😎H.A.G.S.😎

I was flipping through our son’s year 6^th grade book and came across this blast from the past acronym. H.A.G.S. (have a good summer) is the epitome of end of the school year vibes – the kids are SO tired of working and learning they can’t even spare the energy to write short four words.

H.A.G.S. took me back to the excitement of having three months free of school, homework and uniforms. Our mom worked so once we were in middle school, it also meant we had days of unsupervised free time with all the tv and playing we could handle before racing to pick up the house and complete the list of chores she left before she walked in the door at 4pm.

H.A.G.S. looks a little different for me as a mom. It’s the constant search to find time to work in between chauffeuring our son around town, beach days, having his friends at the house and all the usual chores that never care whether you’re on vacation or not. 

But I’m going to try to recapture some of those H.A.G.S. vibes by remembering how I welcomed summer back when I was in middle school. Btw, this is how looked in middle school:

So to be clear I’m only going for the middle school summer vibes, not the look:

No More Uniforms – I went to Catholic school from Kindergarten to High School which meant a strict uniform policy. Summer meant I could wear whatever I wanted, and it was a freedom only those forced to wear a uniform will understand. So this summer, I’m embracing all things summer casual. Shorts, tees, tanks and baseball hats – that’s where I’ll be until August. You’ve been warned.

Throw Out All My School Papers – Nothing compares to the joy of ripping up your math workbook and throwing it out. I’m going to jump on that thought and clean out my old papers and toss everything I don’t need.

Stay Up Late – If given the chance I can be quite the night owl! I love staying up late on summer nights. With no school drop off to worry about, I plan on reading as late as I want, looking at the stars and binging more than a few Netflix series.

Read – I don’t know if it’s staying up later, more time at the beach or less time spent writing, but I read a ton during the summer, just like I used to when I was a kid.  I can’t wait to make a big dent in my TBR pile and read as many thriller and chick lit books as I can stuff in my beach bag.

BBQs – My mom used to fire up our red Weber BBQ in our atrium at least once a week. Sure, it probably wasn’t the best spot to BBQ since all the windows surrounding the enclosed patio were open and our whole house filed with smoke, but the memory remains. Nothing like dinner fresh of the grill with some corn and watermelon to give you those summer vibes.

Unplanned Adventures – My mom was the queen day trips and quick get aways. Duck races in Victorville, visiting local sites like the Spruce Goose or Queen Mary, the Santa Monica pier, road trips to Solvang or driving out to Malibu for ice cream  – any small adventure just to shake up the day. I hope we can have a few of our own spontaneous of these this the summer.

Lazy Days – These are the best days – you let the dishes sit in the sink, your laundry stay unfolded so you can watch movies together, read, play games or just generally loaf around and relax. As an adult, I’m realizing there’s nothing more luxurious as not having a schedule. Not having to motivate my family to do their chores or get out the door is just a big a treat for me as it is for them. I’m looking forward to a few of these days, too.

H.A.G.S. to you!

Happy Tuesday!🏖