I want a barefoot, back door left open kind of summer.

One where the kids enjoy getting dirty toes, one where I can watch the freckles fill out to cover their little noses.

RELATED: Summer is the Sweet Spot of Life With Kids

Hot dogs on the grill, watermelon juice running down chins, sticky ice cream fingers smudging everything they touch.

The smell of sunscreen filling the air. Water balloons, sprinklers, and no cares.

I’m ready for lazy evenings watching kids catch fireflies in mason jars. Then sitting on the swing long after they’ve gone to bed, watching the moon rise over the fields.

RELATED: My Kids Are About to Relive the Magic of My 1980s Summers

Sleeping with windows open, fans humming, blowing cool air over my skin. Listening to random giggles of littles who were having too much fun to let it end just yet.

I’m ready for a barefoot, back door left open kind of summer.

Originally published on the author’s Facebook page

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Check out our new Keepsake Companion Journal that pairs with our So God Made a Mother book!

Order Now
So God Made a Mother's Story Keepsake Journal

Jodi McDonnell

Jodi is a mother and dairy farmer from Ohio. Life is full of adventure with kids and cows. Follow on Facebook and Instagram @OfKidsandCows.

I’m Giving My Kids an ’80s Summer

In: Kids
3 friends in the '80s

Let’s indulge, this summer, sweet friends. Time has slowed down. Life’s pace has given us a genuine chance to remember. Remember what life was like before the world convinced us it’s always better to be on-the-go. Don’t hold back. They need to know. RELATED: I Want to Remember This Time So I’ll Never Be Ungrateful Again Rewind that clock.  And, let’s teach our children the art of those Sandlot-style 80s and 90s summers.  Lost, but not forgotten. Captain Crunch with chocolate milk for breakfast.  Barefoot in the backyard.  Wireless. With an entirely new meaning. Emptying the laundry basket. For this...

Keep Reading

Motherhood is Summertime

In: Motherhood
Mom swims with daughter

We wait for it with bated breath, certain of its fulfillment— The changing of seasons that brings with it unmatched beauty. So common, recurring, and mundane. And taken for granted each year. Motherhood is summertime. Sometimes it’s suffocating and hard to breathe. Slow and perpetual—one moment bleeds into the next without you noticing. A haze that leaves you unsure of the day and time—sometime in June, you think. Each day is a little bit longer than the last—you think the sun will never set on this day. Motherhood is summertime. Wet, grassy flip-flops by the door alongside monster trucks and...

Keep Reading

10 Ways to Give Your Kid a 1970s Summer

In: Kids, Motherhood
10 Ways to Give Your Kid a 1970s Summer www.herviewfromhome.com

 Summer’s basically here. The Pinterest pages, Facebook feeds, and family magazine features are loaded up with all the fun-filled activities you should do with your kids this summer. AS.IF. As if we need more activities. MORE I say! As if I am sitting here, OK, really laying here in my end of school year coma, thinking, “OMG! I CANNOT wait to tackle that homemade moon sand recipe. We will dye ourselves with the skin of organic vegetables, then shape our homemade sand into a perfect replica of the Millenium Falcon!” Or, “Why yes, I am going to schlep four kids to that new...

Keep Reading