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The (Not So) Wild Summer is a 12-week limited series podcast for Christian moms who are done simply surviving summer break and are ready to actually enjoy it — shenanigans and all.
The Not So Wild Summer is a 12-week limited series podcast for Christian moms who are done simply surviving summer break and are ready to actually enjoy it — shenanigans and all.
If you are craving an intentional summer routine but feel overwhelmed by the chaos — you just found your tribe! Host Latasha Kennedy — wife, mom of two, business strategist, and multifaceted entrepreneur — knows firsthand what it's like to juggle it all. She's been there: staring into an empty refrigerator at noon, negotiating with kids who suddenly forgot how to read, and trying to hold onto a vision of a summer that feels fun, enjoyable, and dare we say — peaceful.
Think less rigid lecture and more like a text message from your smartest girlfriend who has actually been in the trenches.
What We're Covering This Summer:
Every Tuesday from June through August, Latasha drops a quick 15-minute episode packed with honest, faith-rooted, and highly practical conversation. We are diving into the exact mom life hacks and family systems you need to thrive:
*Summer Routines & Kids' Schedules — How to build a flexible daily rhythm that keeps the peace without killing the fun.
*Mom Self-Care & Sanity — Reclaiming your time, managing burnout, and avoiding the trap of losing yourself in motherhood.
*Family Rhythms & Faith — Practical ways to integrate intentional parenting and faith into your everyday summer chaos.
*Sleep Schedules & Screen Time — Navigating the shifting rules of summer without losing control of the household.
*Back-to-School Transitions — Prepping your mind, home, and kids for a smooth shift back into the school year.
And so much more packed into 12 episodes. 15 minutes. The whole summer winning against these kids' shenanigans — together!
New episodes drop every Tuesday starting June 16th. Hit Follow right now so you never miss a single drop!
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Resources Mentioned
The Good Summer Guide (South Florida & Activities for Anywhere Editions) - https://girlfriendsthriving.com/summer
Connect With Latasha
Website: https://girlfriendsthriving.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/girlfriendsthriving
Share your takeaways and tag us. We love to hear from you!
Listen & Subscribe
New episodes every Tuesday. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
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The (Not So) Wild Summer is a production of the Girlfriends Thriving Network.
Latasha (00:04.91)
Hey sis, welcome to the Not So Wild Summer. I'm Natasha Kennedy and like you, I want this summer to feel good from the inside out. This is where we do summer together, practically, honestly, and with God at the center. So grab a snack and let's get into it.
Latasha (00:27.136)
It's the last week of school. The backpacks are getting lighter. The homework has stopped. And everybody in your house is excited. And honestly, you might be too. Because listen, the drop offs, the pickups, the 57 mandatory assemblies that somehow all landed in May, they wore us out. The kids are tired. The teachers are tired. As this, we are tired.
We're ready to get off this train. But then it hits you because the way these kids eat, we are about to become full time short order cooks. And the loud noises are coming, the refereeing is coming, the sha shenanigans are definitely coming and likely have already started. And if you're honest, you've been down this road before. You've
survived the summer, maybe even several, but you've also ended up on the other side of August feeling like you just ran a marathon you didn't train for and you're exhausted and you're depleted and wondering where the time went. You want the summer to be different. And I want that for you too, sis. I'm so glad you're here because I'm gonna give you a few practical action steps to help you position this summer to be in everyone's best interest, including yours, right out the gate.
Okay, so let's just get started. Action step number one is to define your summer vision. So, first things first, before we talk about schedules, activities, or any of that, I need you to answer one question. What do you actually want this summer to feel like? Not like on Instagram, okay? Not what your neighbor is doing or what the group chat is planning, okay?
But what do you want it to feel like inside your own house with your own family in your own life? Write it down. There's a scripture in Habakkuk 2.2 and it says write the vision and make it plain. And that doesn't just apply to the big dreams. It applies to your summer too. You're allowed to have a vision for this season. So write it down. And I really want you to think about what you see when you imagine this summer, what you feel.
