Exploring the Last Days of Summer with Kids

Are you like me who freaks out when you realize there are only a couple of weeks left of summer and you think you haven't done much so you try think of things to do, but you stress out because there's not much to do in your area and at the same time you feel like you've done all of those activities over and over, but you want your kids to try new experiences and there's not enough time to do anything before school starts? *takes a breath*

We've made summer lists in the past, but we got away with it this year because we went through our list quickly so we ended up running out of ideas halfway through summer. I'll need new ideas for next year so we're not stressing out when we should be having fun. All ideas welcome... leave a comment below!

My husband and I are last minute planners for the most part. Actually, we don't plan at all. We try to, but we're super indecisive so when we do decide on something, it's usually when we're already in the car, sitting in our driveway, ready to go whenever one of us calls it. This was us the last couple of weeks. We crammed in as much as we could including a full day in downtown Chicago, shopping, swimming, shopping, Topgolf, indoor playground, shopping, arcades, gymnastics competition, shopping, trampoline park, hometown parade, shopping, eating, family celebrations, and did I say shopping already?

As I reflect back on our summer, I feel blessed to be able to provide my kids different experiences, new and old. We've done so much and spent as much time as we could as a family despite our busy schedules.

I still get consumed by mom guilt, but I remind myself of the wonderful experiences we all gained and the memories we are creating as a family.