Real-Life Summer Survival
Real-Life Summer Survival ☀️🌿: Finding Rhythm in a Season That Refuses to Sit Still
Every year around December, I start daydreaming about summer. Illinois winters feel like they last seventeen years, and by spring, I’m entirely done with gearing up in thermals and coveralls to do chores in the miserable cold. I daydream about bare feet, fireflies, and breathing room.
And then summer actually arrives.
Suddenly, the calendar fills up with kids' camps, VBS, and family gatherings. To make things extra spicy this year, we’re also packing to move back to my family farm. I wasn't entirely prepared for what a move looks like with two kids and a baby... but here we are.
Despite everyone supposedly being more relaxed, I spend half my life cleaning up wet towels and answering my personal favorite question: "Didn't we just eat?" Because apparently, summer turns my children into professional snack hunters who are starving exactly 2.3 minutes after a meal.
Growing up on the farm taught me that you don't fight the seasons; you work with them. The cattle still need care and the hay still needs baling, but the rhythm changes. Instead of forcing a perfect summer, I’m asking: What does it look like to steward this season well? How do I create enough preparation that a spontaneous trip to the lake feels fun instead of stressful?
Over the years, I’ve found that preparation creates peace, and peace creates space to enjoy the people right in front of you. I’ve put my favorite summer essentials together below. You can shop each one via my affiliate links, and you’ll get 10% off at checkout with the code SHAREYL.
The Road Trip Bag
Every mom develops the bag - the one containing snacks, chargers, bandages, and at least three items nobody knew they needed until the exact moment they did. Something always goes sideways, but practical preparedness keeps small inconveniences from becoming major meltdowns.
Long Days Outside
We’re outside constantly, which is wonderful until someone gets too much sun. I keep clean mineral sunscreen on hand because it doesn't contain questionable chemicals or nanoparticles. When the boys do stay out a little too long, we grab Lavaderm Cooling Mist. It’s soothing, refreshing, and infused with our favorite essential oils.
The Hydration Conversation
Sometimes we think we're tired because we're busy, but we're really just dehydrated. When afternoon crankiness hits, a reliable water bottle is my best defense. If plain water feels boring, we drop in Vitality Drops for a splash of natural sweetness and essential oils to turn hydration into a party.
Grab our favorite Vitality Drops HERE
Bugs… Oh, the Bugs
Nothing ruins a beautiful dusk evening faster than mosquitoes. Because we spend so much time outside on the farm, a reliable repellent is non-negotiable. I’ve transitioned our family to natural, plant-based bug repellents powered by citronella, lemongrass, rosemary, and cedarwood. I love knowing exactly what is going onto my kids' skin when they're out catching fireflies or taking an evening trail ride.
Grab our Essential Oil Infused Insect Repellent HERE
Backyard Medicine
Summer injuries increase dramatically around here. For scraped knees, bug bites, and those classic "mystery injuries" that leave no visible evidence but cause major tears, I keep a practical kit ready. For bumps, bruises, and instant mosquito bite relief, we roll on Deep Relief. It cools down little bodies when applied to the back of the neck and works like magic on non-open owies.
Get your Deep Relief HERE
Last but not Least ... Mom
When your kids are home year-round, summer doesn't bring a change in headcount, it brings a change in pressure. Between constant food demands and the unspoken expectation to make every day "magical," it is incredibly easy to leave yourself out of the equation. But stewardship includes you, too.
Taking care of yourself can be as simple as small, intentional resets. For me, that means bringing a travel-ready diffuser out to the porch with mocktail-inspired oils (like lime, spearmint, and citrus) while the kids play. And for those long, hot afternoons when my energy dips, popping open a chilled, bubbly NingXia Zyng gives me the clean energy boost I need to keep up.
When August arrives, the towels will dry, the fireflies will fade, and the season will shift. The goal isn't a picture-perfect schedule; it's simply being present for it all—the endless snacks, the chaos, and the rest.
Tell me in the comments: What's one thing that always ends up in your summer survival kit?
-Laura 🌿
