Summer 👏 should 👏 be 👏 fun!

Hey there, {{first_name | friend}},

I'm going into this summer with one intention: let it be fun.

I’m done with the guilt and envy, looking at other people’s picture-perfect summers and comparing them to my own. And I’m especially done with that phrase: "You only get 18 summers with your kids." I recently finished Honest Motherhood by Libby Ward, and she calls that one out beautifully. The idea that we're limited to a fixed number of summers is supposed to feel motivating, but it can make you feel stressed and fearful, and I want to look forward to MANY more years ahead than that. So I'm letting that one go.

I'm also taking cues from this week’s podcast guest, JoAnn Crohn, who has become my (unofficial) guide for the season. Her philosophy is simple: the best mom is a happy mom. And it all starts with releasing the guilt that tells us we have to earn rest, manufacture magic, and entertain every idle hour.

I've got a few prompts below to help you (and me) do exactly that this summer. Let's go.

JoAnn Crohn is the founder of No Guilt Mom, a former fifth-grade teacher, and the author of The Best Mom is a Happy Mom. She has built an entire community around a philosophy she arrived at the hard way: that when you give up everything for your kids, you don't just lose yourself… you actually model the wrong thing for them. 

In this conversation, we dig into what it really means to go from martyr to model, why mom guilt doesn't mean you care more (it means your expectations are set too high), and the surprisingly practical "guilt equation" from Dr. Jennifer Reed that has me rethinking how I set expectations for myself.

JoAnn also shares how she discovered improv theater as a way to reclaim something just for herself, how she uses AI to manage long-term planning as a one-woman business, and why she is genuinely excited rather than sad that her daughter just graduated high school.

Bonus: I was also a guest on JoAnn's fantastic podcast, No Guilt Mom, where we talked all things AI for family life. You can listen to it here. Her energy is contagious!

Prompt 1: Get Your Mind Right for Boredom Season

Summer is coming and so is: "Mom, I'm bored." This prompt helps you prepare mentally before you hear it, so you can respond with confidence instead of scrambling for your family's entertainment director hat.

“Act as a child development expert similar to [INSERT FAVORITE PARENTING EXPERT LIKE DR. BECKY or A FAVORITE PARENTING CHARACTER LIKE BANDIT FROM BLUEY]. Help me mentally prepare for my kids saying "I'm bored" this summer without me jumping in to entertain them. Explain why boredom is developmentally valuable for kids and why making entertainment too easy or too constant actually backfires. Give me 3-5 things I can say back to my kids instead of fixing it for them. Format this as a pep talk at the top, followed by a quick-reference card of go-to responses I can screenshot.”

Mom tip: Share these with your partner so you’re on the same page.

Prompt 2: Plan a 90s Summer Week

Bikes until sundown. Freeze pops. Sprinklers. Cereal for dinner. The 90s summer is officially trending again, and for good reason. This prompt helps you plan a low-tech, high-joy week that your kids might actually remember forever.

“Act as a nostalgic summer planner who grew up in the 90s. Help me plan one screen-free week for my kids inspired by the way kids spent summers before smartphones existed. Include: what to eat (think freeze pops, bagel bites, cereal for dinner, water from the hose), outdoor activities (sprinklers, sidewalk chalk, bikes, water balloons, catching fireflies), what to listen to, and 1-2 classic indoor options for the hot afternoon hours. Format this as a loose daily rhythm for Monday through Friday, not a rigid schedule. Add a short note at the top reminding me why slowing down like this matters.”

Mom tip: The magic of a 90s summer is not in the activities. It's in the gaps between them.

Prompt 3: Build a Summer Around What YOU Actually Like

Inspired by JoAnn's book The Best Mom is a Happy Mom, this prompt asks your AI tool to interview you before building your summer plan. Because you deserve a season that includes things you actually enjoy, not just things you do for everyone else.

“Act as a warm and curious life coach who believes deeply that the best mom is a happy mom. Interview me about what I genuinely enjoy. Ask me 5-7 thoughtful questions, one-at-a-time, about my favorite ways to spend a summer day, what gives me energy, what I've been missing, and what kinds of moments I secretly look forward to. Then summarize what you've learned about me and suggest 3-5 realistic, specific ways to build more of what I love into this summer. Format the output as a personalized Summer Joy Plan with a short introduction about who I am as a person this summer.”

Mom tip: If you’re feeling fried, ask for the questions to be multiple choice.

An Invitation to the Oz Founding Families Program from AI-Empowered Community Members Danielle & Greg Neufeld (of The Most Important Thing podcast, and AI-Empowered Mom Podcast Episode #44) 

Oz is an ambient AI device for the kitchen, designed to help families stay present, aligned, and connected. It quietly captures conversations throughout the day and turns them into things families actually  use: reminders, funny moments, emotional context, unresolved conversations, and memories that normally disappear by bedtime.

And they’re looking for a small cohort of thoughtful, AI-curious families to work directly with their founding team through weekly feedback and experimentation to shape what ambient AI feels like inside family life. 

If this sounds like your kind of experiment, they’d love to meet you. Learn more and book a demo at ozishome.com, and mention AI-Empowered Mom sent you!

Let’s go easy on ourselves this summer. The memories will make themselves.

Until next time,

P.S. Have you watched The AI Doc: How I Became An Apocaloptimist yet? It’s now streaming on Peacock. I saw it with a group of moms back in April and it had a big impact on me. If you get a chance to watch it, hit reply and tell me what you think!

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