SUMMER ESSENTIALS

Jul 21

Written By Sarah

zing collaborative summer essentials - beach ball floating in a pool

SWEET, SWEET SUMMERTIME

Summer —is there anything better?

I learned recently that for many people, there actually is, and that a surprising (to me) number of people dislike summer.

Perhaps this is a result of living in the south, where summertime is hot and humid and oppressive.

Perhaps it is the fact that school is out and parents around the country are attempting to creatively piece together childcare through sports camps and theater camps and arts-and-crafts camps, while still working full-time (beyond challenging).

Or, perhaps it is the high percentage of people who prefer crisp fall weather.

Whatever your feelings are about summer, I’ve compiled a list of summer essentials below —both as a nod to my favorite season, and to support you in making the most of it.

Okay, let’s dive in.

SUMMER INTENTIONS

Is it just me, or do we hear the same line from nearly every single person we know, every single year? That line is: “Can you believe that it’s already Fourth of July?”

No, we almost never can believe it, which means that summer almost always flies by in a blink.

As a result, it can be helpful to identify a few intentions at the beginning of the summer. These do not have to be profound, they do not need to be part of a 50-item bucket list, and they do not need to be life changing, but they give us something to anchor ourselves to, and something to guide our decisions.

This summer, for example, one of my intentions has been Family. For me, this has meant prioritizing time with family and my nieces above a number of other things. It has allowed me to say no to some awesome opportunities without guilt or second-guessing. And it has resulted in an abundance of sweet moments with Barbies and in the pool and on the swings.

Reflections:

What is my main intention for this summer?
Am I honoring it?
If not, what is one small shift I could make in order to do so?

SUMMER SCHEDULE

Whether we intend for it to or not, summer has its own schedule and rhythm. The days are longer. It is still light out at 9 pm. The kiddos likely aren’t in school. And depending on our industry, we might be in a period of extreme intensity (construction, landscaping) or schedule spaciousness (academia, education, certain retail-based businesses).

Rather than force our “rest of the year schedule” into summer, we can lean into the differences of the season.

For example:

Perhaps we pause our workday at 3 to pick up the kids from camp (see above) and finish up our work later at night.
Perhaps we are more flexible with bedtimes (for everyone in the family).
Perhaps we use the additional light early in the morning to get a jumpstart on our workday, or our workout routine, opening up more space in the rest of the day.

Reflections:

What is one schedule shift I’ve made for the summer?
Are there any additional schedule shifts that I’d like to make for the remainder of the summer?
What schedule shifts do I anticipate for fall?

beach reads

What qualifies as a beach read? My definition: something light, enjoyable, and that you can finish over a weekend at the pool or beach.

If you are looking for a good one, here are a few favorites from the last few years.

A full list of each of the books below, with links to purchase, is available:

Most of these books are also available at the library, or through the Libby app.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner (whenever I think of “beach read,” this is the first book I think of)
Mrs Everything by Jennifer Weiner
One Plus One by JoJo Moyes
The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes
The Girl You Left Behind by JoJo Moyes
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Greenlights by Matthew M (though this one is best via audio book)
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (this one isn’t quite as light as some of the others)
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (confession: I am not as obsessed with Emily Henry’s books as a lot of others are, but they definitely qualify as beach reads!)
Buy Yourself the F*ing Lilies (memoir style, but a very fast and at times funny read)

SUMMER GATHERINGS

Is there anything better than a low-key summer gathering? An intention I’ve been holding for my life for the past few years is more “Hey, we’re grilling —come over” in my life.

To me, this represents low-key, sometimes-impromptu gatherings that don’t need to be fancy, and that don’t need to be “planned on the calendar” 17 weeks in advance.

Here are a few tips for embracing the vibe of Hey, we’re grilling, come over.

Keep it simple. I like a simple, straightforward menu of: an easy appetizer or cheese plate, burgers/brats/veggie burgers, a nice salad, chips, and a dessert (usually a crisp with seasonal fruit). Recently for a low-key outdoor dinner gathering, I ditched the grill altogether and did crockpot chicken as the main entree. Even easier!
Release the idea of “we will have people over when…. [fill in the blank of: when we finish our patio, when our house is cleaner, when we do that addition we’ve been considering for 8 years, when the kiddo playroom is less of a disaster, when we finish the trim in the dining room].” There will almost always be something on that list. We are currently navigating a loneliness epidemic, due to the forced isolation of the last few years. We are now starting to see the impacts. People are craving connection. A low-key summer gathering is a great way to facilitate this connection. Nobody cares about the dining room trim.
Take it to the park. If hosting at home feels too stressful, take it to the park. Do a Park Potluck, a grill-out at the park, or a low-key summer picnic.
Do something other than dinner. A few ideas:
- After work dips and drinks
- After dinner ice cream and coffee
- Afternoon popsicles and ice cream sandwiches
- Or, anything on this list

Here are some recipe ideas.

20 Healthy Recipes for When It’s Too Hot to Cook (The Everygirl)
Anything is better with a jammy egg (Lindsey Eats)
A big summer salad (just add protein of some sort to make it a meal (Jenny R for COJ)
22 Easy Summer Dinner Meals that take Less than 30 Minutes (The Everygirl)
21 Best Recipes for When You Need a Salad Stat (Food52)
31 Burger Recipes for a Summer Worth of Cookouts (Bon Appetit) - includes some veggie burgers.
20 Meal Prep Ideas for People Who Hate Salad (The Everygirl)
89 Summer Recipes that Taste Like Pure Sunshine (Bon Appetit)
A Sweet-Salty Party Mix that will be the Hit of Any Gathering (Eater)

A couple of favorite cookbooks for seasonal cooking:

Love and Lemons - this cookbook is organized by ingredient, rather than type of meal, which is game changing during the peak summer produce bounty.
Local Dirt - whenever I find myself with something delightful from the market or the garden, I like to cross-reference this book for inspiration.

SUMMER TUNES

My Sunny Days playlist on Spotify
My Endless Summer playlist on Spotify
Spotify’s Summer Acoustic playlist
Coolest idea: when on a road trip, ask everyone you meet what their favorite song is. Add each of these songs to your road trip playlist. Credit - I think this was via COJ but can’t remember for sure.