Is it just me or are you completely befuddled that it’s almost the end of July?! Where did the summer go? It’s around this time that I start panicking and try to jam-pack the rest of the summer with as many activities as possible for fear that the cooler weather is hiding just around the corner and ready to spoil the fun. There are certain things we do every summer as a family, some of which have become tradition over the years. I thought I’d share our top ten summer must-dos that we’ve enjoyed as a family for the past several years and still do!

1. Go to the Beach – I don’t care if you live in the mountains, in the desert or under a rock. You need to get yourself to a body of water with sand, whether it’s fresh water or salt water. Summer just doesn’t feel right without a day or two at the beach. Our family spends a week in South Haven, on the west shores of Michigan, almost every summer and our girls love it. We may venture out a little further in the near future since they’re getting older.

2. Do a Car Wash – Our girls have a lot of fun washing our cars on hot summer days. They have fun playing with water and get paid on top of that! We get clean cars. It’s a win-win situation. And of course, don’t forget that sunscreen!

3. Go Camping Glamping – Ok, I added this one with a bit of hesitation. I love the idea of being one with nature, sleeping under the stars and eating freshly cooked meals al fresco. However, the operative word here is ‘idea’. I love the idea but actually doing it is a lot more work than I care to do on a vacation. My girls have a great time but that’s because they don’t do any work! I think I’m going to change this one to “Go Glamping,” until your kids are old enough to do all the work.

4. Catch Fireflies – This is something my husband and my girls like to do together. Each of the girls take a jar and lid with holes drilled into them and go chasing after fireflies in the dark. Of course, you have to remember to let them go after you catch them. The jar pictured above is actually a Dreamlight lantern found here.

5. Chalk Your Driveway – Get a set of sidewalk chalk and let the kids go to town. This is great for play dates on a sunny day. The best part, the mess stays outside, although their hands and clothes do get a little chalky.

6. Make Lemonade – And pour yourself a nice tall glass of ice cold lemonade or set up a lemonade stand. Summer and lemonade just go together. You can’t have one without the other. My eldest and her friend tried to do a lemonade stand last year. There isn’t a lot of traffic in our subdivisions so they ended up becoming a door-to-door lemonade service.

7. Fly a Kite – It’s always fun to see a kite soar in the sky and it’s easy enough that your little ones can try it too. Clear skies with a wind speed of 5-15 mph is the ideal weather condition for most standard kites.

8. Go to a Fair – This is another summer tradition for us. There is something for everyone to do at a fair. The girls love the rides but they also love getting prizes from the games. They got so excited when their Dad won them a goldfish one time. It reminds me of the time when my husband and I went to a fair when we were still dating and how excited I was to have him win a stuffed animal for me. Those were the good old days.

9. Have a Slurpee…Every Week – Almost every Sunday afternoon after church, we drive down to the 7-Eleven just a mile away from our church and treat ourselves to a big refreshing Slurpee. There is nothing better than a Slurpee on a hot summer afternoon.

10. Wear Flip Flops – Remember when winter wouldn’t go away and you wondered if your toes would ever see the light of day and you couldn’t wait to wear your cute little flip flops. Well, now is the time! Wear them every day. Wear them like they’re going out of style. My girls would wear them all year long if they could.

Would love to hear from you. What are your favorite things to do in the summer? Do you have any summer traditions?

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