Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer

The following is a personally tailored list of Miss Marina Star's Top 10 Summer Don'ts. Meaning that, if you're not controlling and crazy like me, you probably don't need to follow any of my advice. You're most likely already well on your way to having a kick ass summer!

1. Don't neglect sunscreen. The fact that your husband has dubbed you "the whitest Mexican he's ever met" isn't actually a good reason to neglect your skin protection. Use sunscreen, even if you aren't planning to be in the sun. As long as you spend enough time out of your pajamas doing something outside of the house, you'll end up with a nice, healthy color.
2. Don't forget what it's like to be off for summer break as a kid. Make sure you plan enough late night, sleepover, junk food filled movie marathons for Asher. He needs to feel like he had a full kid-tastic summer. Try to keep the last few weeks before school starts as open as possible for free play and vegging out in front of one screen or another. Your kids have been great-ish this year so they deserve a few days of brain numbing down time.
3. Don't spend all your time inside, regardless of how hot it is. Seriously, there is a reason you have more pairs of winter pajamas. Winter is the season for lazy days and Phineas and Ferb marathons. Summer days are for exploring outside your comfort zone. Make some memories that include pictures of you actually wearing a bra!
4. Don't shy away from adventure. You live in a part of America that has a seemingly endless supply of kid centered activities. From public splash pads, to museums, to free kids summer movies at the Alamo. You should be able to find something new to try at least once a week. Asher will probably protest the most initially, but just take a Xanax, pack some snacks, and hopefully by the end of the summer he'll start looking forward to having new adventures and trying new things. If not, don't worry, you've been saving for his therapy since his birth...he'll work through it.
5. Don't obsess about your bathing suit body. What fun is summer without a little indulgence. Go ahead and have that ice cream, whenever you feel like it, every day if you want. Chasing the ice cream man down the street constitutes some form of exercise so feel free to get two if you are having trouble making a choice.
6. Don't neglect yourself. You deserve a few pedicures this summer...as well as a wax or two. Take a few afternoons this summer (especially before the big beach trips) and indulge at the spa. You totally deserve to have adorable pink toenails and the absence of shaving bumps.
7. Don't hesitate to buy and read all your guilty pleasure magazines. Let's be honest, you love People and US Weekly and just about anything that has a little trash talking celebrity gossip. Just buy the magazines already and enjoy your time in the sun, by the pool, at the beach, or just drinking beer in the living room. Get your fill of trash so you can be ready to finish your NPR reading list by year's end.
8. Don't fail to plan that girls trip to Mexico. You and Kathryn Nash of Mixed Handbag fame actually do deserve (and desperately need) a girl's only weekend getaway. Just plan it and buy your tickets already. DO IT...NOW!
9. Don't start smoking again! I'm not saying you can't indulge a bit (on occasion when the kids aren't looking) but absolutely no more of last summer's "now I'm totally re-hooked and must start smoking to maintain my sanity" nonsense.
10. Don't Stop Believing! Sorry, but ten was just too many for me to think of!

So there you have it, ten foolproof ways to have fun this summer if you're crazy like a fox me. 

Written in response to a prompt from Mama Kat's.
#5. Your top 10 Summer Don'ts.