Sizzling Summer: A Peak Into My Summer Routine
No doubt about it, my summer has definitely been sizzling! Read along to sneak a peak into my summer routine.
Summer with Kids
This by far has been our busiest summer. It is the end of a season in our lives, our second son graduated in May and will head off to college at the end of the summer. I was not prepared for how busy his last summer at home would be. He has participated in many wonderful opportunities this summer and I am just sad to see it come to an end. With that being said, much of our summer routine revolves around the kids’ activities.
My summer routine included many drop offs and pick ups from various camps: church camp, choir tour, Boy Scouts camp, and student leadership retreat. Add in our fabulous trip to Greece – which you can read about here – and there is a bulk of my summer routine. When the kids were younger, we kept a much more structured weekly summer schedule similar to the one I will post below; however, as the kids have grown and have more functions through various organizations, we have less time to devote to a daily summer schedule.
Many summers we followed a similar schedule. Daily Rituals
My daily rituals in the summer include: sleeping in, enjoying a peaceful devotional time with a hot cup of coffee, and getting ready for the day. Most Thursdays this summer, I attend an online Professional Development course to maintain my teaching certification. Also, I participated in a brief, six week Bible Study of the book of Philippians.
Now that my kids are older and sports, activities, and church events guide our routines, I think back to the days of the summer schedule similar to the one shown above. That schedule helped keep three littles on track and me sane. I appreciate this mom’s post of how she structured her summer routines, “just enough”.
Relaxing Vibes
While I personally believe there is always plenty to do at home, relaxing vibes are always my goal. Summer routines serve the best relaxing vibes. We are seldom stressed to get out the door at an early time during the summer. Maybe the extra time at home this summer afforded me the opportunity to online shop a little too much – ha! I have enjoyed ordering some of my favorite travel outfits from Amazon.
This dress has been an absolute favorite all summer long! *As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commission on any eligible links. Special Treasures
Part of what makes summer so awesome are the special treasures tucked in throughout the summer months. We have enjoyed so many sweet treasures this summer: trip to Greece, a wedding for my nephew, and camp trips.
How has your summer been? Would you call it, sizzling? Let me know in the comments. I would love to hear from you!
Kids Bedroom Design Ideas
My youngest son’s bedroom is the last to receive an overhaul with a decluttered look and a fresh coat of paint. His room went from blah to a personal haven. Kids bedroom design ideas keep the heart of the home interesting.
Where We Started
At the end of 2021, we moved into a Spanish mission style turned cottage home that was built in 1939. The entire home was in need of some tender loving care. That is just what we have been doing over the last two and a half years. You can read up on our daughter’s room renovation, here. Slowly, we have put our touch on almost every inch of this home. Our youngest’s bedroom is the last bedroom to receive some love.
Here is our son’s room when we moved in. This room is admittedly a challenge due its small size and my son’s desire to keep everything he owns – ha! The bedroom is approximately 8′ x 14′. Finding inspiration for a small space can be tricky. Thankfully Instagram and Pinterest provide some beautiful ideas.
Fun features in a small space! What We Have Done in Kids Bedroom Design
Almost immediately after we moved in, an updated light pendant was purchased as well as an area rug. Alas, the room has not received much else over the last two years, then these past two weeks, I have painted this room. Before painting, my son and I went through ALL of his belongings and weeded out what is no longer important.
For paint colors, I am using Azores from Benjamin Moore on the back wall and White Dove by Benjamin Moore on the other three walls. I feel like the pop of color helps elongate the room and create a larger feeling space.
The back wall of my son’s room is, Azores, by Benjamin Moore. I will be the first to admit that finding a home for every item my kid feels is necessary to keep is hard! Here are some cute fabric bins and ordered them for my son’s possessions.
These storage bins can be ordered from Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commission on any viable links. Where We Are in Our Kids Bedroom Design
Now for the results of a couple of weeks worth of painting. In addition to decluttering and painting, I created two roll-up Roman Shades for my son’s room in order to create a variety of texture in this space.
