Barely Keeping It Together: A Florida Mom’s Summer Playbook for Wild Kids & Hot Days

Hey friend — if you’re anything like me, you’re staring down summer break with a mix of excitement and sheer panic.The school year’s over, the Florida heat is already offensive by 10AM, and your kids are about five seconds away from dismantling your living room or begging for a screen.

But here’s the thing: you don’t have to be a Pinterest mom.You don’t need a color-coded activity board, a fully prepped sensory table, or daily homemade popsicles (unless you’re into that, and if so… I love you, but this post probably isn’t for you).

You just need a loose plan, a few good ideas, and other moms to sweat and survive alongside you. So that’s what we’re building this summer.

This is for the moms with one or more little wildlings who love to create, build, jump, climb, splash, and cover themselves in questionable amounts of dirt and marker.

The ones who call a mid-week splash pad trip “homeschool” and consider popsicles a food group. The ones who want to help their kids learn some life skills (how to fold a towel, maybe crack an egg, or make a sandwich) without turning it into a lesson plan.

The ones who want real community. Not just playdates you have to put on pants for — but a solid group of women you can text “wanna hit the park at 9 before it feels like the surface of the sun?” and have them actually show up.

The Reality of a Florida Summer

Let’s just be honest:🌡️ It’s hot as hell by 11AM.🌊 Water activities are a must.📱 Screen-free afternoons feel impossible without a plan.🍉 Snack bins get raided hourly.

So here’s how we’re rolling:

Our Summer Flow

☀️ Mornings = Outside Adventures

Get out early before the heat smacks you in the face. Parks, splash pads, nature trails, local playground meetups.

Spots we love:

• Bonnet Springs Park (early mornings are magic here)

• Local splash pads (drop a few recs in the group text)

• Children’s museums for those “feels like 105°” days

• Places we wanna hit this summer:

  • Legoland (group trip anyone?)

  • MOSI (hello, indoor air conditioning and science stuff)

  • Free/low-cost nature centers and community events

🌿 Afternoons = Screen-Free Quiet Play

Once everyone’s sweaty, sticky, and cranky, it’s home for quiet time. But because we know naps are optional at best — we’re lining up screen-free options like:

• Craft bins

• LEGO building challenges

• Audiobooks + drawing

• Blanket forts

• Simple life skills: folding laundry, making their own snack plates, helping prep easy dinners

Not perfect. Just enough.

🎨 Weekly + Monthly Meetups

I’ll be planning a handful of activities for my crew this summer — and you’re invited.No pressure, no RSVPs, just “hey, we’re gonna be at this place at this time — come if you can.”

I’ll drop them on a community calendar so you can join when it works for you. Think:

• Splash pad mornings

• Park playdates

• Free museum days

• Popsicle picnics

• Crafty afternoons under a tree
  

Bonus idea: A monthly mom hang. No kids. Drinks. Adult conversation. (Can I get an amen?)

Want In?

If this sounds like your speed — no strict schedules, just community and a loose plan to make it through summer without losing our sanity — let’s do this together.

Drop your email here (or hit me up in the DMs/text chain) and I’ll send you the community summer calendar and updates as we go.

Because good enough is good enough.And together is always better.

Final Thought: No One’s Doing It Perfectly

We’re all winging it, friend. And that’s more than okay.