End of Summer Blessings Inventory

As summer winds down, I’m sure you and your kids are thinking about all the things you didn’t get to do. Well, maybe no one else does this but me? lol

But, have you noticed that when we think about what we don’t have, we miss what we have right in front of us?

When we tend to lean toward negative thinking, we will count the things we shouldn’t. We should change our thoughts right away to inventory what we got to do this summer and the people we spent it with instead of missing out on these blessings thinking about how we didn’t get to go ‘fill in the blank’.

Very quickly, I can think of tons of fun things we did at home, with our neighbors, in our community, or at our church. These things are great and only happen in the summer.

Let’s remember the wonderful times we had by doing an end of summer blessings inventory.

I suggest taking some time to look at your memories from this summer. Maybe print some pictures or make a photo book.

After you counted your blessings, then dream about next summer. If there’s somewhere you wanted to go but didn’t have the money or time, start planning now to ensure that you get to do it in the next few years.

Here’s how I suggest doing an end of the summer blessings inventory.

Put your pictures in one place.

Get your camera pics and cell pics in one place and label the folder accordingly. Edit your pictures, if needed.

Then make a photo book or print some pictures out to update your frames on the wall.

Pictures are a good way to reconnect with each other and the adventures you had. This is a great tool to help keep the rays of sunshine bright after summer cools down.

Talk about the wonderful adventures you had.

Talk about how God blessed your family this summer. I’m sure there were specials days and activities that your family enjoyed.

For us, we participated in a reading program with lots of live shows. It was so much fun. We also had VBS at our church and we traveled to visit family over the Fourth of July. Of course, there were fireworks involved.

These moments are priceless and I love reliving them with my kids. Make sure you ask good questions, like, what was your favorite? or what do you want to do again? I’m usually amazed at the answers I get back.

Find an end of summer activity you can squeeze in.

Maybe a fun pool day, a good movie, or a good hike will be something that will send summer out with a bang.

If your kid is set on ‘fill in the blank’ and you just can’t do it this summer, for whatever reason, you can meet in the middle with some fun things to do before it cools off and try to accommodate next year.

Also, don’t forget you’ll have some warm weekends after school starts back that’ll allow some last minute fun too.

You can even have your kids come up with one thing they want to do before summer ends. Make sure you set some monetary limits, if needed.

We are hoping to sneak in a camping trip before school gets fully ramped up. It’s something we are all looking forward to.

Dream and plan a little for next summer.

Talk about places that would be awesome to visit then make a plan.

Look up to see how much the trip will cost and divide by 10. Put that amount aside each month and by next May you’ll have enough to travel with no worries of wrecking the budget.

If you really want to commit to a certain trip, book it, pay the deposit now, then make monthly payments.

If your budget is so tight that you can’t imagine taking anything extra out, then pick up a side job and save a little or try couponing to save a little bit more.

You may need to save the trip till after your goals are met. If you are in the middle financial obligation, hunker down to complete whatever goals you are on. The carrot hanging over your head will provide some good motivation to finish your goals quickly.

I know priorities are important and sometimes we have to simply wait. Whatever your situation, talk to your kids and enjoy what you can within your budget. Be real with your kids and they will appreciate it.

Just because one season is ending doesn’t mean we shouldn’t remember the good times and dream a little too. Enjoy your last few days before school heads back.

What did you do fun this summer? Share a blessing below in the comments!!