This most definitely feels like a kids bedroom design space we will enjoy! What are your thoughts about this room?
What I Got During Amazon Prime Deals Days
July is a big sales time of year. And if you are like me, you are looking for ways to save money on needed items. One of our big life events right now is my son is moving off to college. What better way to prepare than to purchase needed supplies during Amazon Prime Deals Days?
Amazon Prime Day Deals is a sales period offered to all Amazon Prime members. To become a member, you will pay the $139 annual fee. (As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commission on any viable links at no extra cost to you.) Membership affords you the opportunity to take advantage of free shipping and returns for a large variety of items. Having a Prime membership gives you access to certain Prime Video movies and shows as well as insight to great sales available on Amazon.
A majority of my Prime Deal purchases have been for my son’s dorm, however; I did manage to snag a few other deals. I love finding good deals on: fashion, food, and travel. I shared in a previous post about how to create a seasonal wardrobe. Being budget savvy allows for one to added needed items to his/her wardrobe. The great part of Amazon Prime Deals is they have early deals, prime days, then lead out deals at the end.
Early Deals
A few days prior to Prime Days, I looked for any early deals that peaked my interest. All of my purchases can be found on my LiketoKnow.It page which is linked on the right hand side of my blog. I was able to get six different pairs of earrings for $11! Other early purchases were: a lounge set (which is on greater sale today for the Prime Day Deals), a shirt, a beautiful 5×7 rug, and a twin sheet set. The last two items are for my son’s dorm room. You can check out the cute lounge set, here.
These six pairs of earrings were purchased for $11. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commission from any viable links. Prime Day Deals
This year, Prime Day Deals are July 16 – 17, 2024. For the first Prime Day Deals, I ordered large moving bags. For today’s deals, I ordered: a shower caddy, bath mats, mattress topper, a rolling laundry hamper, hangers, and some under eye concealer for myself!
These moving bags are a best seller! *As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commission on any viable links. Sale Tracking Features
I enjoy the format of amazon.com and how I can click on the “Prime Deal” link and be taken right to all available deals. Another tracking feature is like items are grouped together on Amazon’s home page.
Setting filters such as: price point, how big of a discount desired, and customer reviews help ensure you find the deals you are looking for.
While this has been my most intensive Amazon Prime Deals Days sale, it will not be my last. I look forward to the lead out sales that close Prime days!
Access my Greece Itinerary + What I would change about my trip
An overseas trip for my family is a big deal. We do not have these opportunities often so planning out a detailed trip ensures that we make the most of a trip of a lifetime. We recently went on the trip of a lifetime to Greece. Here I will give you access to my Greece Itinerary along with what I would change about my trip.
3 Days and 3 Nights in Santorini
My family and I spent 3 nights and 3 days in Santorini which is a part of the Kiklahdes islands of Greece. We stayed in the Exo Gonia area, centrally located in Santorini. Over the course of 3 days we explored the southern and northern portions of the island. The island is only three miles wide and a total of 10 miles long. When deciding which locations of Greece to visit, I loved gleaning information from Amanda Monique Brown and her Instagram and blog posts.
The architecture of Santorini and food were amazing. Spending time exploring various villages such as Emperio and Megalochori were lovely to stroll around. Fira, Imergovoli, and Oia were beautiful as well; however, crowds in Oia were not enjoyable.
On our second night in Santorini, we ate at Metaxi Mas in Exo Gonia and it was an amazing dinner experience. The environment and vibe of the place was welcoming and relaxed. The restaurant is tucked away down a street that is behind a church. Without the sign at the main road you would not know it exists but it is a delightful experience. One aspect of Greek culture I loved was every evening meal was meant to be enjoyed late at night with no rush. Our dinner reservations were not until 9:30 p.m. The restaurant provided complementary aperitifs and appetizers as well as dessert to close out the meal. When discussing our trip, the whole family remembers this evening fondly.
Skaros Rock and Imerovigli, Santorini 3 Days and 2 Nights in Milos
Milos was amazing! I wish we would have stayed longer in Milos. It is such a wonderful island. While it is larger than Santorini, it very much has a small town feel with buses taking you to many locations for only 2 euros per person.
