Welcome to mama eats, a twice-weekly newsletter inspired by a simple + seasonal home life. This week’s post, transitioning to summer, is free to all readers. I try to provide as much free content as possible, however, this newsletter is a labor of love. If you have the means, please consider becoming a paid subscriber, which also gives you access to the growing archive of posts older than a month.
Hello dear readers- today’s newsletter is a utilitarian one as we are off to go camping for a few days. It is early June already, and as we begin to lean into the warm and long days of summer, I find myself cleaning, planning, putting things in order to transition gently into this new season. I write it down here as a checklist and reminder for me, and sharing in the hope it brings some inspiration to you.
A few things I try to do at the start of every new season:
clean carpets: We only have carpet in the bedrooms, and rent a carpet cleaning machine to deep clean them.
clean upholstery- remove cushion covers from all throw pillows, couches, chairs and the like; vacuum, launder and replace them.
declutter and deep clean the fridge. Restock pantry/fridge essentials that are low.
And the rest of my list (if it seems long, rest assured that it will take me a good long while to complete!):
switch out bedding to linen sheets; launder and pack away duvet (too hot for summer here). Launder pillows.
prepare a tote bag to grab when going on outings: sunscreen, a wet bag for wet swimsuits, a nonperishable snack (I have salted almonds and dried fruit), a few cloth wipes, a set of reusable silverware and reusable straw, foldable sunhat, lip balm, a lightweight oversize cotton or linen button down for covering up from sun, and a change of clothes for my toddler.
go through everyone’s clothing and put away cold weather clothes, bringing out all warm weather clothes and replacing items as needed. My hierarchy rule-of-thumb from top to bottom: maintain with regular care, repair when possible, buy used, buy new.
wash all pool towels and pool toys and place outside where accessible. Replenish sunscreen supply.
We begin to use our ceiling fans regularly this month- wipe dust from ceiling fan blades.
put away spring books; switch out books for summer for everyone. I’ll share some of my recommendations for summer reads for both children and adults in an upcoming post if anyone is interested!
Have kids compile a summer reading list; help them as needed so they have a list of a variety of books (fiction and nonfiction, short and long) to pull from throughout the summer. I shop our own bookshelves first, then the library, then used booksellers, then new. A fun thing to do to keep track of kids summer reading is to have them make a paper chain- adding one new link for every book with the name of the book written on the strip.
Freshen spaces: remove everything from James’ work/toy shelves, nature table, and art station, wipe down, rearrange or update/refresh areas that he doesn’t use much. Add a few summer themed things- beach paintings, seashells for play dough, kinetic sand, dried lavender. The same for around the house- clean out any areas that have gotten cluttered or stale and refresh them.
sit down and go through cookbooks and online bookmarks; make a list of recipes for dinner and special cakes/treats/drinks that I want to cook in summer. (makes it easy to meal plan through the season). Make a list of simple meal and snack ideas to post on the fridge for kids that are hungry and old enough to make their own snack. I keep summer meals as absolutely simple as possible to ensure more relaxation and less cleaning/heating up the house.
go through craft/childcare books and online bookmarks; make a list of crafts and activities that I want to do with the kids or just as ideas for them to do when the “I’m bored” mood strikes.
think through each month for what outings/dates we don’t want to miss- for us that’s blackberry picking, concerts, French Film Festival, Gravenstein apple pickup from a local farm in early August, swimming holes, celebrate the summer solstice, make ice cream, Bastille Day and Independence Day, canning apricots, plum jam, and tomatoes &c. Write any preparations needed into my planner.
Brainstorm some summer activities:
go to the beach on a low tide day to explore tide pools.
make a list of indoor places near us to visit on very hot days.
have picnics: it is so lovely to eat outside, and picnic food is ideal for toddlers to help with: washing fruit, chopping vegetables, making simple dips, and filling water bottles.
making a list of different natural swimming holes we’d like to visit, and doing day trips to swim in them.
camping! It’s gotten a little sporadic these last few years for us, but I truly love camping and think its especially a wonderful experience for children.
a few trips to the local pool, we have our own pool in the backyard, but sometimes it’s fun to go elsewhere for the diving boards, wading pools, and slides that a public pool offers. Make a day of it and bring sandwiches or pasta salad for lunch, and plenty of snacks (raw veg and hummus, black bean brownies, and/or plain salted potato chips are our favorites).
dinner parties with friends.
movie and ice cream dates, we have a great independent theater in our town which has its own teeny gelato shop attached.
make a lavender wreath with our garden lavender.
As always, thank you for reading, subscribing, and sharing. If you’ve enjoyed reading, please click the little heart icon at the top. Let me know what you do to prepare for summer, or what your cherished traditions or memories of summer are.
Until Saturday’s newsletter,
xx A
I always love reading your emails ~ so nourishing and inspiring! Thank you for all that you share 💗🙏🏼
Lovely as always! I would love you to share your summer reading list for your kids and yourself. Your recommendations are always ✨✨✨