My 42 days of summer – #sweeet link challenge

The summer holidays. It’s a phrase that seems to divide parents. Some look forward to that extra time with their children. Others, like me, dread them somewhat. I mean, 42 days is an awfully long time to be with someone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Until I was asked to write this post for BritMums I think I was in denial as to how long it really was – for the sake of my sanity!

But, as I sit here now I’m at the dawn on day 27 (over the halfway point) and they’re actually no where near as bad as I feared. So, what are my tips for a great summer holiday?

Plan. But not too much.

It’s great to get up in a morning with a plan of what to do that day. It helps to focus the kids and give them something exciting to do. But, my experience is that it’s actually important to plan in some days without plans. Kids especially young ones like mine, get tired if you’re taking them out on some big day trip every day. Have some days when you just stay at home, watch TV and play games. Your kids will thank you for it.

Remember your summer

When the kids go back to school I’m pretty sure that other mums (or dads) in the playground will ask how your summer was, and it’s highly possibly that you won’t be able to remember all of it, especially those bits near the start. So why not keep a scrapbook or diary to help you remember what you got up to for 42 days. We’re doing it online this summer, but it’s already lovely to look back and remember what we got up to that first week or so.

Spend and Save

Days out and holidays can be an expensive business and most money savvy mums will be trying to save money wherever possible. It’s just part of what we do. But do also remember that it is important to treat your kids and yourself every now and then. After all, holidays are often what you spend the rest of the year saving for. Don’t go overboard, but enjoy yourselves. Kids don’t need to go on an expensive trip to the Caribbean, but a day out somewhere new, or possibly an overnight camping trip are a great bit of family fun and also give the kids loads of new experiences.

Watch relationships develop

Unless you have twins in the same class at school, it’s unlikely that your children will have this much time together when they are back at school, so use the summer holidays to help build those sibling bonds. Watching Little Miss C and Master C get closer and really play together for the first time has actually been one of my biggest joys this summer – and something that I’d never even thought of before the summer. I fear slightly that they’ll both find it hard being split up more when LMC starts full-time school in September, but in the meantime they’re becoming a real time (despite the fights!) and it really is heart warming to watch.

Live in the present, not just the future

The schools are obviously full of back to school stuff at the moment – uniform, stationery etc – and whilst it’s important to be a bit organised for September try not to focus on it too much. There’s still a couple of weeks of summer left to enjoy first yet I see some parents putting all their attention on what will happen once the children are already back at school. It’s like those people who are already planning Christmas – in August. Live in the now as you never know what the future holds.

This #Sweeet linky challenge was sponsored by McVite’s BN biscuits. In the toughest challenge of the summer BritMums sent biscuits to eat. Yummy biscuits. Biscuits that I could sit there eating with a cup of team whilst I legitimately said that I was working. That’s my kind of work.

I’d actually forgotten how good these biscuits taste, or how much they remind me of a long car journey to France from my childhood. The kids loved the cheeky face on them and judging by the speed in which they ate them, they seemed to like the taste too. Thanks McVite’s – and if you ever need any more biscuits reviewing I’m your woman!

Disclaimer: This post is an entry for 42 Days of Summer Linky Challenge sponsored by McVitie’s BN. Learn more here.