We entered the port town of Adamas in the evening after taking a ferry over from Santorini. The ferry ride was around three hours long. We were able to walk from the port to our accommodations, The White Suites of Milos. After settling in, we strolled down to the waterfront and ate at Gyros of Milos. It was such a wonderful outdoor eating experience.
For our only full day in Milos, we rented a semi-private sailboat excursion with Polco Sailing. Hands down, this experience was the highlight of our entire trip. We left port at 9:00 a.m. and did not return until after 7:00 p.m. While aboard, we were fed breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. Our excursion stopped at four different locations allowing for us to swim, snorkle, paddle board, and explore – a pirates cove was included! Kleftiko beach and the Blue Lagoon were our favorite stops. While sailing we passed the colorful fishing village of Klima.
The evening after our sailing excursion, we ate at Mikros Apoplous. This was a fantastic restaurant that I wish we would have been more alert to enjoy. A day at sea drained us but the seaside setting of this restaurant was gorgeous. The service was amazing and the food delicious with complimentary lemon souffle`s at the end.
The gorgeous waters of Milos, Greece. On our last day in Milos, we took a bus to Sarikiniko Beach which is known as the “moon beach” because of the white rock that covers the entire area. This beach was unlike any other beach I have ever visited. It was stunning! Buses run multiple times a day to Sarikiniko, just make certain you pay attention to the last bus leaving the beach.
1 Day and 2 Nights in Athens
My family flew in and out of Athens. Based on a friend’s recommendation, we checked out Athens at the end of our trip. While the history is amazing, my family and I greatly enjoyed the islands moreso than the city of Athens. Multiple outlets shared that Athens would not be worth more than a full day’s visit.
Athens is a large city and there are very pretty portions of the city. There are other areas that look pretty run down. My overall complaint was the heat. It was not enjoyable to walk around in 94 degree heat.
My son and I did check out the magnificent Acropolis and its lovely history and architecture. We arrived just before 9:00 a.m. and the crowds were already heavy. I would recommend booking a ticket time for 8:00 a.m. at its opening in order to hopefully have smaller crowds.
After touring the Acropolis, we met up with the rest of my family and ate lunch in the Plaka neighborhood then toured the National Archeological Museum of Athens. Plaka is a beautiful neighborhood and I would have liked to explore it a little more.
For our last evening in Greece, we were very chill. We ended up walking to a restaurant that was just a few blocks away from our hotel. We stayed at the Delice Hotel in Athens. Our last meal in Greece was an authentic, local fare filled with gyros and kebabs. The name of the restaurant was in Greek but translated it means, “Olive & Bread”. After dinner we strolled to a nearby grocery store to load up on new snacks to take on our journey home as well as stopped by a local bakery, International Classic Patisserie, to get some sweet treats.
One of many artifacts on display at the National Archeological Museum in Athens. What I Would Change…
Transportation – make sure you know everything there is to know about your mode of transportation between destinations. In hindsight, I would not have waited at the airport seven more hours for a quick flight to Santorini. I would have booked the six hour ferry and we would have been moving in the direction of our destination instead of waiting in an airport terminal (which was delayed by an hour due to plane technical difficulties).
The metro was the cheapest and easiest way to navigate Athens but it was extremely difficult to locate the actual entrance to the metro. I would make sure I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt where the Metro was located before heading out to catch a ride.
Lastly, I would have changed the order of days at our destinations. Instead of staying in Santorini for 3 days and 3 nights, I would have stayed there 2 nights and 2 days. This change would have allowed us to stay in Milos for 3 nights and 4 days. Milos was absolutely stunning and we didn’t even get to explore all of the island. Milos is much less crowded than Santorini and it had many more beach options to visit.
Creating an itinerary gives a little guidance as to what sites and excursions are available at a destination. Planning my own travel ititnerary is one of my favorite things to do. I share some of my tips for itinerary planning, here. I would love for you to check it out! Please take and use this blog post as a help to you when planning your own Greece trip!
