As summer's relaxed days fade, the school routine takes center stage. While some may long for structure, others might be reluctant to bid farewell to those carefree summer moments. Amidst this shift, I've found myself pondering ways to make the transition smoother for everyone involved.

So, call it what you want – “soft girl summer”, intentional summer, a summer slowdown… in this post I want to share 25 simple activities that you can do to slow down this summer, be present with your kids, and squeeze as much joy out of this season as you do those lemons in your fresh lemonade.

Not only had I not read the book, but I had also never even heard of hygge. I’m sure my expression was one of complete confusion as I turned to her and said “What in the world is hygge?!” Being the researcher that I am, I immediately checked out every hygge book I could find at the library. I loved the concept so much that I slowly started incorporating more and more hygge into my family’s everyday lives. It didn’t take long before my kids started requesting hygge (sitting by the fire each evening with dimmed lights, soft music, and board games) and it has now become a Hackney family evening routine.

However, now that I’m a mother, the mere idea of orchestrating a Christmas Eve dinner for 30 people, refereeing board games between siblings, and trying to put cranky but excited children to bed at midnight only to be woken up at 5:00am to open gifts that “Santa” had left leaves me stressed out and exhausted.

Autumn can be a busy season. If we’re not careful, we can completely skip over fall in all our busyness. However, autumn is such a beautiful season in and of itself; worthy of slowing down and savoring the experiences that it has to offer.