The mad dash begins with only four days left of school. I dropped off the massive science project this morning at school as it was too large for my daughter to carry along with her backpack and instrument.

“What did you do — kill a bird?” the teacher says to me upon my arrival.

I’m not sure if that was a compliment of my daughter’s life-like duck in her freshwater ecosystem, or a crack at the size of the bird sitting in its habitat. Regardless, it’s an item checked off my list.

Next … laundry. I’m grateful for the light breeze this morning as I placed the drying rack in front of the sliding glass door to speed up the air drying process. Jeans are next to hang. I’m anxious to get “laundry” checked off my list as well.

After that? My list is lengthy, so I have an assortment to choose from. As I folded clothes this morning, I slowed down and reminded myself, Life as I know it, will NOT end in four days. It will just look different — it’s just summer.

It’s just summer … how can six little letters cause parents to scurry? Somehow, they do. It’s like a subconscious need to accomplish everything before school is out. After that, the routine is out the window.

Recently when my daughter and I wrote our lists of what we’d like to do this summer, I stressed the need for balance as she wrote her list. We then read our lists to each other.

“How many of your items can be done while I work and write?” I asked.

She paused briefly and said, “Just a couple, Mom.”

At this point, I could get flustered and worry about how I’ll accomplish everything, but I’ve gone down that road too many times before and I know it leads no where. It reminded me of my prayer displayed on my desk,

“Guide me Lord to do what you desire me to do this day! May it not be just a list of things to accomplish, but a day to fulfill your plans.”

I’ve learned I can’t look at the entire summer in one glance, as that causes my breakers to short circuit. Instead, I have to take one bite at a time. God knows what He desires for me to accomplish as a parent, employee, and writer, so I just entrust it into His hands. He can carry a much heavier load than I can.

So, on that note, here are a few more ideas for thriving this summer with your children:

1. Garage Sales. On Friday mornings, we like to hit the garage sales in our area. It’s fun to start out with just a few dollars and see how far your money can spread. Years back, my very first writing area came from garage sale finds. For under $10, I bought a shelf, decor, and glider chair!

2. Outings. Library, park, grocery shopping — whatever it is, make it fun and engage the kids. Give young children their own list of items to find in the grocery store. Allow the older kids to read in the teen section of your local library (an area no adults are allowed) and give them their wanted independence. Look for nature at a park or on a hiking trail.

3. Spontaneous Mini-Trip to …?. Take a picnic lunch and hop in the car to drive somewhere unknown. Here’s how it works. Make it a group effort and take turns saying which direction you should drive and for how long. For example, “Let’s go straight for 5 minutes, then left for 3 minutes.” Set a time limit. Then wherever you end up, hop out of the car, and have your picnic lunch.

4. Play office. If you need to get some work done and have younger children, give them their own “office setup” and allow them to play next to you while you work. When my daughter was young, she loved this! She had an envelope of stickers, scratch paper, old file folders, and the use of tape. She made files, organized papers, and wrote “important” (but illegible) things. She loved showing me her efforts.

Remember you are not alone — as parents, we are in this together!