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Summer\u2019s end is drawing near.\u00a0 How are you feeling about that?<\/p>\n
Personally, I always hate to see summer come to an end.\u00a0 I love spending time with the kids and setting our own schedule.\u00a0 But I will admit, lately I have felt spent and under-nurtured.\u00a0 This is probably due to a less-than-optimal diet, lack of regular exercise and later nights.\u00a0 Are you feeling this way too?<\/p>\n
Guess what, if we<\/em> feel strung out at summer\u2019s end our kids<\/em> are probably feeling the same way.\u00a0 The good news is \u2013 we can totally fix it!<\/p>\n Ditch the fast food<\/strong> \u2013 I know, it\u2019s convenient.\u00a0 And who wants to spend precious summer minutes cooking?\u00a0 But eating whole foods is not only healthier, it makes you feel better.\u00a0 Cut up some fruits and veggies and throw them in the fridge for easy access.\u00a0 Buy some healthy grainy bread from your local bakery.\u00a0 Buy a new cookbook filled with healthy, exciting new ideas that make healthy eating seem fun.\u00a0 If you are full of junk, you are going to feel like junk.\u00a0 Full of good stuff = good stuff.<\/p>\n Get your zzz\u2019s<\/strong> \u2013 Sure, a late night here or there is not going to hurt anything.\u00a0 But night after night of burning the midnight oil causes changes that you may not notice at first.\u00a0 If you have been fuzzy-headed, a little more irritable, unable to concentrate or otherwise not yourself, take a look at your sleep habits.\u00a0 Have they changed over summer?\u00a0 Are you clocking less sleep hours<\/a>?\u00a0 Staying up later and sleeping later each morning?\u00a0 It can be difficult to get yourself back on a regular sleep schedule, but diet can play a role in this too.\u00a0 Which leads me to\u2026<\/p>\n Watch the stimulants<\/strong> \u2013 Caffeine and sugar can keep you up at night, even if you consume them earlier in the day.\u00a0 \u201cI can fall asleep just fine no matter how much caffeine I drink!\u201d, you may say.\u00a0 Even so, you may not be getting as deep a sleep or you may be waking up throughout the night.\u00a0 These stimulants also make you feel edgy, another good reason to keep the lid on them.\u00a0 And they are in lots of convenience foods, especially stuff kids like, so a whole foods diet will help you avoid them too.<\/p>\n Organize your stuff<\/strong> \u2013 Those papers and slips and reminders that have come in all summer piling up on your desk?\u00a0 Avoiding that pile like the plague?\u00a0 Attack it, get those items checked off your list and you will feel loads better.\u00a0 I don\u2019t like to be bothered with school type stuff in the summer, but getting your family\u2019s schedule set for the school year makes you, and your kids, feel good.\u00a0 Get those forms signed and turned in, clean up those backpacks now, order new lunch boxes<\/a>, organize week night dinner ideas.<\/p>\n I am a pile maker.\u00a0 If I put stuff away, it does not get done.\u00a0 Out of sight, out of mind.\u00a0 I was recently at a friend\u2019s house who has three kids and<\/em> an immaculate home.\u00a0 When I left I wondered:\u00a0 Where are her piles?\u00a0 So I asked her and she replied \u201cMy what?!\u201d .\u00a0 You know, I said, those endless pieces of paper that come in the door, things you need to fill out, order, do\u2026\u00a0 \u201cOh!\u201d, she said, \u201cjust do them right when they come in the door\u201d.\u00a0 Novel idea.\u00a0 I immediately committed to trying it, and then immediately saw myself not succeeding at it.\u00a0 I am a pile maker.\u00a0 So, I went out and bought myself a pretty new tray for my pile.\u00a0 Now I feel better and it is a lot more appealing to \u201cdo\u201d the pile if it looks organized and not like a giant mess.<\/p>\n Treat yourself<\/strong> \u2013 School may be just around the corner, but that doesn\u2019t mean summer has to be over.\u00a0 Go to the pool, your favorite fishing hole, the mall, for a walk in the park\u2026whatever summer activities you love best, make a little extra time to do them.\u00a0 A nap on the patio works here to, or just spending a little more uninterrupted time with your kids before the days of homework and afterschool activities.<\/p>\n How do you prepare for the school year?\u00a0 Share your tips\u2026<\/p>\n [Image by – 7 at Flicker.com, Creative Commons license]<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"