30 Ways to Not Waste Your Summer

Welcome to the Thankful Homemaker podcast, a podcast to be an encouragement and blessing to each other in the role God has called us to as women.

I'm so thankful you stopped by, so grab yourself a coffee or tea and sit with me a bit as we talk about how God's Word impacts every area of our lives as Christian women. Hello, friend. I'm Marci Farrell from Thankful Homemaker, and I'm so glad to be with you today. As we head into summer, I want to share some simple ideas to help us be intentional with this season.

Also, before I forget, because I always forget to do these things, to go along with this episode, I also have a free summertime planning guide. I updated it a bit from the previous one, and you can download this for free from the resource library. Again, it's just filled with simple practical ideas to really help you think through your own summer plans as a family. But I know for us here in Wisconsin, it can feel like summer goes by so fast and all of a sudden fall is here before we know it.

So while I know we still have plenty of time, especially as I'm recording this, and many things to look forward to, like my husband and I always love our week with our grandkids that we call Camp Nana Papa that we do here at our house. I love our evening walks after dinner. I love getting to dine alfresco with friends. and there's projects I'd like to work on around the house. But as I think about the months ahead, I don't want to simply let summer slip by without thought or purpose.

I don't want to find myself at the end of the season wondering where the time went. I'd love to make some sweet memories with our family and friends. And as a grandmother, I really want to be intentional with these summer days, especially since my grandkids, their homeschool schedules are lighter in the summer. They live under 20 minutes away and we have so many opportunities to be together. Plus, we go to church with them, which I love. And having a pool in our backyard doesn't hurt either.

These moments are all a gift and I don't want to miss them. So I've put together a list because if you've been here with me a bit, you know I love a good list of simple ways we might make the most of our summer days. And again, this is not meant that you're going to do all these things or it's some kind of checklist to accomplish everything on it because you certainly don't need to do all of them or any of them.

My hope really is to just simply spark some ideas and help us to be intentional with the time the Lord has given us. So maybe it will even encourage you to sit down and prayerfully create your own list that fits with your family and your season of life. And my prayer is that these simple ideas will help us redeem the time, point our hearts to the Lord, and enjoy the good gifts that he's given us in this season.

So I titled this one, we're on episode 177, and it's titled, 30 Ways Not to Waste Your Summer. So number one, stay in God's Word. If you're behind on your Bible reading plan, don't worry, just jump in today and keep going. Daily time in God's Word is never wasted. You might even consider reading through a smaller book of the Bible together as a family this summer, even something like Philippians or Colossians and getting time to talk through it.

It doesn't need to be complicated. Just open God's Word and let him feed your soul. Number two, study scripture more deeply. Join a Bible study at church or work through a study of your own. You might slowly listen through my Sermon on the Mount podcast series, which I will link to that, or check out some solid online studies from, I think, of Susan Heck at With the Master or Lisa Hughes at Scripture Paths, whether you do them individually or you gather with a friend or two to work through them.

And as I'm sharing some of these, this will be a post at the blog, and it will all be linked in there for you. So it'll be linked in the show notes wherever you're listening to this podcast right below it. Number three, strengthen your prayer life. If prayer is an area that you've wanted to grow in, summer is a wonderful time to start. Read a book on prayer, use a prayer journal, or try an app like Prayer Mate, which is a personal favorite of mine.

And you might also begin praying through a list for your church family or missionaries or unsaved loved ones. Even praying together as a family. Even if you just start, if you're not doing it regularly, you just start it once or twice a week, it can become such a sweet habit. Number four, plan simple family fun. Give your family little things to look forward to together. If you need some inspiration, make sure you download that free summertime planning guide.

It's filled with just really simple ideas to help you be intentional and enjoy the season. Number five, read aloud as a family. I love this one. I love doing that with our kiddos when they were home. Choose a book to enjoy together. I always think of simple, right off the top of my head, Chronicles of Narnia or The Wing Feather Saga. Those are wonderful options. Listen to audiobooks together if you don't feel like reading aloud.

