Any homeschooling mother will tell you: most of us can’t wait for summer.
There is nothing like packing up a lunch and heading to the beach for a looong day of beach combing, splashing and building sandcastles. I love the relaxed mornings and taking the kids blueberry picking, eating too much at cook outs (ditto for clam bakes) and late nights by the fire pit. We love swimming at grandma’s pool with all the cousins.
But if we are not careful, our summertime can be squandered in the pursuit of pleasure. Carefree days are lovely, but even our carefree days need to be used wisely. We are stewards of the time God has given us and we’ll give an account of our moments some day. (Having trouble prioritizing your life? Read this article about balancing ministry and motherhood which includes a printable priority weekly planner)
Summertime is NOT the time to totally check out of life, especially when you are raising God’s kids! They aren’t ours. They’re His! So we still need to be diligent to teach them His ways, and live them out before them…even in the good ol’ summertime.
So, if you are just planning your summer now, here are some goals to consider so that you don’t squander your summer.
Blueberry Picking at Grandpa's
Summertime is a great time to:
1. Start a new devotional with your kids. I don’ t know why, but a change of reading is refreshing.
One of our favorite children’s devotional is now out of print: Those Kids In Proverbsville by Elizabeth Rice Handford. My mum used to read these to us each night and we loved the stories.
Also, the How God Used Series is great.
2. Learn scripture. When we were young, my mom would give us a verse to memorize in the morning with a promise of a trip to the penny candy store in town for those who memorized it. Neighborhood friends were invited to memorize, too. And of course, they also got to come to get penny candy with us, which they loved.
Here is a list of verses that I used for Holly and Hope: ABC Summer Bible Verses . They are short enough so that the child (and mum!) can learn them in one day. 
3. Fellowship purposefully. This summer, I am meeting with a small group of women and their kids who are getting together for the sole purpose of fellowship and growth. While our kids play, we’ll discuss books we are reading and encourage each other in our Christian walk. This doesn’t need to take hours of time. Just a few hours a week. But this kind of encouragement and iron-sharpening-iron is healthy!
4. Serve Creatively. Use your home as a base for ministry. Who needs your encouragement? Invite them over for a glass of lemonade! What young mom needs a break for a few hours? Offer to watch her kids. Kindness looks for opportunities to serve other people.
5. Read Extensively. Why not plan to spend big chunks of time in God’s word each week over and above your regular quiet time? What better way to get to know more about your God and nurture your relationship with Him?
Psalm 119:10 talks of seeking God with your whole heart. Psalm 63:1 speaks of earnestly seeking God and thirsting for God. When you desire God above all else you “make” time for Him in your day. Your time reflects your priorities. Study a portion of scripture, do a topical study, or buy a new Bible Study book. My husband is doing a topical study on worship, so he bought a cheap Bible on Amazon that he can mark up during his study without ruining his nice Bible.
6. Dream BIG: I love, love this outdoor entertaining center. I am thinking that this will be built this summer. 
Peter is quite handy with the old hammer and saw and I know he could build this for our back porch. We do a lot of entertaining back there and this would be a perfect place to put drinks out for the kids while they are playing.
These are just a few ideas and I am sure that there are many more. How are you planning out your summer to be used for good?
