on a vacation away from home.  So plan some activities right at home that allow for quality family time with every member taking a break from work.  You may have a backyard that is great for outdoor games, food grilling and down-home relaxing.  Pitch a tent for the kids.  Some people find they would rather install a pool and stay at home, rather than hassle with packing the kids and hauling them to a nearby pool.  Whatever you preference, find ways to make your home a source of family entertainment and reconnecting with each other.  Stress reducers for moms don't have to be any more involved than that.

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