7 Little Luxuries My Kids and I Are Loving This Summer

Posted by admin on April 09, 2022

Summer days have been a pretty consistent 32 degrees and hot, sticky thunderstorms at night. Also, the restrictions and COVID breakouts are a bit too close for comfort so we have been playing at home more often than not…

The Australian heat can be pretty harsh on our skin, so much so I don’t want to take my girls out until the afternoon if plausible.

There is only so much sunscreen and a hat can block, you know?

Here are 7 fantastic things we’ve been getting up to this summer, with minimal, if any cost or much effort and supply barrels of fun!

We stay cool, stay away from the virus and have fun, win-win

We are loving these little luxurious and hope you can too.

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1. Hammock

At first glance it’s just a hunk of fabric with a metal frame, to my girls it’s anything they feel like! Recently we’ve had a sailboat, hungry caterpillar cocoon and rocket

This little luxury is where I chill and inhale a novel before they wake up, then imagination transforms it

2. Cardboard

We have masses of cardboard we turn into anything and everything, practical and obscure.

For example, my 9-year-old made a real-life detective game with lots of clues a suspect and thief card and everything! It was so much fun and they still dig it out on rainy days. Then there is the practical like using it for a paint tray or separating fridge stuff.

Last week we got this massive box, (after convincing my partner not to cut it up) it became their castle in the lounge room! All I did was wield the hot glue gun, the design was all my two mini architects.

The things you can do with a little cardboard!

3. Fanned Extra Sleep

When we don’t need to go anywhere I try to let them soak up as much sleep as humanly possible, at 9 and 6 they’re said to need 9–11 hours.

We have been using the fans and it really helps balance temperature, (state the obvious Bridie ) we sleep in temperate perfection.

I know this is a silly luxury, however having no air-con (#first-world problems, I know) means you learn to appreciate window airflow and oscillating fan.

4. Garden hose

My sister in law gave us a roll-up slide, we unravel it in the backyard and join up the garden hose. Sometimes we’ll get our togs on and jump on the trampolines with the hose!

We have so so much fun sliding around and staying cool together. Even skipping with the hose when we’ve probably used enough water.

I love water play with my water babes, bonus it totally wears us all out big time, exercise and water play is my favourite little luxury

5. Afternoon stroll/bike ride

It’s been so icky humid and the sun has been harsh lately, so to keep us out of the hottest parts of the day we tend to walk or ride in the afternoon.

We collect fallen flowers in baskets and come home hungry and refreshed for dinner. We also get to say hello to neighbours, which I feel helps us get a little touch of community.

I adore this little luxury and so do my family, even ten minutes round the block is enough to reset and breathe.

6. Birds

I know it’s not great to feed wild birds, I know, but it started by accident when our compost bin got invaded by crows.

We now have regular magpies, rainbow lorikeets and butcher birds who wait by the tree stump for us. The girls and I try to distinguish them and give them names, so we know whos flying by today. Lucas and Juliette are the resident crows!

I figure if we show creatures a little kindness and give a little leftover fruit or meat, it can’t harm too much. Please correct me if I’m wrong

We love chatting to our friendly birds in the backyard and I feel pretty lucky for the luxury of their company.

Photo by Senning Luk on Unsplash

7. Mini Dance Parties

After a sleep in, we might bake pancakes together, which turns into a mini dance party! Sometimes it’ll just be a little Taylor swift pared with cereal, I love twirling around the kitchen with my girls.

I hope when they look back as adults they relish in these memories as I do, if not that’s ok because they happened, they were luxurious moments of bliss I’ll love infinitely.

I’ll store them forever in my heart

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Thank you for reading!

Bridie Dillon, Throwing words into the universe. Lover of Learning.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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