How to Plan an Intentional Summer You Don’t Need to Recover From

Want to know how I plan a summer that doesn’t end with me crawling into September completely fried? It comes down to one thing I do every June, and it’s the foundation of what I call intentional summer planning. Picture summer as a river. You’re in a canoe. The only real question is whether you brought an oar.

Without an oar, the current decides. Your kids’ energy decides. Your exhaustion decides. The mood of the day decides. With an oar, you’re still flowing, you’re still relaxed, you’re just choosing the direction. That is the whole game. In this episode, I walk you through how I use the five wellness pillars to set the whole family up before June ends, and yes, that includes sleep, food, and movement for you too.

Then I get into the parenting piece, because so much of the summer wreckage starts there. We cover bedtimes, screen limits, meals, and why you set those guidelines with yourself or your co-parent first, not with your kids. This isn’t about being strict. It’s about being the adult in your own life. So grab a notebook, give yourself 30 quiet minutes, and let’s plan a summer you actually want to remember.

What you’ll learn about intentional summer planning

• Why the most relaxed summers are the ones you decide on ahead of time
• The canoe-and-oar metaphor that turns reactive summers into intentional ones
• Five wellness pillars to set up before June ends (yes, this includes you, mom)
• Family guidelines to discuss with your co-parent or yourself first, before talking to the kids
• Screen limits, bedtimes, and meals: why these stay in your hands, not your kid’s
• One question to ask yourself right now that reshapes the rest of summer

Mentioned in this episode

• Take my free Life Audit
• My parenting class is on sale, check it out here
• Listen to the most popular parenting podcasts here
• One-on-one coaching with Susie

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