Jam x ARTCHIVE guide
The Summer Sanity Guide
Getting Your House + Life Ready for Summer Season
New seasons bring an avalanche of things to do for and with our families.
And most families often only have one person who remembers who needs new sandals, notices the sunscreen is expired, knows the swim lessons start next week, and sees that the pile of school papers still needs to be dealt with. That invisible project management is a huge part of the mental load.
One of the simplest ways to reduce that burden is to make the invisible visible. Before summer begins, sit down with your partner (and kids, if they're old enough) for a quick summer kick-off session of everything that needs to get done so everyone can enjoy the season together.
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Some of the bigger start-of-season projects might include:
Take stock of kids' summer clothes and gear:
Kids grow so quickly that last season's bathing suits and shorts most likely no longer fit (if they even made it unscathed through last summer’s camps and pool days!) Going through the clothing, passing down to the next sibling (if applicable), and noting the new clothing and gear now needed are all time-consuming jobs, which can be divvied up.
Tip: If your kids are big enough, they can help with this one!
Download the Jam Summer To Do List so you can start divvying up who’s on what. <<ADD LINK>>
Prep the summer supplies:
Before summer gets underway, take a look at the supplies your family will need for camps, travel, sports, pool days, and everyday life. Do some items need to be refreshed, hosed down or cleaned to be ready for summer? And which items need to be purchased fresh? Restocking on essentials upfront helps avoid the constant cycle of realizing you're out of sunscreen, missing a water bottle, or need something for tomorrow's activity.
Download Jam's Summer Supply List for a curated checklist that helps you get summer-ready faster. <<ADD LINK>>
Set up for a summer flow at home:
Setting up spaces and systems upfront will reduce the mental load throughout the season and make the daily flow feel less chaotic,
Create a snack shelf filled with approved grab-and-go items the kids can easily reach.. Set up designated activity zones stocked with craft supplies,, board games, outdoor play gear, or puzzles and make sure everyone knows where to find them and where to put them back.
Got gamers? Agree on screen-time rules and time limits upfront - and don’t feel bad about extending screen time on those days when you really need to keep the kids occupied so you can take a work call.
Downloadable: Summer Supply List
Downloadable: Summer To Do List