Summertime can bring a lot of hustle and bustle, but it doesn’t have to be that way. I decided that 2025 was the summer that I was going to add calm back into my days even if there are a lot of things going on. I sat down and came up with 3 ways that will help me bring calm or stay calm and I wanted to share with you so you could copy my ideas or come up with your own to make the summertime more enjoyable. 😊

Make Dinners Easy

When it’s hot, nobody wants to cook, and I know I certainly don’t want my kitchen to be heated up from cooking! So, in the summer months I like to use my crockpot and instant pot more so that I don’t have to turn the oven on. I also, this year, have an air fryer that I know we will get a lot of use out of.

But along with using other kitchen tools that keep the house cooler is keeping dinners very simple. If I don’t have to think about, shop for and then prepare a detailed, hard meal, then I can get it cooked quickly and then relax after. This usually also saves you on cleaning up when it’s a simpler meal. This feels like a lot of wins for me, and it keeps me calm.

I made a list of meals that we like to help get the ideas flowing for your list 😉

Cheeseburgers and salad or homemade French fries

Grilled chicken salad (or steak)

Baked potato bar (toppings: hamburger, salsa, sour cream, cheese, chives)

Grilled chicken wraps (we like to add feta cheese, cucumbers and lettuce)

Turkey club sandwiches with chips

Blt’s with pasta salad

Chicken salad sandwiches

Make Your Own Italians

Roasted veggies with kielbasa (can make this all right on the grill!)

Keep Your Expectations in Check

For me, this means my home. For years I have set very high expectations of myself, some of them very unrealistic, and I have made myself believe that I should be doing it all! In the summer months, this comes up for me in terms of how clean my house is. I expect that I will go have all the fun outside all day and then also have an immaculate looking house……this is NOT happening!

I’ve already had to remind myself this summer (we’re a week into it 🤪) that my house may be a little messier while I am outside soaking up all this beautiful weather before it gets harder to get outside and enjoy it, and that’s okay! My goal is to upkeep it. Yes, it won’t look like a bomb went off in it, but it probably will not be as clean as it is during the winter months when I have much more time indoors.

Setting this expectation of myself, and giving reminders to myself of it 😉, will help me not lose my head this summer about my home.

Take Care of Me too

Putting myself ahead of others is not easy. And I wouldn’t even say that I need to put myself in front of anyone, but I definitely need to be put alongside them.

I have learned that I need to fuel my body well with nourishing foods, get enough sleep and move my body, just to name a few. These will help me show up as my best self for everyone that relies on me. If I don’t add myself into the people that need to be taken care of, it isn’t good…. ask me how I know 🙃

So, this summer, I am a priority too. I will do the things I need to do to feel the way I want to feel. I will not put myself on the back burner so other things can be taken care of. This will be a challenge for me as it does not come easy, but I’m done with feeling terrible all the time and I want to have a great summer too! And I know these habits will help me manage my emotions and the stress of the day!

Summer doesn’t have to be chaotic or exhausting. With a few intentional choices—like keeping meals simple, lowering the bar on perfection, and making space for our own needs—we can actually enjoy this season instead of just surviving it. That’s what I’m aiming for this year, and I hope you’ll join me.

Whether you copy my ideas or come up with your own, I want to encourage you: it is possible to bring calm into your summer days. Let’s choose peace, presence, and joy—even in the midst of the busyness. You and your family are worth it. 💛