Yay! Summer is just a week away!
Summer doesn't have to be busy to be beautiful.
What if your home became your family's favorite place this summer?
Before you fill your calendar, consider creating a Refuge Haven at home.
The days will grow hotter as the season progresses. The sun rises early and sets late, giving us those long, golden hours. Summer weather can dance from cool mornings to blazing afternoons.
Let your home become a Refuge Haven, a peaceful place to rest, recharge, and make memories, away from the busyness of life and the summer heat. It only takes a little intentionality to create a space like that.
Plan simple summer traditions at home. Resist the urge to overschedule with constant community events or private lessons. Try not to stack your days full of activities. Take summer slowly and savor it.
Ways to Make Your Home Into a Refuge Haven This Summer
Inside the Home
- Simplify housekeeping routines. I like to do the dishes, wipe the counters, sweep the kitchen floor, and tidy the main living areas before bed. That way, we wake up to a clean house.
- Work together. When everyone pitches in, chores go faster. Tackle the daily rhythm in the cool of the morning to leave the rest of the day free for creativity, reading, games, or rest.
- Plan quiet time indoors. Set aside part of each day for calm, indoor downtime out of the sun.
- Air out the house. Open the windows in the early morning. Fresh air and a cool house just feel good!
- Dress for the season. Lightweight, light-colored, breathable clothes make a big difference.
- Use cooling cloths. Wet and wring out hand towels or washcloths and keep them in ziplock bags in the fridge. When overheated, place one on the back of your neck for instant relief.
- Eat cool, seasonal foods. Summer produce helps cleanse our systems from heavier winter eating and prepares us for the next season. These foods are colorful, full of flavor, and packed with nutrients.
- Keep chopped fruits and veggies in jars or containers in the fridge for quick snacks, smoothies, or salad meals.
- Use a drink dispenser or Coleman jug filled with ice water. Label cups for each family member to reduce dishwashing and waste.
- If your tap water tastes off, consider a water filter—it’s cheaper and more sustainable than bottled water. Add citrus slices or mint leaves for flavor.
- Try frozen treats:
- Make frozen bananas! Freeze them on a stick. You can dip them in melted chocolate and roll them in nuts.
- Blend and freeze banana chunks in a loaf pan for scoopable “ice cream.
- Freeze peaches, berries, or small melon chunks for a refreshingly cool treat.
Inside the In the Yard
Embrace the season. Try a farm-to-table lifestyle by starting a garden—even a container or rain-gutter garden can work wonders. Work for thirty minutes in the morning while it's still cool. You can even plant later in the summer for a fall harvest.
Create outdoor retreat spaces. Transform overlooked spaces between buildings into little hideaways—your own secret garden.
Bring nature indoors. Snip flowers from your yard and place them in a vase. I’ve had petunias and impatiens on my kitchen windowsill—and this year, aloe vera and outdoor petunias.
Soak up vitamin D3. It's essential for respiratory health and summer is the best time to store it. Just 15–20 minutes of sun (between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.) four times a week is enough. Don’t shower immediately before or after, as your skin oils help convert sunlight into D3.
Dine outdoors. Don’t have patio furniture? Find a beat-up table and chairs at a yard sale, give them a coat of paint, and enjoy outdoor meals together.
Add elements of fun:
- Build or buy a fire pit. We love gathering around ours to tell stories, roast hot dogs, and toast marshmallows.
- Install a hammock or porch swing.
- Turn on the sprinkler or head to a splash pad.
- Host movie nights—indoors or outside.
- Wash the car together—clean it inside first, then wash the car. That way you use electricity safely.
- Stargaze.
- Host a neighborhood art show or block party.
- Backyard campouts and summer carnivals are simple joys.
- Try new cooking skills—BBQ, s’mores, solar cooking, or Dutch oven meals.
- Host a concert or play in your yard.
- Gather yard games (badminton, croquet, frisbee, etc.) and store them in a large Tubtrug.
- Make s'mores.
- Try solar cooking.
- Have a water balloon fight.
- Learn the art of Dutch-Oven cooking.
On-the-Go, Sneaky-Mom, Natural Summer-School Hacks
Make travel totes for each child. A canvas bag from the craft store works great—let them decorate it! Even if you mostly stay close to home, they can still fill their journals and nature notebooks with summer memories. Hint: This can be any season!
Include:
- A travel journal (decorate a composition book!)
- A “passport” for seasonal activities, photos, and ticket stubs
- A nature notebook and some basic supplies
That Tubtrug full of games? It’s easy to toss into the car when heading to a park or picnic.
Summer Bucket List
Plan a summer bucket list of things to do with the family. Take advantage of free and low-cost local events!
- Attend a parade.
- Go to an art festival.
- Take walks in the cool of the day.
- Take nature walks.
- Take a hike.
- Go to a park in the cool of the day.
- See fireworks.
- Have a library hour once a week. Create your own reading incentive with your own rewards.
- Prepare something at home for the State Fair.
- Attend a community celebration.
- Go to garage sales, yard sales, and estate sales. Look for items that can be repurposed, go early & avoid the heat.
- Go swimming.
- Go to a farmer's market.
- Enjoy a cultural event.
- Attend an outdoor concert, play, or musical.
Home as a Refuge Haven
With intentional effort, you can transform your home and yard into a Refuge Haven. By simplifying commitments, embracing slower rhythms, and adding a few simple joys, you'll create a peaceful and meaningful summer.
And when you do want to venture out for bucket list fun—you can! But if it ever feels like too much, you can always pull back and rest. Refuge Haven is always there for you.
Take time to enjoy the season!
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