School started this week, and just like that, summer is over.

I’ve been thinking about all the things we did this summer—and probably just as many things we didn’t get around to doing. And every year around this time, I hear the same reminder: You only have so many summers with them before they’re grown and out of the house, so make the most of every single one.

I understand the sentiment. I really do. But I just can’t add that to my list of worries! Because aren’t we supposed to make the most of our lives all year long?

Our family life isn’t made up of just summers and vacations. It’s made up of ordinary days, too. School mornings, busy evenings, practices and games, family dinners, weekends, holidays, and the little moments in between. Those days are just as much a part of our lives—and our kids’ childhoods—as the big summer adventures.

I think my biggest takeaway from this summer is a little different: don’t assume you have all summer.

At the beginning, it feels like there is so much time. You think there will be plenty of weekends for that day trip, plenty of evenings for ice cream, and plenty of time for all those little things you’ve been meaning to do.

And then somehow, between loose schedules, baseball, vacations, long weekends, and everyday life, it’s back-to-school week.

Summer goes fast.

So if there’s something you want to do with your family, do it. Don’t keep waiting for the perfect weekend or assume you’ll get around to it later.

But I’m also not walking away from this summer feeling like I should have done more.

We had our summer. It looked like our family. And it was enough.

Now we’re heading into a new school year, with a different rhythm and a whole new set of ordinary days ahead. And I think that’s the reminder I’m taking with me: Make the most of the days you have—in whatever way works for your family.

Don’t save all the fun for summer. Don’t wait for vacation. Don’t put pressure on yourself to make every moment extraordinary.

Because all the days add up- Not just the summers.