It feels like yesterday we were seeing chocolate bunnies and colored eggs, the stores are now stocked with ghosts and skeletons. Summer has melted by so quickly, but there’s still time to celebrate, and you can do it alcohol-free! I’ve come up with six simple ideas!
Throw A Backyard Movie Night
Take advantage of the last warm evenings, while the sun still sets a tad later. Outdoor movie night can be as glamorous or as intimate as you’d like! Offer all the simple staples—popcorn, candy, and drinks! You can get fancy by making pizza and s’mores, but truly some things are best left simple. Be sure to supply light blankets and comfortable seating like lawn chairs, bean bags, or even spread out blankets. Just sit back, relax and enjoy. No alcohol needed, but if you’d like to keep it recovery related, pop-in any of these recovery films.
Take One Last Nature Hike
Get a group together, take your kiddos, or travel the path alone, all that truly matters is you get outside. End your summer by chasing the sunset one last time. Head to the beach, the woods, the river, or right to your backyard, and take it all in! Catch the sunrise or sunset and spend some time remembering what this summer had to offer. Nature walks are the perfect way to reconnect with yourself, and they require zero alcoholic beverages.
Throw a Themed Pool Party
If you have a pool*, throw one last daytime hoorah before we’ve completely said goodbye to the summer days. What’s better than a pool party? A themed pool party! Keep it classic, like a luau, or mix it up and prepare for the fall with a Halloween themed party. (who doesn’t like to wear all black and drink apple-spiced beverages??) The key to throwing a successful sober bash is to replace the cocktails with legit mocktails. Check out our fav mocktails!
*Host a Themed Party
If you don’t have a pool, just throw a fun themed party! A psychic party can be fun any time of the year, yet, chatting with a psychic during the summer, may bring insight on what the rest of the year holds! Perhaps all you need is an intuitive reading to set you on the right path, or even better, reassure you’re headed where you should be. If you’re not a believer in the strange and unusual, a reading will still keep you and your guests amused and involved. No booze needed, whatsoever, the psychic itself is entertainment enough.
Have A Spa Night
While spa parties can include your children, it’s much more fun when it’s adults only. Invite your closest mommy friends over to celebrate the end of the summer and the start of the school year. I mean, somehow we made it! And no one deserves pampering like a mom who spent the summer entertaining babes. Check out Pinterest for DIY spa treatments—no need to get fancy if you don’t want to! It’s not about the nail polish and sugar scrubs, it’s about relaxing, laughing, and taking some time for ourselves. Society often tells us we need wine to treat ourselves, but I promise that’s not true. As mothers, all we need is the support of each other, opportunities to give ourselves credit for all we do, and the ability to let the rest go. So, spoil yourself mama, you deserve it.
Create a Vision Board
The end of the summer is also a great time to re-evaluate where we’re at and how we’ll move forward for the rest of the year. A great way to reflect is to host a vision board party. Have we crushed our goals? Changed our goals? Forgotten our goals? Are there habits we want to change, dreams we’d like to start manifesting? What is our vision for the rest of our year? Vision boards are a fun, easy, and seemingly effective way to create that self-awareness. Grab a group of friends (including the older kiddos if you’d like!) or take the time for yourself and fly solo! All you need are old magazines, tape or glue, pens, and a few pieces of cardstock. The idea of a vision board is exactly as it sounds—a board where you put your visions (aka: hopes, goals, dreams). Never sell yourself short, if your goal seems extreme or impossible, add it anyways. Cut out pictures and words to paint a picture of your vision in a way you can understand—it doesn’t matter what others see. There’s no wrong way to make a vision board, as long as you’re self-reflecting you’re doing it right. And, once again, no mind-altering substances needed.
There you have it, six ways to ring in the end of the summer. Time flies by, so here’s to taking every opportunity to celebrate, either alone or with company, sober.