Summer is winding down fast! This only goes to show that time flies when you’re having fun. My family and I’ve been so caught up in a whirlwind of summer activities that summer will be over in a blink of an eye. School may be back in session for my son, but this hasn’t deterred us from enjoying the rest of the season. The weather is still warm, which gives my family and I the perfect reason to enjoy the weekends with some of the activities that we did during summer vacation.
How We’ve Been Enjoying Our Summer
Hiking
Hiking is one of my all-time favorite activities that I love to do with family. I deem it nature’s therapy because we’re always at the most serene and peaceful state of mind when hiking. It has been proven that hiking can reduce stress and foster creativity, which can be helpful at the beginning of a new school year for a child. Personally, I’ve found that nothing clears my mind more than when I’m surrounded by the beauty of nature.
Having a clear mind helps me find inspiration within nature for some of my favorite creative outlets, such as writing, photography, and painting. Hiking is one of the most pleasant ways to connect with nature, bond with family, and enjoy the world around you. As the adage goes, “Sometimes the best things in life are free.” This is a worthy sentiment for every adventurer to keep in mind.
Live Performances
My family and I got to attend our first Cirque du Soleil performance, Toruk: The First Flight. This performance was truly one of the most beautiful and unique performances I have ever seen! We were all in a state of bliss, wonderment, and delight with each scene that unfolded.
State Fair
My husband, son, and I celebrated Indiana’s Bicentennial by attending the Indiana State Fair last month. It was actually our first time going to the Indiana State Fair. I’ll admit that going to a state fair can be overwhelming at times with a number of food choices and activities, but it is also one of the most wonderful experiences!
Weekend Getaways
My love for traveling stemmed from my childhood. It gave me experiences that I’ll cherish for a lifetime. It taught me lessons that couldn’t be seen from a different person’s perspective in a classroom, only my own. It helped foster a love for history, as well as an appreciation for architecture, landscape, culture, food, and art. Traveling has also helped me broaden my perspective, value the things that are often taken for granted, overcome shyness, and generally taught me what textbooks could not. That’s why I instilled a love for traveling in my own children, and I’m happy to say that they take delight in it as much as I do!
It may not be feasible for us to board a plane and visit somewhere like the West Coast at this given moment, considering that my son is back in school, but once the last school bell rings on Friday, we still manage to hit the road for a weekend getaway. It helps us to temporarily take a break amid the hustle and bustle of everyday life while giving us the taste of adventure that we yearn. It’s also the perfect excuse to enjoy the warm weather as much as we can!
Giveaway
What has made summer great for you and your family – tell us! Is it teaching the kids how to water ski on the lake? Maybe it’s driving a convertible with the wind in your hair? Could it just be walking in the sunshine with your children? Or perhaps cultivating your rose garden? Those are just a few ideas! Tell us some of your favorite soft summer moments or even soft summer memories (from year’s past) that warm your heart, make you slow down, and savor this wonderful summer season.
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My fiance’s daughter flew down from NY to visit us for a week. We had a great time!
My soft summer moments is when I got to spend time with my daughter and son camping, swimming going to the movies and eating together. It was so much fun spending a lot of quality time together!
My soft summer memory is cuddling with my cats on my porch.
One of my favorite moments is spending a day fishing with my sons and husband on a chartered fishing boat. We really had such a great time.
My favorite soft summer memory was relaxing in the ocean in Mexico.
Going to lots of concerts and camping with friends were some of my best moments.. not soft, but amazing.
I loved going to many historical points of interest in our area with my boys.
I fondly remember the days our family spent at the beach when the kids were small.
My soft summer moments have been playing frisbee with my pup
I taught my daughter how to swim and how to ride a bike this year. Things like this will stick with her forever.
This summer we took several hiking trips to places we hadn’t been before. Even though the parks were busy, it was still wonderful and peaceful to wander through forests, taking out time.
My soft summer moment was when I took my kids to the lake and on nature walks.
My favorite soft summer moment is that time just after dark when it begins to cool down and the street lights come on and the kids can play outside late. A lot of my best memories are at that time.
Whenever I rollerblade with my neighbors and the kids we feel happy and at peace. Thank you so much for the offer 🙂
I always like spending time outside when it’s warm.
My favorite soft summer moment was spending the summer with our youngest grandson, who lives in another state.
My favorite moments of summer are when I heard my nieces and nephews playing and splashing in the pool. Their laughter was contagious.
Spending time in the backyard with my family or relaxing on the deck together.
One of my fondest memories is a cross country road trip when I was a kid.
I remember we had a few flat tires, but what did I care? I was a kid, I didn’t have to change the tires. 🙂
thanks!
