summer of love 2014

welcome to evolving parents summer of love.

A place for us to gather — ideas – successes – strategies.
A place where each week there will be simple posts, easy ideas, fabulous ways to connect with your kiddos all summer long.
By the time September arrives, we’ll have created a string of the best kind of moments. A string of emotional twinkle lights. full of love.

 w0bannerweek O for organize:

Organize the summer. If rolling up your sleeves and creating a plan is your kind of happiness, begin right here.

w1bannerweek 1 we create:

Finish the O? Or not really a type A? well, then, let’s get started. week 1 is here.

w2bannerweek 2: we slow it all down…

it is time to slow down. and twinkle.
Here it is.

 

week3_EP

 week 3: we watch for fireworks…

this week is about watching. looking for the itty-bitty tiny things that fill your child’s heart with wonder. starting here.

 

 

w4_ep

 week 4: we listen for the sounds of silence…

this week, we listen for the sounds of silence. And it all begins here.

 

w5

week 5: we reach out & touch…

this week, we add the alchemy of touch. It starts here.

 

week6

week 6: It’s a midsummer night…

It’s a midsummer night. Have you been following your dreams? sweet help starts here.

 

w7

week 7: start a love triangle…

No, no, nothing that will land you trouble or be the basis for a network television special. Start a full-on love triangle with your little one. Here’s how.

 

wk8

week 8: question your kiddos…

We spend a lot of time with our children. No question. We spend a lot of that time taking care of our children. We also spend a lot of that time teaching our children. Body & Mind. We’ve got those covered. This week, we’re going to attend to their souls. Here.

 

w9

week 9: plan a day-cation…

Here. we. are. week 9. In the final stretch of the dog days of summer. {ever wonder why we call it that? it comes from the rising of Sirius, the brightest star in the constellation canis major}. Our to-do lists are shifting to include pencils, lunch bags and backpacks. Before we get consumed by what’s ahead in September, let’s linger here in summer just a little bit longer. And celebrate. How? In a sweet small way. A secret-ish get away. Not a full-blown vacation that would require pet sitters and plant waterers, but something so subtle the neighbors will never know. But you? You will know, and remember, and be different after the day is done.

 

w10

  week 10: Hokey, Pokey…

This week, we’re going to do the Hokey Pokey. Because, rumor has it, That’s What it’s all About. Possible, I don’t know. What I do know is that Where We Stand with our kids makes a difference. A really, really big one. In how they perceive themselves. In how they interact with others. In how they respond to siblings. And even to us. So what does the Hokey Pokey look like in parenting? Well, we’re going to take it one day at a time. Stepping in, reaching out. And, of course, turning ourselves about.

 

evolving parents evolvingparents parent coaching parentcoaching personal coach parentcoach lifecoach emily mcmason emilymcmason infant sleep infantsleep discipline siblings summer of love summeroflove parentingvalues values newbabygift valueaddedhappinessweek 11: building Bonfires

Summer is winding down. Time to build a bonfire. We’re going to find a good night, or afternoon, or morning {because, heck, who doesn’t like s’mores for breakfast?} to gather up the kids. To continue the oral tradition of telling tales.

Some serious things happened this summer, and some seriously great things happened, too. And how we talk about them recounts not just the events, but who we are. How we tell stories tells our children about our values: resiliency, generosity, persistence, community, kindness, problem-solving, hope, love.

So this final week of the Summer of Love? We are going to strike a match and light up our lives, campfire style.

evolving parents evolvingparents parent coaching parentcoaching personal coach parentcoach lifecoach emily mcmason emilymcmason infant sleep infantsleep discipline siblings summer of love summeroflove parentingvalues values newbabygift valueaddedhappinessMonday: Schedule fun — one last time, before the summer is gone. Plan your bonfire. Find a space, squeeze a date, do whatever is necessary to find time between now and…then plan to build a fire.

 

 

evolving parents evolvingparents parent coaching parentcoaching personal coach parentcoach lifecoach emily mcmason emilymcmason infant sleep infantsleep discipline siblings summer of love summeroflove parentingvalues values newbabygift valueaddedhappinessTuesday: Write a story. Assemble your documentation, calendars, and a few highlighters. Go through it all and find the events that mattered most. The ones you want to emphasize with your kids. The big, obvious ones. The small ones you think they might have glossed over. The ones you want to revisit to make sure everyone got the point—the lesson underneath the action.

 

evolving parents evolvingparents parent coaching parentcoaching personal coach parentcoach lifecoach emily mcmason emilymcmason infant sleep infantsleep discipline siblings summer of love summeroflove parentingvalues values newbabygift valueaddedhappinessWednesday: Pencil out your narrative. You’ve gotten the events in place, now go back to the values. Look through your list. What connection do you want to make from action to value? Which traits do you want to emphasize for each child? What do you want to say to them? What do you want to imprint on your child’s memory from the Summer of Love?

 

evolving parents evolvingparents parent coaching parentcoaching personal coach parentcoach lifecoach emily mcmason emilymcmason infant sleep infantsleep discipline siblings summer of love summeroflove parentingvalues values newbabygift valueaddedhappinessThursday: Reflect. Sometimes inspiration comes from the reflection of others. So grab a phone, write an email, walk across the street to knock on your neighbor’s door. Check in with your sumbud {one last time, sniff sniff}. Review your plans. Go over what you want to say. Edit. Add. Change. Decide.

 

evolving parents evolvingparents parent coaching parentcoaching personal coach parentcoach lifecoach emily mcmason emilymcmason infant sleep infantsleep discipline siblings summer of love summeroflove parentingvalues values newbabygift valueaddedhappinessFriday: Feelings. {nothing more than feelings}. At the end of the day, when the flames have settled, take a moment to reflect. We did a lot of work this summer. Grab a folder. Tuck all the calendars, the documentation, all the www, all of it, away somewhere in your hub. So on the emotionally rainy days you can pull it out and return to the Summer of Love. You can come back and review. Or maybe pick something new.

Because we covered a lot of ground:

 

Each of these actions creates a spark. Illuminates change. We did it. Together. Lighting a string of emotional twinkle lights. Full of love.

 

Xoxo.

Emily

P.S. And if you have any questions about parenting, now, tomorrow, next year, please know I am always here for you. xoxo.
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