We're only two weeks into the kids' summer vacation, and I'm having a bit of a hard time keeping up the positive attitude I promised myself I'd have. Honestly, I know that I'm very fortunate to be able to be at home with my kids. That flexibility is amazing. When I was working full time, I was so envious of the moms who were able to take their kids to the pool, do crafts with them and just hang out together.

The truth is, I just don't feel like I have the energy to keep up with them. I've definitely lost my mamavation, and I'm not in the physical shape I'd like to be. The goal was to work on eating healthy and feeling my best so that I could give them my best this summer. Big fail, which leads to big guilt, which leads to low motivation, and the cycle starts all over again.

I refuse to become a victim of that vicious cycle. My kids are all going through various phases right now. My oldest son, who's 11, has hit the pre-teen sassy stage. My 9-year old daughter is moody as can be, and my little boy has hit the terrible twos. Three awkward phases combined with one tired mama is not a good mix.

Do I have a game plan for this? Um, no. Not really. But I will try my damndest to come up with one. I will take my babysteps toward eating better. I'll get the work done that I can and try not to stress out about what I can't do. My intention is to get up a bit early in order to get some writing done and have some time to myself. I'll ask the kids to help watch their brother in the morning while I work some more, and then we WILL all do something together in the afternoon. I will not beat myself up if we don't make it to the pool. Quite frankly, running after three busy kids out in the open, in the heat, near deep water is a bit overwhelming, but we will do some kind of activity together. My hope is that this plan will lead to the balance I'm craving and result in everyone being satisfied.

Plus, if we run around in the afternoon doing some kind of fun activity together, it's likely to end in moments like this:

And then we'll all feel better!

How do you handle summer stress, and do you have any suggestions for me? Thanks in advance!