the journey to hiraeth

This summer, I’m chasing something I thought was gone.

Not a place, but a feeling.

You know the one — grass-stained knees, sun-warmed skin, the scent of sunscreen and watermelon in the air. Sprinklers clicking in the background while popsicles drip down your wrist. That magical stretch of childhood summer that seemed to last forever.

I want that for my boys.

I want them to feel what I felt in the ’90s when summer was a season, not a scheduled event.

So this year, we’re invoking the spirit of a 90s summer. No big plans, no Pinterest pressure — just slow days, bare feet, and the kinds of memories that stick.

🧺 Here’s what our nostalgic summer looks like:

🌼 1. Sprinklers, Kiddie Pools, and Mud Puddles

No fancy water parks needed. We’ll set up the hose, let the grass get soaked, and let joy take over. My boys will splash and scream and make rivers out of nothing. It’s not about structure — it’s about permission to be wild and wet and free.

🌊 2. Tide Pool and River Days

We’ll visit the tide pools and rivers where the world still feels like discovery. Tiny crabs under rocks, smooth stones in shallow water, the thrill of something cold brushing past your foot. These are the places where imagination runs wild.

🍉 3. Fruit Salads and Lemonade by the Boatload

Every summer I remember has a taste: cold watermelon, sticky fruit salad, tart lemonade. We’ll make big pitchers of the stuff — sweet, fresh, and poured into mason jars. Maybe even sell some at a makeshift stand, just for the memory of it.

🍧 4. Popsicle Making and Ice Cream Shop Visits

We’re making our own popsicles this year — real fruit, a little honey, maybe even edible flowers if we’re feeling fancy. And yes, we’ll still visit our favorite ice cream shop, sticky fingers and all.

🧺 5. Picnics Outside — Even Just in the Yard

We’ll pack up PB&Js and watermelon slices, lay down a blanket under the shade, and call it a picnic. Some days we’ll go to the park. Others, it’ll be our own front lawn. What matters is the moment, not the location.

🎡 6. Fairgrounds and Ferris Wheels

I want them to feel the magic of county fairs — cotton candy, prize goldfish, the hum of carnival lights at sunset. There’s something timeless about the way joy fills the air on a fairground night.

🕊️ More Than a Season

This isn’t just about activities. It’s about reclaiming a pace of life. About giving my children a summer that smells like freedom, tastes like sugar, and feels like forever.

We don’t need screens or travel or curated moments. We just need time. Nature. And each other.

This summer, I’m giving them that. I’m giving myself that.

I’m bringing back the spirit of summer — for them, for me, for the little girl I once was, running barefoot through a sprinkler without a care in the world.

What does a nostalgic summer look like to you?

Drop a memory in the comments or share how you’re bringing it back for your kids this year.