Welcome to the first day of our summer schedule “jumpstart” series.

• By the end of these next five days, you will feel SO confident about your summer schedule.
• You’ll have a long list of simple activity ideas to offer your kids throughout the break and practical tips to use during the busy weeks when you feel overwhelmed by all your to-dos.

You are going to have to do a little bit of work to get there, though. Each email will have a short video training (less than five minutes each) and a little bit of homework.

The good news is, you aren’t doing this alone. More than 30 other women are doing this challenge, too!

So come join the discussions in our Facebook group. Share your questions, your ideas, and your frustrations with our community -- we want to support and encourage you!

Welcome back to Day 2!

In case you’re wondering if I am getting the chance to practice what I teach this week, the answer is YES.

I am, by nature, significantly introverted and organized.

The rest of my family leans much more toward the extroverted and spontaneous side of things, which is really good for my personal growth.

What works well for us is focusing on routines instead of schedules. Our afternoon typically moves from lunch to outside time, then back inside for read-aloud and quiet time. What time we do what is fluid, maybe staying outside for three hours instead of one. (Although now that the hot weather has arrived, we’ll be moving outside time to earlier in the day.)

I tend to build a lot of “margin” into our day so we have the freedom to be flexible with our schedule.

Day 3 already--you’re doing great!

Several years ago, shortly after our second daughter was born, I had an influx of anxious thoughts and exhausted emotions. After meeting with both my OB and my therapist, we realized that my struggle was--put simply--my introversion was off the charts.

While I’ve always been a quiet homebody, even as a child, it took becoming a stay-at-home mom of two young children to fully grasp how intense my need for quiet time is.

{To this day, the number one post on my blog is titled “Introvert Mama, Extrovert Child.”}

The simple truth of the matter is that our family culture is defined by our personality styles. Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert--raising little introverts and extroverts requires understanding and patience. After all, we are here to inspire and empower our children to follow their passions and use their unique gifts to make the world a better place. (--> straight out of our mission statement)

Today’s lesson is all about personality styles and how they impact our family schedule. The video is a bit longer than others, but totally worth it!

You have made it to day 4, and I just want to say I am SO proud of you!

(If you’re feeling behind, don’t worry. You can always come back to these emails when life is calmer.)

Before we jump into today’s lesson, I want you to take a moment to reflect on your childhood. Put down your phone and your mental to-do list. Think about who you were when you were younger. What would you do with a whole day with nothing to do and nowhere to be?

Does that sound amazing or a little bit scary?

As an adult, I carry around this invisible list of all these things I “should” be doing. But kids (most likely) don’t have that list in their head. Without any structure at all, life can feel like a pinball machine, where they are just bouncing from one room to another, willy-nilly.

It can be tempting to provide that structure for them. But in the journey from childhood to adulthood, our kiddos need the time and opportunity to discover how to best organize their day, how to manage their chores and free time, how to rest and recharge their body when they are tired.

This summer, commit to giving your children small chunks of completely unscheduled time. And then you put your feet up, too and do that one thing your list that is completely for you.

Okay, are you ready for Day 4?