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Aside from the holiday season, summer can feel like the only time in a year to connect with your extended family and friends. But scheduling time to visit everyone is nearly impossible. Especially if long distance travel is required, and time off from work. Soon, you might schedule away your free-time and forfeit your no-plan summer.

So how do you make meaningful connections with your loved ones AND keep your commitment to an unhurried summer?

Create a family blog. A blog provides a place online where your family and friends go to see photos of your activities, watch your home movies, and read updates about you and your children.

Blog in 2 easy steps

Blogging is easy with a cool new tool called Posterous. All you do is send an email from your regular email account to post@posterous.com. Attach video, photo albums, links, audio recordings, you name it. You’ll get an email back with a link to your blog. No account set-up. No template management (unless you want to check out their advanced settings). You can do it from your computer or your smart phone.

To involve your loved ones, add their email addresses to your Posterous page. They’ll receive notice when there’s new stuff to see on your blog. Then they can comment for a nice back-and-forth. And Posterous makes it simple for them to download your files for their use. This is handy if you have a mom like mine who likes to print out family photos for her bulletin board. Features like these help unite your family in minutes by giving out-of-towners the opportunity to share in your life as you go.

For a more involved blogging experience, try the group setting on Posterous. It allows you to designate multiple contributors. So your aunt can post. Your brother. Anyone you wish. That way, if you decide to miss a barbecue or anniversary party your family can email in photos and video from the event to share with you.

And if you’re online with Twitter and Facebook, you can tie your Posterous page to those accounts and update them all at the same time. It’s a fast way to stay engaged with your larger network, even as you take more time for yourself.

Of course, there are some extended family events that are important and fun, and blogging is not a substitute. But as you work to plan your summer with care, having a blog will help you feel connected while empowering you to protect your free time. All this and at the end of the summer you can look back at the record of what you did. Kind of like a virtual scrapbook.

To get a feel for Posterous check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6iYxbcGqNo

What do you think? Is Posterous something you’ll try? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the Comments section below.

Britt is the editor of The Grove School website. She's got 15 years of writing and editing experience, a 6 year old daughter, a garden and a healthy obsession with all things green.

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Earlier this week, I wrote about having a no-plan summer. Perhaps that appeals to your family but it isn’t practical. Like if both parents work. Then you have to find something for your child to do during the week. Still, the larger message applies: You can be deliberate about your summer experience, and you will be happier for it.

How do busy families plan a summer with care? Here are two suggestions:

1. Get the whole family on board

Brainstorming together

Have a family meeting where you invite your family to commit to a more laid-back summer. Tell them what they’ll gain: More quality time with Mom and Dad, less time in the car running errands, a chance to play with neighborhood friends. Describe it like a dream that’s achievable. But be upfront with the fact that everyone will have to sacrifice some activities to make it happen. Then vote.

If everyone’s on board, ask them to list all of the things they want to do this summer. Make sure that they know to include simple things too, like reading in the hammock, making homemade ice cream or riding bikes. If the final list is super long, explain that that is the very reason why summer can feel hectic. The goal is to have a manageable list. Ask everyone to pick their top activities. If prioritizing a list seems hard for your child (or for you), consider that this exercise will set an important example for her about how to plan a balanced life.

Another way to get the family on board is to pick a day of the week where your family will have no plan. Every Sunday, for example. Give it a playful name, like Family Fun Day.

Ice cream on Family Fun Day

2. Decide to say no

If step one feels impossible then it’s time to put on your hard hat and decide to say no to one or more fun activities this summer. This is hard. Especially when it feels like you are declining enriching activities, like dance lessons.

In that situation, ask yourself, did my child list this activity as one of her top things to do this summer? If yes, then let something else fall off the schedule to make room for it. Be sure to include the time it takes to drive to and from the lesson when you schedule it in.

If your child did not list dance, then look at why you or your partner is pushing it. If it’s because you genuinely want your child to be enriched, then consider that unstructured time is improving her too. It allows for unexpected learning opportunities, like witnessing the full growth cycle of a bean spout, or working to foster collaboration and consensus with her friends to build a fort.

Spontaneous family trip

Still can’t say no? Keep that hard hat on. Remember that there will be many summers to come to be busy. When your child has summer school requirements, or summer training. Now is your chance to take the time to just play with your kids. These summer days are expensive in the sense that you’ll never get them back. Resolve to scratch from the list anything that feels hard to manage or anxious. Remember, you will be happier for it.

What are your ideas for savoring an unhurried summer? Share them in the Comments section below. And check back soon for other summer-related topics throughout May.

Britt is the editor of The Grove School website. She's got 15 years of writing and editing experience, a 6 year old daughter, a garden and a healthy obsession with all things green.

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