Oh Hey! I hope your Memorial Day Weekend was a blast. In our family, we try to keep it equal parts 1) relaxing and looking forward to Summer and 2) respect for the true meaning of the day. As someone with every branch of the military speckled throughout my family, I truly understand how many sacrifices have been made to make my little life (of pure abundance) possible. I am always aware. I never forget. And I’m 1000% grateful. Teaching this to our children is important to both my husband and me.
Memorial Day = Reverence
To keep our children reverent, we try to talk about sacrifice and our soldiers regularly. A few weeks ago we hit up the Arlington National Cemetery to visit the gravesite of an old family friend who was a WWII Vet & war hero. I talked to my 8-year-old about what it means to be buried in that cemetery and, as a matter of course, he also got a crash course in Pearl Harbor (a skirmish the family friend participated in). We also got lucky; our timing was just right for Elijah to experience the changing of the guard at the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier for the first time.
It was an excellent opportunity to talk about Duty to God & Duty to Country (he’s a cub scout). If you’ve never been with small children, it’s an excellent visual to drive home the meaning of reverence.
Teach them at their level
Since we’d recently visited Arlington, our Memorial Day conversation was short this year; just a reminder of what Memorial Day is & a reminder to think of those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country.
My eldest is eight years old. Admittedly we must do these things in small digestible bites. This is exactly why we talk about all the pillars of respect, duty, and service throughout the year. Because anything too in depth and you really can’t expect more than glazed over eyes. Per usual, my eldest was very interested… for about 5minutes. Then my 4-year-old interrupted with his fifth request for the “pool party with the play mushroom” & that was that. So I slathered everyone in sunscreen and headed to the clubhouse to celebrate the other great thing about Memorial Day; the unofficial start of summer.
Pool Season
Badger Balm sent us their new line of broad-spectrum clear zinc SPF, so we tested out the SPF 35. These were great for the kiddos (went on basically clear), but I’m still on the hunt for a go-to body SPF formulation for myself; this was still almost clear on my caramel skin tone, so that’s saying a lot. For my face, I used my new fave the Hynt Beauty “Sun Prep.” I give a full review of this gem here (get summer ready) and here (morning routine).
We hit up the pool for the annual Memorial Day BBQ & the kiddos enjoyed splashing, hotdogs, and ice cream. Not a damn thing was organic… guaranteed! But here’s the thing, being a purist is no fun. So we like to remind ourselves to live a little. We had an amazing weekend enjoying family time, watching movies & lounging by the pool. I even remembered to limit my time on the ‘gram (hard I know!) and it was glorious. I hope your weekend was just as fabulous.
My 4-year-old is out for summer, but my 8-year-old has two more weeks. Either way, The unofficial start of summer has me making summer plans. I’m booking travel and planning day trips to entertain the kiddos. I’m also working on a summer reading list. I’m also hoping to spend a lot of time a clubhouse pool because it’s just too easy not to. Plus, these water babies absolutely love it. I mean, look at those faces.
Anyway, here’s what I’ve got on my list so far, I’d love to know what you’ve got on yours!
Summer Bucket List 2018
To Visit
- Charleston
- Cape May
- Great Wolf Lodge (shhhh)
- NYC, a few times I hope.
- Philly
- Outer Banks
To Do (local)
- One outdoor waterpark
- Fireworks
- Picnic
- Camping Trip
- National Zoo
- National Aquarium
To Read
This summer I’m in the mood for reads on self-improvement, nutrition, and maybe just a little love (I mean, what better to read by the pool or at the beach).
- Judgment Detox – Gabrielle Bernstein
- Thin from Within– Robyn Youkilis
- Fulfilled – Anna Yusim, MD
- Open Wide – Melissa Ambrosini
- The Doctors Kitchen – Dr. Rupy Aujla
- The Happiness Project – Jenna James
- A True Novel – Minae Mizumura
- A Heart so White – Javier Marias
What have you got on your summer bucket list?
Xo, Kimberly Fe'Lix
