Back-to-school season isn’t just for children. It’s a time when people return from vacation, activities on military installations start back up, and schedules start to take on more structure after the laid-back days of summer. Here are five activities to bring fun and focus into this time of year.
- Buy something to freshen your wardrobe. One of the things I loved about going back to school was buying new clothes. Unfortunately as adults, we don’t need full wardrobes every year. But, we can take advantage of this season’s sales to pick out at least one item that we can be excited about. Maybe it’s an inexpensive trendy piece, or a wardrobe basic that we’ve been missing. I like to use Pinterest to help me identify what’s next on my must-buy list. I scroll through my board to see what one thing could help me complete many of the looks that have caught my eye.
- Organize a get-together. Back-to-school is a great time to organize an adults-only get-together. Everybody is back in town and the children are in school. The year I sent my daughter to school for the first time, a neighbor happened to invite everyone over for a first-day-of-school brunch. We all provided a dish to share. It was great to reconnect with everyone again and meet the new neighbors without distractions. And, if I was a little bit sad to see my baby go, I didn’t even notice because I was too busy chatting. This year, I’m fresh off of a PCS so I’m excited to meet up with people I already know in the area and meet new friends. Starting a book club is a great way to do that. That gives everyone something in common to talk about so it takes a little bit of the “I’m new” social pressure off, people can bring friends so everyone can expand their circles, and it’s a routine meeting so you see each other repeatedly, getting to know each other better and perhaps scheduling other activities with people you especially like.
- Change up your workout. A friend made me laugh this week. She finally lives in a place where there’s childcare at her gym, but on the first day of her membership, she went for a run in the heat with her jogging stroller. Old habits die hard! Depending on where you live, when the mornings and evenings start to cool off a bit, you might feel more inclined to run outside. I’m looking forward to not inhaling bugs. Or, if you find yourself without children during the day, you might check out an organized workout at a gym, box, or studio. Now is a great time to get into a routine after summer and create good habits that will sustain you during the holiday season.
- Take advantage of summer produce. Fresh fruits and veggies are still really nice right now, so continue to take advantage of the farmers’ markets or even get some friends together to go pick your own. If you’re lucky, and you live in an area with abundant, inexpensive produce, you might even consider learning how to can, so you continue to enjoy summer’s bounty throughout the year. When we lived in Germany, we rented a house that had lots of fruit trees. We took our apples into a local processor to make juice, and we made our own jams and fruit sauces. We really enjoyed knowing where our food came from and controlling what went into it.
- Learn something new. Learning isn’t just for children, but they have the advantage of having dedicated time to put into it. We have to do some prioritizing and planning if we want to learn something. Take a moment to write down a few things that you’ve been wanting to do. Maybe it’s learning how to use the manual settings on your camera or taking a language class. Then choose the most exciting option. Now research what it would take to get started. And go! You’ll be surprised at how things start moving along once you’ve set your intention.
What are your favorite things to do during the back-to-school season? Share your ideas in the comments below.
{Compensation for this post was provided by Operation In Touch via MSB New Media. Operation In Touch offers special savings, coupons, recipes, beauty tips, and editorial content tailored to the lives of active military families. Check out their website or find them on Facebook and Pinterest. Opinions expressed in this piece are my own.}