Latasha (02:47.054)
When you imagine the summer? What do you desire most for these months when you really sit and think about it? So when you do this activity, you can do it one of two ways. You can write down one sentence per question. Truthfully, one sentence is really all you need. But if you want to paint a fuller picture, if you want to write a whole paragraph about what you're dreaming this season looks like, do that too. Either way, this becomes the vision that anchors your creativity.
Your planning, your resources, and your time. This is what you hold on to and keep coming back to over the next 12 weeks when things get a little loud or a little bit more chaotic and you need to remember why you started. And here's why this matters so much, sis. We don't have to let life just happen to us. Okay. We get to design it. We get to align our days with a vision that's connected to the things that bring us and our families genuine joy. God has given us this time.
These resources and these folks, these beloved people that we call family. And we get to be intentional about how we use all three. So before summer officially starts, write down your vision. One sentence or one paragraph, just out of the way, write it down. Okay. Action step number two. Set your three non-negotiables. Okay, so this is one of my favorites, all right?
So now that you have your vision, let's talk about what's going to anchor in the week. Not a full schedule, not a color coded calendar, just three things. Three non-negotiables that show up every single week and make the season feel intentional. Here's what I want you to think about as you're deciding what those three things are. Our kids love making memories with us, okay?
I think we sometimes forget that. We get so focused on keeping them entertained and occupied that we forget they actually want they actually want us in the mix too. They actually want us in the mix too. And summer is one of the rare seasons where we have more space for that. The rehearsals and practices and school night routines are either paused or reduced and that creates room
Latasha (05:08.994)
For something really special if we're intentional about filling the time. So maybe one of your three non-negotiables is a weekly family dinner night where the youngest member of the family picks the restaurant or the menu. Maybe it's a slow morning, a quiet time where everyone rises gradually and you ease into the day together before the chaos kicks in. Or maybe it's a weekly family outing.
Something new, something local, something everyone can look forward to. For me, back when my boys were little, one of our non-negotiables was working out together in the morning before the day got started. And I use the term quote unquote working out together very loosely because what it actually looked like was me using my little guy as a dumbbell while he laughs hysterically. And I mean the whole body laugh, okay?
Not like just a chuckle, like from the depths of his belly just cracking up. And then his older brother standing next to me while I'm working out, acting as my very serious personal trainer. Okay, so I got a little bit of work here, but most of it was just, you know, us being silly. But it is what it is and it goes down as a memory. Other times it was strapping the baby to me, you know, and heading out for a walk.
Through our neighborhood in Brooklyn with Elijah by my side. No screens, no agenda, just us moving through the neighborhood, bonding, breathing in fresh air and starting a day connected. Sometimes we stop and get popsicles. You know, that's one of the things I really loved about Brooklyn. There's ice cream trucks everywhere, you know, parks that had splash pads, you know, the
playgrounds that also has splash pads and like kids playing basketball or football or whatever. So we just spend that time together, just exploring and creating our own little adventure together. And those are the memories my boys still talk about. And they didn't cost me anything. It just cost me my time, you know? So they just cost me my time and required intention, you know? So take some time this week and think about what your three things could be.
Latasha (07:28.49)
What would make this season feel like yours? Predictable, joyful, and something your whole family actually looks forward to. What would make this season feel like yours in a predictable and joyful way and something your whole family actually looks forward to? Action step number three, have the family meeting. Okay, this is the last one, and this one is so good. Okay? Before day one of summer officially arrives.
Gather everybody together and talk about what this summer is gonna look like as a family. And I'm just gonna say right now, don't get frustrated, don't quit if your kids struggle through family meetings. Okay. Myself and my husband, we definitely struggle sometime through family meetings because somebody says something crazy off the wall, something the other three could not imagine that they would say.
And then there's a sad conversation because of that. Before you know, we're like, wait, we're not talking about what we need to be talking about. So and we just circle back to the point. So mom, just focus and just go with the flow. Don't get frustrated or, you know, just lean in and and keep the goal top of mind. Okay. But during the conversation, I want you to ask each kid what they're most looking forward to.
