Vacations and Virtue: 7 Resolutions For Managing Summer Overhoad

Ahhh….summer vacation – long relaxing days at the pool, followed by barbecues, late nights and no schedules.  Sounds like a dream – right?Not to me. Summer time, with its lack of a regular routine, is driving me nuts. While I enjoyed the first few days of summer vacation,  I am now panicked about undone laundry, unhealthy meals, and unfinished blog posts – a panic which is being exacerbated by lack of sleep, lack of exercise and lack of prayer-time.Am I alone in this?  My guess is no. So what’s a frazzled Mom to do with the majority of the summer still stretching ahead. Surely not whine and complain about it like an overtired toddler….Here’s a few strategies/resolutions that I hope to employ for the remainder of the summer that will hopefully prevent me from becoming a poolside version of the Grinch! 1.. Count BlessingsAh, yes – the attitude of gratitude – easy to say, even easier to forget to do. I am embarrassed to admit that I have allowed my frustration over all the things I have not accomplished this summer cloud my vision enough that I have not been grateful for the many wonderful things that have already happened this summer. Even more foundational than being grateful for the little things, is to be grateful for the big things – like having the financial means to stay home and accompany my children on their many summer adventures. I resolve to begin and end each day with a written list of all the blessings God has given me and my family.2. Stay in the MomentBy my (very loose) calculations, 18 years of summer vacations amounts to a little more than 1000 days of summer fun. Not very much time when you really boil it down to the numbers. Although it is challenging for