Celebrating Summer: Enjoying the Everyday This August
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Celebrating Summer: Enjoying the Everyday This August
There’s only a month left of summer. It feels like it’s flown by. I know. I get it. It feels like that for me, too. If I’ve learned one thing on this motherhood roller coaster ride, it’s this: one way to slow things slow down a bit is by taking time to notice the little things, those small moments that might seem insignificant.
Time is fleeting, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy each day. In fact, that’s even more reason to celebrate each day! How? Try celebrating with these obscure but fun August holidays!
Unique August Holidays
August 2nd: Sister Day
What’s better than to set aside some time to love on your girls – the sisters in your home? Plan a little something special for them today. Take them on a date for ice cream or a trip to their favorite local shop.
Encourage them to write each other notes or cards. Have them paint a plain picture frame and insert a picture of them together. Help them grow and cherish this special relationship they have. And don’t forget to send your sister an “I love you” text.
August 9th: Book Lover’s Day
Book Lover’s Day is the holiday for me! Being homeschoolers, I’m sure this is the perfect holiday for many of us.
Host a book party for the day. There are so many great ideas out there. Just do a quick search on Pinterest for some good ones!
Have kids come to the party dressed as their favorite authors like Mark Twain, Laura Ingalls Wilder, or Jane Austen. Or they can attend as their favorite book characters like Nancy Drew, Anne Shirley, or Harry Potter.
Serve some fitting foods to go along with these characters or authors. Think, cornbread for Laura Ingalls or little tea cakes for Anne Shirley. Make good use of thrift store books and create a table runner with stained pages, or create a little banner to go over the table.
If throwing a party seems like too big a task right now, take your kids to the library or local book store. Send them on a scavenger hunt for certain book genres or authors. If they aren’t familiar with it, give them a crash course on the Dewey Decimal system.
Give your kids a new book that you can read together as a family and a new bookmark for their personal reads. Celebrate books together today – they are life changers!
August 16th: Tell a Joke Day
Having two boys who are obsessed with jokes, this particular day might stay hidden in our family – I’m not sure if I can take one more plastic snake in my bed. For those of you who don’t live with practical jokesters, print off some funny jokes to share at dinnertime or give your children a new joke book.
Play little practical jokes on your kids today – they will think you’re hilarious, even if your jokes aren’t that great.
August 17th: National Thrift Store Day
I have one kid who loves to go to thrift stores, one who loathes it, and two who are indifferent. Take the kids who want to go on a scavenger hunt to your local thrift store. Give them a list and a camera and start the timer. Make a list of items to for in the store like “funny hat” or “most terrible sweater.” Have them check off their finds and take a picture.
Another idea is to give them five dollars and see what treasures they can dig up. Issue them a challenge like, “find something awesome to display in your room,” or “find an outfit you can revamp to fit your style,” and turn a trip to the thrift store into a fun project.
August 27th: Just Because Day
This is the perfect holiday to do anything – just because! Replant some of your summer flowers that have gotten worn out. Get your toes done with your daughter. Have a picnic in the yard – just because!
This is the perfect day to leave little notes under your kids’ pillows or buy them something special – because sometimes we forget to let them know just how much we love them.
Have fun soaking up these last few rays of summer! What are you doing – or what have you done – to make the most of the everyday this summer?
Updated from an article originally published July 30, 2017.
Alicia is mom to four kiddos from toddler to teenager. She has been homeschooling for what seems like forever and loves to do it with loads of books and projects. You can read more at her blog www.learningwellcommunity.com