School is out, summer vacation is finally here and my family is more than ready to rock this summer! From the looks of my social media accounts, the rest of you are too! After a year of limitations, places being closed, and mask mandates, getting out and having a very social summer seems to be top priority for everyone.
My feeds are filled with families heading out to Disney, the beach, and various other destinations to make up for last summer. It is great to see everyone enjoying such happy times. While scrolling through social media is fun, if we don’t watch ourselves we can soon get caught up in thinking our vacation, holiday event, or party does not “measure up”.
As parents, this is a common struggle. We often question our parenting and wonder if our best is enough. Sarah Lyons helps us navigate this struggle in When Your Best Doesn’t Feel Like Enough. It is common to compare someone else’s family vacation with your own, but when you really break it down, the best memories are often made during the simplest of times.
We still laugh that the one time we went to Disney our kids kept asking to go back to the hotel pool, yet when we talk about our favorite vacation it was a simple trip to the beach where we played board games all night and laughed until we cried. Nothing can compare to great family memories like that and that is what is most important. The time spent, not the money spent.
So what kind of fun activities are you looking forward to this summer? If you are looking for some family fun close to home then make sure you check out the Summer Fun Guide. Here you will find an extensive list of area amusement parks, zoos, bowling alleys, skating rinks, libraries, and many more summer outing suggestions. One of my favorite summer activities growing up was Vacation Bible School and I could not wait for my kids to join in on the fun once they were old enough. They loved it too. So much so that they were sad when they aged out. If your family also gets excited about VBS or if you are looking to try it out for the first time, you’ll find it in our Vacation Bible School Guide. And if all of those activities are not enough to keep you busy, then you will want to click over to the Family Calendar.
Not only are we celebrating summer this month, but also celebrating dads. Maybe the dad you are celebrating would enjoy a family outing or he may just be looking forward to a nice, peaceful day napping in a hammock. However he would like to spend his day, make sure to recognize him for all of his contributions. In Dads Rock, Christa Melnyk Hines spotlights the important impact dads and father figures can have on families. Speaking of special dads, I want to thank my dad, my husband, and my father-in-law for all the love and support they give my family. It means the world to me!
And to all of the other dads and father figures out there, Happy Father’s Day to you too!