I am needing to get out of my funk about our unexciting summer! My husband has been working long hours and is unable to take any time off at all, so we have not gone anywhere special or done anything too out of the ordinary this summer. The kids (ds15, ds13, and ds almost 6) have not complained, so I know the problem is me! It just seems like everyone else is taking awesome vacations and doing fun activities, and we spend a lot of time at home. I know many of you wise, godly ladies will remind me to count my blessings–we are all healthy, my husband is employed, we have the gift of free time…and you would be so right! I just always feel a bit lonely and disconnected in the summer without our usual activities and acquaintances. I don’t have any close friends, so the only way I really get to interact with other ladies is during the school year.
Wow, this is a “woe is me” post and I am sorry to be such a bummer! But thanks for listening 🙂
We aren’t having a particularly exciting summer, but we’re not bored either. So far, I’d say our summer has been restful. We did go on vacation last week to the mountains and cooler temperatures, but other than that we’ve been doing a lot of reading, jumping on the trampoline, playing with the neighbor’s grandkids when they’re there, and going to the swimming pool. Our church has no activities during the summer, and we don’t get together with friends much because everyone is just as busy in the summer as they are during the school year.
A few ideas for you:
Do you have some homeschool friends who might be going through the same thing that you could arrange an afternoon playdate with? You mentioned not having close friends; the only way to develop those relationships is to spend time together, and that takes effort!
Could you use some of your free time to do some organizing/cleaning out around the house to prepare for the upcoming year?
Could you have a garage sale to earn some extra money and use up some of your time? Your kids could have a lemonade stand at the same time and earn some extra money of their own.
You could use this free time to stock your freezer with some meals or meal components, in preparation for the busy season ahead.
Do you have a swimming pool that you could take the kids to? Maybe even meet some of your friends there.
We have spent a lot of time with our next door neighbors this summer. They are an older couple (late 50s), but they have proved to be good friends. We have gotten together for dinner with them a couple of times, and our kids love to play in their backyard with their dogs. We have never had neighbors this great before, and we are enjoying the development of this friendship. We have even met them for prayer a few times this summer. Do you have some neighbors you don’t know that you could invest in?
Anyway, I won’t preach at you about counting your blessings! I’m a homebody, so I rarely get discontent with not going anywhere, but I do understand what it feels like to be lonely sometimes when everyone else is so busy they don’t have time for you. My favorite thing to do is have people over to our house, rather than going to their home or meeting somewhere. I just love to cook for people and host people in our home. If that’s something you enjoy too, you can having people coming to you, rather than you feeling like you’re always left out of the fun!
I have a similar situation – husband working long hours, and no car. Just doing our best, and taking the few moments that come along and making use of them.
Wow, Lindsey, you have given me some great ideas! I realize how selfish my thinking has been, of wanting to be entertained rather than make wise and productive use of my time. There are projects that I have been waiting for my husband to do that I could bless him by doing myself, such as painting the back door and washing the siding. Thanks for your gentle reminder about making friendships…I will make more of an effort.
Sounds like our summer. I was hoping to get a lot of decluttering/organizing done but haven’t managed to get much done. We also haven’t done many fun activities. I feel like too much of my time has been spent driving my DC to and from activities and/or dealing with things people need “right away”. As much as I’d love to be a SAHM, I often feel like everyone tries their hardest to keep me away from home! When I finally get a moment at home, I’m totally exhausted! It doesn’t help that I’m 11 weeks pregnant and dealing with constant fatique and nausea.
I guess my post isn’t very helpful, but you are definitely not alone! The one “get together” our HS friends had was while we were on vacation…and it wasn’t a very fun vacation (we visited my ILs).
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