You can plan a family-friendly audiobook and just listen to it for 15 minutes even after dinner every night, maybe even while you're sitting outside under the stars in the evening. And you can also play them in the car when you're with the kiddos or maybe when you're doing dishes together. It's just a really sweet way to redeem little pockets of time while we're filling hearts and minds with good things. Number seven.

Limit your phone time. Set specific times in your day to check social media or skip it all together for a season. Maybe you take a break for a week or a month or whatever that looks like. Less time scrolling means you're spending more time being present. And if you need some ideas of what to do at that time, I have a list at the blog titled, it's a post called 50 Things to Do Instead of Scrolling Social Media. That may help you a little bit.

Number eight, subscribe to blogs and newsletters directly. So instead of relying on social media, just subscribe to your favorite blogs like Thankful Homemaker here. Little plug there. So that way you don't miss anything. Number nine, make church a priority. Guard your Sunday worship. Don't let summer activities or kids sports crowd out the gathering of God's people.

Number 10, invite a friend to church. Summer is just a natural time to extend an invitation to neighbors or friends who may not normally attend, and then you can have them over for lunch afterwards even. Number 11, create a summer playlist. I love this one. Make a playlist of worship songs and family favorites to play throughout your house in the summer. It's really a simple way to keep your home full with joy. I love music on in the background.

Number 12, memorize scripture. So maybe you take the summer to memorize a longer passage. Philippians 2, chapter 2, verses 1 through 11 come to mind. I think Colossians 3 is a great one, Hebrews 11, or Matthew 5. Those are just some great options I'm throwing out there. But you might even work on a few verses together as a family each week. It's one of my favorites. It's so sweet to hear little voices hiding God's Word in their hearts. I love that.

Number 13, host a summer book club. Invite neighbors or church friends to read a book together and meet for discussion and fellowship. A couple recommendations I love to make are I Love the Book Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney. Or Trusting God by Jerry Bridges. Those are great summer picks to read through with a friend or a group.

Read a few solid Christian books personally. Maybe you don't have a normal reading list for the year, but for the summer, you can set a goal to read two or three rich Christian books this summer. I have tons of recommendations on my blog. I'll link to in this post and in my Amazon shop too. Number 15, meet with a sister in the faith. So you can choose a book to read together and you can meet regularly over coffee or at the park.

Make it very easy. Not huge structure, but just maybe you read a few chapters at a time together and you get together to discuss it over coffee or while your kids are playing at the park. One of my favorites, and it's an older book and they updated it, but it's called Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes. That's just a great one to read together with a friend. Number 16, keep gospel resources handy.

This is one I'm continually working on in my life. So stock your purse, your car, your diaper bag, whatever, with gospel tracts and solid resources. Living Waters, I think of Ray Comfort, their ministry, it still carries some of my personal favorite tracts. Number 17, teach your children the gospel. Walk through it with them. Naturally talk about it when you're cooking, folding laundry, or reading together. There's a book called The Gospel Made Clear to Children by Jennifer Adams,

and it is a really great resource. You can read it together with your kids, or if they're a little older, they can read it on their own and you can talk about it. But just remember, even those informal conversations you have with your kids, they can become wonderful gospel moments. Number 18, take family walks together. A simple after-dinner walk is such a sweet way to get moving, to connect with one another, and really enjoy God's creation.

Number 19. Eat dinner outdoors. Plan more backyard picnics or casual meals outside to soak up those summer evenings. Number 20. Play outdoor games together. Pull out those old games from your childhood, like tag and four square and hopscotch and jump rope and just flying a kite. I know my kiddos, they love it. For Camp Nana Papa, we do this a lot. We'll set up a four square and hopscotch and throw jump ropes out. And it's super fun. You know what? My husband, I love to play it too.

So it is fun. I'm not so good at tag. I'm usually the one that's getting caught. So that's okay. Number 21, plan simple summer meals. So make a list of your favorite seasonal meals, things that come in the summer that we think of naturally, like watermelon or corn on the cob or homemade ice cream or grilled burgers. Just those really simple tastes of summer. And if you need extra help, I even have, I'll share a link to it, I have a podcast titled Simple Summertime Meal Planning Tips.

So I will throw that in this post too. Number 22, pray together as a family.

