Staying Mindful as a Mom This Summer: My Go-To Tools and Routines

Kim DeMoss
2 days ago
3 min read

Mother and daughter sitting cross legged on a couch

Summer break sounds dreamy… until you’re a few days in and already overwhelmed by the lack of structure, screen time battles, and sticky popsicle fingers. I’ve been there (and may or may not be there currently!) This year though, I made a conscious decision to approach summer differently. I wanted to feel present, not just survive it. I didn’t want to lose myself in the chaos—I wanted to create a rhythm that felt nourishing for me and my kids.

Enter: our Morning Menu.

What Is a Morning Menu? It’s a simple PDF tool I created to bring mindfulness, choice, and ease to our mornings.

What's included?

Morning Checklist: A simple step-by-step guide for starting the day independently
What's for Breakfast Menu: (easy breakfast ideas they can choose from)
Morning Reflections: To help set an intention for the day and check in with yourself.
Gratitude Journal: Daily prompts to foster self-awareness, emotional growth, and intention
Mood + Music: Helps kids explore emotions through playlists and creative doodles
I'm Bored...Now What?? 60 creative, calming, and energizing ideas to refocus and reset
Mindful Minute: Breathing and yoga practices to reset energy and emotions
Alphabet + Number Tracing: Bonus handwriting practice for early learners
Hot & Cold Feelings Map – Emotional literacy tool to explore self-regulation strategies

This little menu gives our mornings a sense of flow—without feeling rigid or overly scheduled. The kids love the sense of ownership, and I love the calmer start to our day.

I pair the Morning Menu with a few other practices that really help set the tone for our days and stay mindful this summer:

Tech-free mornings (for everyone—yes, even me)
A grounding breath practice before reacting (never underestimate the power behind 1 deep breath)
Saying yes to one spontaneous joy moment each day (water balloons, dance parties, late-night walks)

I’ve realized that mindfulness in motherhood isn’t about always being calm or getting it right. It’s about pausing long enough to choose how you want to respond, to really see your kids, and to enjoy the fleeting moments that matter.

How I Use the Morning Menu with Different Ages

One of the things I love most about the Morning Menu is how flexible it is—especially in a house like mine, where I’ve got both a kindergartener and high schoolers. Naturally, their needs, interests, and energy levels are totally different, so I’ve found ways to mix and match pages to keep it relevant for everyone.

For my younger one, I rotate the alphabet and number tracing sheets each night so that she's getting daily handwriting and number practice without it feeling like “schoolwork.” It’s a simple way to keep her engaged and help prevent that dreaded summer slide before kindergarten.

gratitude journal fill in the blank page

For my older kids, we skip the tracing pages and lean more into the gratitude journal, mood and music check-in, and the “I’m Bored… Now What?” activity board. These give them just enough structure to feel grounded, while still allowing space for independence and choice.

Simple Setup That Makes It Stick

To keep things easy and low-maintenance, I ordered a set of clear menu folders from Amazon—the kind restaurants use for menus—and slid our Morning Menu pages inside. It instantly turned them into reusable dry-erase boards the kids can interact with every day.

We use dry erase markers to fill out the gratitude journal, daily reflections, mood check-ins, and even the handwriting practice pages. At night, I quickly wipe them clean and swap out the tracing pages for my youngest so she keeps practicing those kindergarten skills without it feeling like homework.