Is there something they've heard about that's happening in your area that they love to check out? Are there any friends they want to see? Any experiences they've been dreaming about? Just let them talk, you know, let them share and let them feel like their voice matters in the plan because it does. Here's what I know to be true. Kids who feel included in the plan cooperate with the plan. When they had a seat at the table and building the summer, they're far less likely.
To fight the structure because they helped create it. That buy-in is everything. Now, another fair warning, you will probably hear some wild ideas in this meeting. Somebody is gonna propose something that is absolutely not happening and you are going to have to keep a stray face. But that's okay, sis. You yes, you're built for this moment. You take what you can use and you lovingly leave the rest. Okay.
Latasha (09:52.622)
So before we get to your action step today, I want to share something with you because this episode isn't just about logistics. It's about a shift in how we approach the whole season. I used to last summer just happen to me. Every single year, no vision, no non-negotiables, no family meeting. I'd wake up on the first day of summer. It's about a shift in how we approach the whole season. So when my kids were younger, you know, there were just some times when I just didn't have a plan.
And the times when I didn't have a plan, it always backfired. If you don't have an intention behind it, things just the days pass you by, you know, there's no intentional memories made. Your kids are always complaining about their bored. And so I just really got to a point where me and my husband decided, you know, we wanted summer to feel as special as any other time in our life. And so when we really embraced the fact that we get to choose
That really changed the game for us. And creating a purposeful, joyful, memorable summer doesn't always have to be about the money, right? It's not for us, it wasn't always based on whether or not we were gonna spend money or we had money to spend because we just we didn't always have money to spend. But what you wanna do is you wanna start with the vision. And if you start with your vision, you can always fill in the details.
or move things around or decide, is there more luxurious option? Is there a more budget friendly option? You know, whatever rocks your boat, whatever world you're in right now, where if you're feeling budget friendly, if you're feeling like you want top of the line, it's all good. You get to choose, right? You get to even mix it up a little bit for sure. Right. But based on like the vision, based on what brings your family joy and
sort of like the image, but this summer should be based on what brings your family joy. It should be based on what God has placed in your heart for this season. That's the not so wild summer. It's intentional, it's joyful, and it's yours. So here's what I need you to do before this week is over. These are your takeaway and action steps, okay? Three things. One, write down your one sentence
Latasha (12:17.678)
summer vision or your one paragraph. Decide your three non-negotiables and schedule your family meeting before summer officially begins. If you're hearing this and summer has already begun, don't worry, girl. Just start following these steps right now and put your summer on a track to be not so wild. Okay? So that's it. Three things, do these three things and you will walk into summer
already ahead of the game. So that's your first building block. And you are already doing something most moms won't do, which is you're being intentional before the chaos starts. And that matters more than you know. So I'm really proud of you. Next Tuesday we're going to dive into a whole nother topic and it's going to be centered around the bedtime situation because those late summer sunsets are coming for your entire routine and we need to get ahead of it before it becomes a whole thing.
So trust me, you don't want to miss that one. I'll see you next Tuesday. All right, friend, that is a wrap on today's episode. If this conversation gave you exactly what you needed today, you know the drill. Make sure you are officially following the show so you never miss a beat. Share this episode with a girlfriend and drop us a review. It truly helps other moms who are standing in the midst of the chaos.
Asking how sway? Find the practical tools that you need to get these kids all the way together this summer. And even more importantly, tag me on Instagram at Girlfriends Thriving with your one major takeaway so I can shout you out and we can celebrate our wins together. One more thing before you head off to your next adventure for today. Check the show notes and grab the good summer guide. I created this with your busy summer in mind.
So you never, okay, let's be honest, so you rarely have to hear, Mom, I'm bored. It's packed with curated itineraries, stress-free family activities, and the ultimate rainy day survival plans. Whether you grab the South Florida edition or the Activities for Anywhere edition, both are completely ready to save your sanity and elevate your season. Grab yours right now.
Latasha (14:39.682)
And let's start building your not-so-wild summer today. Until next time, have a wonderful week. And remember, you're in his hands.