The idea of a 1980s or 1990s summer has been floating around Instagram for a while now and whilst I don’t know where the term originated from, it is exactly the kind of summer we’ve adopted for the last two years. In my opinion, I feel like we are yearning a simpler lifestyle - and life certainly felt simpler in the 80s and 90s. But for me, returning to live in the village where I grew up in has made things feel all the more ✨nostalgic✨.
Summer as a young child felt magical. The days were endless and full of wonder. I spent many happy hours playing in the garden or calling on neighbourhood friends. Aside from a week long holiday to a caravan park in Wales, there were no set plans - and I loved it that way!
It’s left me wondering whether the 1980s and 1990s were peak childhood or whether I view it that way because I didn’t have any adult responsibilities?
After moving back to the UK in November, life has been nonstop. From a complete house and garden renovation to settling the children back into school, I feel like we haven’t taken a break in a long time. I knew that the summer would be even more low-key than usual and aside from swim camp, we didn’t have many set plans.
The kids have spent their days playing, reading and helping me bake treats. They’ve spent hot days eating popsicles, creating new ways to do swingball and playing in the sprinkler. They have made mud pies, cardboard box dens and we even ended up having a birthday party for my daughter’s favourite cuddly Panda.
And to be honest, it has been wonderful!
Watching the Olympics with my children has also been full of nostalgia. I vividly remember watching - and being hugely inspired by - the 1992 Barcelona games and now mine have spent the last two weeks cheering on their favourites and playing ‘Olympics’ in the garden.
There’s something about the kids fashions too. My daughter looks like a ‘mini-me’ with her bright cycling shorts and tie-dye t-shirts that are practically identical to the ones I used to covet as a child!
When we visit Wales next week, we’re going to be recreating more nostalgic moments: Fish and chips on the beach, ice-cream regardless of temperature and wearing jumpers on the beach to keep the chill off!
Have you tried a nostalgic summer? Let me know:
Updates to this Page
If you view this newsletter via the website, you might’ve noticed a few changes to the structure of the ‘blog’ aspect of ‘How I Drink my Coffee Hot’. Whilst paid content was originally posted as monthly series, I have now organised information by phase so that you can navigate content in a suggested order.
To distinguish free and paid content, I am now calling the paid section ‘A Playful Year’.
A Playful Year also contains content from courses originally hosted on my website thisplayhome.com , including ‘Playful Days at Home’ and ‘Play Space 101’, alongside the paid Substack series that were initially released every month.
When I first started this Substack page, I wasn’t too sure what direction I was going in. Consequently, the original series have been reorganised to provide a better flow of information.
I find that my own focus has changed now that my children are older. I still find the topic of play important, but as my own children navigate the middle and teen years of childhood, I have found myself wanting to cover those topics. Upcoming changes to the course will include more ‘school years’ series, in addition to articles on the middle and teen years of childhood.
Whilst paid series haven’t been deleted, in the coming months, articles will be refreshed and downloadable resources will be updated.
What’s included in a paid membership?
Access to the ‘A Playful Year’ course - you can find the entire course index below. The course is available year-round and can be worked through at your own pace.
Access to upcoming series and events - coming Autumn 2024
Access to archived ‘How I Drink my Coffee Hot’ posts (all free posts are archived after two weeks)
Monthly calls and chats are being planned, but will depend on engagement - please let me know if this appeals to you!
Upcoming Series and Events
New series will be released in the Autumn on 2024. Planned topics include: How to Support your Child’s Learning from Home, An Introduction to Home-schooling and How to Raise a Reader.
Monthly chat threads and topic-based calls are planned, but will depend on user engagement!*