Summer is here

Summer has arrived at my house. Our last day of school was Friday. We have zip-lined, thrown a Hawaiian cook out, kayaked, gone to Kings Island, had sleep overs, painted tshirts and attempted to make a diggerido. I'm exhausted and it's only day four of Summer break. Yesterday, my daughter came into my study as I'm trying to work, (long pause here...I'm still running a business while being a single supermom in charge of a house, garden and now broken air conditioner with two dogs and a cat so add the fact that I worked on studio, house, yard and pets over the weekend too).......

That was way too long. Start over. So yesterday, my beautiful angel of a daughter came into my study and announced that she was bored. I didn't even lose it. I sent her to her room to truly experience boredom, made a daily chore list for both of my kids (i.e., delegated a ton of my household tasks) and went outside to sit by my pond and ponder how I am to stay in balance this summer. I can't be exhausted. I want my kids to have a nice summer. I have to work and I truly need to maintain my sense of connection to this planet.

What can you do when life gets crazy and out of your control? How do you maintain balance? Pondering at the pond, I came up with a plan and I realized it was yoga 101.

First and foremost is the fact that I am the center of the universe and I am creating my peace or my chaos. Everything is my choice and staying in balance is simply a matter of choosing the most nourishing choice.

Step 1: Ask for help. Delegating chores to my children was a good instinctive choice. Now take it a step further. Get babysitters, sign up for camps, carpool with other parents and switch the sleepovers every other night to other people's houses. Tell your spouse or ex-spouse in my case that you need a night off and would they please take all the humans out of your house so you can have a little bit of peace. Be prepared to do the same for them in the future.

Step 2: Accept things as they are. Summer is chaos. Know that your house, your yard and your kids are going to be messy all summer. Just allow it to be so. You will drive yourself crazy trying to make everything perfect. Instead, designate areas to pile things up and spend your time being present in your moments. That means playing with your kids, getting dirty and enjoying the sun on these beautiful days.

Step 3: Take responsibility. There are things you can do and do have control of that are easy to maintain. Get up and go to bed around the same time each day. If you are home with your kids for the summer, get up before them and get in a light yoga practice or walk and your daily meditation. Make this a priority for sanity. Spend time in silence. Turn off the TV, the radio and the cell phone. Make good food choices. Three meals a day. Choose the most nourishing choice available. Sometimes (frequently in the summer) that will mean choosing the grilled chicken over the braut, choosing the fruit salad over the cupcakes and choosing the green bean salad over the potato salad. Do what you can.

Step 4: Nourish yourself. Every day should include something that is just for you and not for the other humans in your realm. Go to a yoga class, get your nails done, watch a movie, get a massage or simply lay in the sun with a book. Do something everyday just for you and allow yourself to simply enjoy it without any guilt.

Step 5: Embrace joy. There is nothing more fun than summer in Cincinnati. There is so much to do. The entire summer feels like a vacation to native Cincinnatians. Because of our climate, we really appreciate summer! Savor every moment. Explore the park systems. Canoe the little miami, go to the zoo and bike the trails. Enjoy!