We do 1000 things in a day. And yet…by the end, it’s sometimes hard to explain all that took place. Or to feel like we accomplished much. Not this summer. This summer we are going to document our love. Do you instagram? or journal? or tape butcher paper to the wall and make a list? How will you mark and remember all the moments – big and small — this summer? Whatever it is, decide. commit. here’s one way to do it. and then…if you are a social media maven, let’s make this happen: #epsummeroflove
here we all are, so let’s meet each other, shall we? in the comments on our FB group page, please introduce yourself, and tell us the ages of your kiddos.
then…figure out your spot. your place. THE HUB. the location in your house, on a shelf, tucked into your work calendar, wherever it may be, that allows you to organize this summer of love. We’re going to be printing calendars and making lists (they will be fun! I promise!) and we want to be able to find them at a moment’s notice. So, wander around…find your hub.
Here are some HUBs from my house, including: a tiny section of a bookshelf dedicated to our daily lives; our week-at-a-time chalkboard HUB, where everyone can see all that is happening for the week ahead; our bulletin HUB with our family values, rules, personal goals, kid chores, etc. {we’ll be talking about how to frame and write values / rules / goals as the summer goes on…}; a HUB on the go example, you can file by person, event, timeline, whatever works best. And it can travel with you- or fit some place small; and finally a string it out for all to see HUB.
sumbud. summer buddy. somebody. time to make a friend. or renew and old friendship. or upsell an acquaintanceship. in other words, find someone in our group (look through the list above) or invite a friend who isn’t yet here to join you as your sumbud. the person you’ll be checking in with. your accountability partner. a face in the crowd with whom your are going to share the summer. they might live next door. or in the next state. or next time zone. doesn’t matter. reach out. connect.
For all the extroverts- of course you can have more than one sumbud. For all the introverts cringing at the thought of even one? I believe in you. {but totally understand if you chose to be your own sumbud}
if someone asks, and, for whatever reason {too many sumbuds, not quite ready to be a sumbud, etc} you need to politely decline, try: thank you for reaching out, and I need to respectfully decline. and if you were the asker? no worries. we’re a group full of potential sumbuds.
Today? today we calendarize. jump on over here to download, save & print. don’t worry if, at first glance, it doesn’t all make sense. We’ll get to every line, I promise!
Today, we’re focusing on values. The values we hold ground our families. They are the base from which the rest grows. Values are what matter most.
But we don’t always talk about them directly. We aren’t always expressing them clearly to our kids. Until now. Today’s work is to make a list of 11. It might be a list of values you already focus on, it might be values you want to bring up more, it might be a mix. Can’t list 11 quickly on fingers and a toe? don’t panic! I’ve got lots of ways to help you get to 11, right here.
summer. right now the stretch of calendar makes it look endless. but by the end? we somehow have so many friends we didn’t see, activities we never tried, and places we didn’t go to. simply because the days slipped by. so today, begin with making those lists. yours. the kids’. your partner’s. have everyone record what you want to do. then sit down together and highlight, star, prioritize. then, do the same for the projects you want to accomplish. and the chores that are always there. and the daily moments you want to structure in. and the rules that are made to be broken. we’ll add them all to the calendar in just a few days, but for today, we’re just brainstorming them. when you are done writing, tuck them into your hub. For list templates and more details go here.
week 0. day 7. father’s day. you may be celebrating your partner. the kids may be off with their Dad on an adventure. the house may be full of noise – laughter, people. the house may be quiet.
you may be seeing your own father. or talking to him. or remembering him.
father’s day. it is part of the Summer of Love. How would you like to mark the day? Document it? Here’s mine. from a few years ago. a candid moment on a random day. and still so much love.
Ready for week 1? Well, click right here!
Would you like to join the conversation? Click here to join us on Facebook. {then look to the right hand side to request the group!}