This is a sponsored post brought to you by Balance Bars. All opinions are my own.
Summer has been great. We’ve enjoyed family time, a vacation, and everyday life at home with the kids. My husband took a trip, I took a trip and then we all four took one together.
It’s been lovely.
And then the last month of Summer hit and it’s nothing short of chaos.
Maybe it’s because everyone is still catching up on life after returning from Florida.
Maybe it’s because I have a to-do-list a mile long to get every one ready for the new school year (guess who forgot to schedule well-child-exams? This mama.)
Maybe it’s because the kids are bored of being home and ready to start working again.
Whatever it is, I’ve deemed the last month of Summer, the hardest.
Last minute play dates, searching for school supplies, finding new clothes that fit and don’t get me started on the kid shoes that need to be tried on in the store with 100 other kids around.
Fun times guys.
So here’s the deal, how to survive the last weeks of Summer.
Plan carefully – we’ve found that doing something epic first thing in the morning helps prevent a lot of the Summer craziness. The kids will be a lot more calm throughout the day if they’ve already done something fun in the morning and gotten a bit of their energy out. The afternoon/evening drama from them can usually be avoided IF we plan right in the mornings. This can be something epic like going here or something simple that a walk (run) around the neighborhood.
Todo lists save lives – Okay, maybe not actual lives, but they definitely save a mama’s sanity. Stop what you’re doing right now (okay wait ’til you’re done reading this post…) and make a list of all the things you need to do before school starts up again. Figure out when you’re doing what and start knocking that stuff out asap. This is the only way to remove that feeling of impending doom about the miles of things you need to happen before the kids scurry off to school again.
Stay hydrated – Seriously, it’s summer, it’s hot and you have 1,000 errands to run. While my first instinct is to chug coffee, I’m having to actively remind myself to drink water too. Make sure you keep a bottle of water nearby or drink extra when you’re not on the go.
Snack Smart – Okay, so my kids demand snacks every eleven and a half seconds and I give them to them half the time. However, most of the time I’m skipping my own needs because I’m so tired of lugging 300 pounds of cheese cracker around for the children every moment.
Enter, Balance Bars.
These are handy little nutrition bars that 1. actually taste good, 2. are filling and 3. have a good variety so you don’t get bored!
When you have a full day in or out of the house you need something you can just grab and munch on as you go. This is a snack you can crave freely because it’s so wholesome! They’ve been helping me so much this week and I know I’ll need a couple boxes on hand for the first week of school too. It’s so easy to just grab a few, toss them in my bag, and go!
The perfect soundtrack – It’s true, good music really does set the mood. Different things work in different families, and you might judge me a little if I told you what I turn on when I’m feeling the kids get crazy. Let’s just say we’ definitely show off our best (crazy) moves in the living room in the evenings if the day has been hard.
The countdown – The last thing you need? The countdown until school starts. Don’t worry, the kids will think it’s something exciting for them. Your friends will think it’s a tool you’re using to ease your children into the transition, but you and I know the truth. As much as we’ve loved Summer with the kids, these in-between weeks are rough, and we’re the ones counting down.
How do you get through the last few weeks of Summer? Share it with me in the comments! I NEED your tips!!!
I’m really excited that since Balance Bar sponsored this post, they are also giving away 1 6-pack box of Balance in Chocolate Caramel Peanut Nougat, Chocolate Peppermint Patty, Dark Chocolate Turtle orDulce De Leche & Caramel varieties. (cannot guarantee flavor preference)! These can help you get through the summer too.
To enter, simply comment below with your FAVORITE thing about Summer this year! I will choose a winner at random on Sunday! You can comment your favorite flavor as well, though I can’t promise you’ll get it. I have a hard time choosing which of these three I’d more highly recommend, they are all STELLAR.
Sarah says
Hey, Paula, do you know if these are gluten free? It looks like there might be a little “no gluten” symbol on the bottom right of the package but I’m not sure. Those flavors sound yummy! What’s your favorite so far?
Judith says
i love the swimming pool weekends!
Becky mansfield says
Yes to swimming and yes to good snacks!! :)