You know, this can be so neglected. Family prayer doesn't need to be long or complicated, just consistent. And maybe you set aside Sundays for a special time for this. And that's an area you can chat with your husband about. Number 23, practice hospitality. Invite a family over after church. Plan for that ahead of time for just a very simple lunch. People love that. Or maybe you all, maybe you plan time to go to a park together and have a picnic together with another family.

Number 20, if we don't practice hospitality and we're not intentional, I have a whole podcast on that. It just won't happen. So make sure you take the time to plan for that. Number 24, enjoy God's creation. So visit your local or state parks or nature centers to take a hike, to camp, or just enjoy the beauty around you. And don't forget the simple joy of just sitting outside with your Bible or journal, watching and listening to the birds, or just simply taking in the view of the sky.

What a wonderful gift God has given us with the beauty of creation. Number 25, reach out to your neighbors. This is a big one, and it's a lot easier sometimes in the summer because people are out and they're walking and they're in their front yard so you can have time to connect with your neighbors. Maybe you host an ice cream social or a simple coffee and dessert gathering. Number 26, serve together as a family.

Just look for ways to serve others, whether it's families in your church or a local nursing home or helping around with other activities, volunteering in your church that you could do together as a family. I have an episode, It's episode 142. It's titled Simple Steps to Ministry as We Go About Our Normal Days, and there may be some tips in that for you if this is an area you want to grow in.

Number 27, bless another family. Offer to watch kids for a church family so parents can enjoy a date night or a quiet evening. Number 28, I love this one because I love getting these. Write a handwritten note. Send a card to someone you've lost touch with or involve the kids in writing notes to grandparents, missionaries, church members, really helps them practice thinking of others. Maybe they can send a thank you to someone, just someone they're grateful for.

What a sweet gift. I think about, I have, it's my grandmother's youngest brother who is still alive. He's in his nineties. I shared an episode about my grandma a while back, but my Uncle Butchie, every Christmas, he sends me a handwritten letter about just their year and what's been going on. His son lives with them and helps take care of him. And this last Christmas, Uncle Butchie didn't write the letter, but my cousin Richie wrote it. And that was really kind of a sweet gift to gift.

Number 29, tackle a lingering home project. We all have these lingering projects, right? So maybe work on organizing or decluttering or some small home projects you've put off. Maybe it's something outside you need to deal with, like organizing the garage or grab, put an audio book on or put some music on, make a cup of iced tea, and you are ready to go.

Number 30, simply sit and enjoy God's goodness. Because sometimes, sometimes my friend, the best thing that we can do is simply pause with that glass of iced tea again, not cleaning the garage, but just pausing and sitting quietly and reflecting on the goodness and kindness of the Lord in this season. And I have a little bonus for my listeners here that's not in the post.

Create a simple summer rhythm, because even though summer often feels less scheduled, having a light daily rhythm like your morning Bible time or outdoor play time or a quiet reading hour or evening walks, building those little routines into our day, it gives our days a gentle structure and it still leaves room for rest and spontaneity. I love that.

So I pray this list has sparked some simple intentional ideas for you as you think through your summer because every season is a gift from the Lord, including these warm sun-filled days. So let's use this time to grow in our walk with him, to care well for those that he's placed in our lives and really enjoy the simple joys of summer. We know, I end it always, right? Jesus truly is enough always.

And again, there's stuff linked. Don't forget the summertime planning guide is linked there, that free PDF for blog subscribers. I have the post on simple summertime meal planning tips, and I have a whole category at my blog called the summer fun category. So I will link to that too, just in case you want a little bit more encouragement or you want to read a little bit more or listen into something else. I'm grateful for you, friend. Thank you for spending time with me today.

And always, if this episode has encouraged you or it's been a blessing, would you consider sharing it with a friend? And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen in. That way you don't miss future episodes because I'm a little erratic sometimes with that. I'm trying to get a little more regular. And as always, always, you can find the full show notes and all the resources mentioned at my blog at my little home on the web, thankfulhomemaker.com.

I am so, so grateful for you, my friend, and I do pray you have a very blessed week. Music.