I’m gonna be totally honest here, . 

This summer my entire house (and heck, my life) has been taken over by a crazy bunch of teenagers.

I mean… I get it -- this is the stage of life I'm in, so it is to be expected.... ;-)

I’ve got a high school graduate, a college graduate who is back home, and a middle schooler.

And I feel pressure. Because they are all home and I so desperately want to soak up all I can before they are gone for good.

You see, I want to create picture-perfect “lazy days” of summer for everyone.

The red, white, and blue popsicles that make your hands all sticky kind of days...

Dinner on the patio and going for a long walk through the neighborhood. 

Making an afternoon nap the norm and enjoy our time just getting to be together. 

Heck, I may or may not have tried to turn off the wifi in the house for an afternoon to pretend we were glamping...

;-) 

But. This is real life.

And real life means that while *I* want to soak up every bitty bit of these teens, they have their own ideas.

and it's okay.

I see this happen with my coaching clients all the time. They have great big huge plans to create more space for slow living in their family life, and then reality hits.

Maybe it’s summer and the kids are home more, but it also means they are creating more dishes and laundry and their bizarre & backwards sleep schedule is throwing yours way off.

Or maybe your partner is slammed at work and not available to come home on time for your picturesque dinners. 

Or perhaps all of a sudden you need to help an ailing relative and you've got endless activities in the evenings and you’re running all across town. 

I get it. There really is no "perfect" summer. And that's okay.

Because taking care of yourself and finding a way to slow down and pay attention to all the good, even when things don't go "according to plan" --

that's what Slow Living is all about.

So if you’ve been feeling the pressure to keep up with the Jones' (or maybe just your own idea of what the perfect summer should look like)...

please know this:

If we’re lucky, life is long. 

There is plenty of time to do the things that you need to do and take time for yourself. You can do both. 

You are not behind.

and it doesn't have to look like a magazine article or an Instagram feed.

So tell me --- what does YOUR "perfect summer" entail?

Hit reply and let me know!

:-)

xoxo steph