My soft summer moment was finding out the gender of my brother’s baby! I am going to be an aunt to a niece!
Going to the beach with my family, the first of the summer.
I got to hold my newborn nephew on the 4th of July. He’s a cutie pie snuggle bug.
We had large forest fires in our area. Despite how dangerous and scary the fires have been they make the sunsets unbearably beautiful. Somehow each setting sun reminded us of grace and and how thankful we were to not have lost our home.
Family vacations to the Catskills.
My softest moment this summer was me getting married.
I always enjoy the times I spend with my husband on quiet getaways–we had the greatest one last year in Savannah and really had fun seeing the city and eating and having fun!
seeing my babe play with her cousins at the beach was a wonderful moment
Oh I have to say mine this summer has been releasing monarchs. We helped raise them this summer and so far have released 150, and still have almost 80 in a chrysalis! It is just so beautiful watching them emerge, and even more so when I can release and watch them soar!
My soft summer memories are the precious camping trips with my children.
I went to a wedding this summer and it was lovely.
My favorite soft summer memory was relaxing on the beach in Hawaii.
Going to the beach and having camping trips
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We were able to have several picnics with our kids at the creek on the farm
We met up with my oldest Son who lives in Texas, for a great vacation in Florida! Great Summer here!
Favorite summer moments was taking the children for swimming lessons! Spending time with family going to the park and also shopping.
Endless days on the beach with my friends
Summer was so great Spending time with family (fishing, theme parks, and the beach).
Our very first disney trip!
Visiting the Colorado State Fair to view my daughter’s Grand Champion projects.
Getting to see the Eiffel Tower in Paris with my husband. We walked hand-in-hand and just enjoyed the time together.
My 5 kids and i packed up and went to my dad’s to camp out at his home and on his 40 acres. He has many ride on’s, we went swimming, had a bonfire and more. It was great!
My favorite moment was spending time with the family at our family cookout.
Some of my soft summer moments were spending time with my grandsons at the park and the lake.
We had a wonderful family reunion. We were able to see many relatives, who live out of state.
Spending a week @ a villa in St. Croix with our family for our 40th wedding anniversary and their surprise gift.
This was a great summer. My newest grandson was born, my youngest son graduated and we went to Niagara Falls for the first time.
One of my soft summer memories is watching my daughters play with water balloons. It’s one of the only times they get along. Also, just going to the beach and having a lazy swim day!
Collecting sea shells with my kids in Sanibel
eating ice cream on the porch with m y wife
A favorite time for me was spending the night in the summer with my grandparents outside in the homemade, large tent built by my grandfather. We slept in a homemade bed hung from the rafters by chains and on the larger than king size mattress made by my grandmother with chicken feathers. Those were the days!
When I had my 3rd daughter in April, and my other girls came up to see her for the first time. They were so in love!
Spending time with my kids.
My favorite moments of this summer were the simple ones, fishing with my husband..even though we had no luck at all, it was nice to spend quality time together.
My best summer memories were growing up. We would visit my grandmother in Maine every summer when my dad would get leave as he was in the military. I would go and pick wild blueberries and strawberries with her. I loved watching her makes pies and cobblers with them and she would tell me stories of my mom growing up and doing the same thing. I miss her and my mom so much but I am grateful to the memories they both gave me to keep in my heart forever.
My favorite summer memory is watching my children play in the ocean on our trip to the beach.
We went to the beach with my whole family this summer. Watching my kids play in the sand reminded me that I need to stop and enjoy all of life’s moments!
Hanging out and watching movies on the couch!
Sleeping in on the weekend.
Sitting back and enjoying the warm summer breeze on the beach.
I love taking a quiet hike in the forest.
I love sitting around the campfire.
I enjoyed swimming in my country lake.
my favorite summer memory is going boating with my son and his wife we had so much fun and went swimming in the cleanest lake
One of my favorite summer memories is when I spent a week on a houseboat with a group of friends!
Watching my kids experience Disneyland for the first time warmed my heart. They had so much fun and it’s a trip I’ll never forget.
My soft summer moment is when we took the kids to Disney for the first time and watching their eyes light up with excitement!
My girls and I have had some great Girls’ Nights together over the summer. Soon they’ll be too old and cool to snuggle with mom so I love it.
My soft summer moments include early morning fishing and also leaving before dawn for the beach with my daughter. So many memories and so many more to make.
A soft summer moment for me in the past is when all 4 of my grandchildren were together in the summer and we were all down at the beach on the river just having a blast and sharing in the moment.
One of mine was visiting the NC Zoo for the day and taking our time and loving every minute of it
My mom came out for a visit this summer. I miss her.