There’s been a lot of talk about “busy-ness” in the blogosphere over the last week (which I will address in detail in a future post!)
But what I love about summer is that it feels like an excuse not to be busy. We do a lot of hanging out, usually with my brother, his wife Jenna and their three kids. In fact, I think we may have perfected the art of the un-busy, laid-back summer evening. Here’s my “recipe”:
Step 1: Find a comfy lounge chair and a magazine.
Country Living and Better Homes and Gardens are my go-to mags for outdoor summer reading.
Step 2: Sprinkle in cute kids.
my niece Ruby. Yes, the family resemblance is strong.
Step 3. Add water.
Owen, sunning himself after a belly flop into the wading pool
Step 4: Blend in washable toys.
sorry, Rainbow Dash.
Step 5: Toss with inexpensive, in-season, grill-friendly foods.
our first attempt at grilling pizza outdoors. Easy and yummy.
thank you, CSA!
spinach, basil, red pepper and mozzarella
Step 6: Serve kids, serve yourself, sit back and enjoy.
just make sure you brought napkins.
What’s your recipe for a laid-back summer evening?
Check back on Monday, when I’ll be sharing my thoughts about the pursuit of “busy” and tips for how to keep your life from being overrun by activity and commitments. Until then, I hope you enjoy a relaxing weekend!
Yikes, I have no intention of being busier than I need to be. I think a good balance between having enough that you’re bored out of your mind and having too much that it all seems unattainable is ideal for me. But if I had to choose, I would totally choose not being busy over being busy.
An idyllic day for me is doing local activities like going to a park, or stopping by the library, even squeezing in an errand or two, and spending the rest of the time at home lounging.
Mine is very similar! My son and I like to start off with an easy morning lounging around in pjs then head out to the porch with my coffee and his cars to relax. Next, we head to the pool. All I need is my Kindle and all he needs is his goggles and diving rings. After dinner, I walk the dog and he rides along on his bike.
I sometimes feel guilty after days like this, because I feel lazy thinking I haven’t done anything. But then I remind myself, this is how my mom spent our childhood days with us. And we loved it. Plus, I do write on the two days he is at camp.
Enjoy!
That pizza looks yummy. I have not yet tried grilling pizza. I always wonder how do you get the toppings to melt before the bottom gets burnt if you don’t have a grill with a lid? My lazy day summer, starts with a bike ride at sunrise (just me) a long coolish shower. Then take the kids to the library, on the way home pick up a round of cold slushies. Spend several hours reading on the swing chair on the front porch. Eat a simple and laid back dinner. Play a board game or two on the front porch with the kids in the evening.
Victoria, our grill does have a lid. I’m not sure if the toppings could cook/melt in time without the lid – though maybe you could tent with foil or place a pot upside-down over the pizza to retain the heat?
Great ideas Meagan.
Grilling and relaxing are good ways to spend the summer. I like to take the family out on roadtrips and take photos of our journey. Many of the places are not yet on the radar that we travel to.
My recipe has one ingredient – a baby!
I’ve always felt like I needed to make the present summer the best one yet and that results in squeezing in so many fun things that they aren’t fun anymore!
I delivered our 3rd little one 3 weeks ago, so I was forced to slow down a month or so before she was born. We knew we wanted to spend a lot of time at home and outside, so we bought a new patio set for outdoor lounging, my husband put in a garden (to give himself a place to putter!) and we’ve really enjoyed the time just being at home as a family. I thought my older boys (4 &2) would miss all the playdates at the park, trips to the zoo, etc. but it turns out that with the right things in place, being home is pretty awesome!
Love this! And I love your blog which I have just discovered today!
We have instituted family movie nights on Fridays at our house and almost always have pizza. I usually pull out dough, sauce, cheese and toppings and let the kids make their own. Very often I use Naan Bread since my husband and I can upgrade ours to gourmet status with white pizza toppings and fresh arugula. Check out how at http://www.thehumbleonion.com/1/category/pizza/1.html