The final school term is over! I can't get over how quickly this year has passed. Looking back at everything we've packed into the last few months, it's no wonder it seems like an entire year happened in a week. The last day of school was forecast to be a rare 32°c. Given that they were to leave early, we decided to make the most of it and head down the shore early in the morning. This kid never misses school, so we definitely weren't going to miss this weather. Especially when it is most likely the only day we will get all summer!

We left for Irvine and started the day with a delicious piece of cake from GRO Coffee before walking to the beach. Arriving early meant we managed to grab a fantastic parking spot, although I regretted not reversing into it when it came time to leave! I have never seen a carpark so busy! We toted the badminton set, football, blankets and plenty of picnic snackies, fully prepared for the day ahead. We ended up running in and out of the water, and made the most of the sunshine before the thunderstorms arrived the following day. It hasn't stopped raining since. Zero regrets.

Now what to do for the rest of the summer?

Most of our close pals head off to visit extended family for weeks, if not the entire summer, while the rest of us seem completely incapable of organising our holidays at the same time! My kid isn't keen on summer camps, especially on his own, so that's never been the best option. We also don't have family nearby to help with childcare, which means summer always involves a careful juggling act.

I'll mostly work after everyone's gone to bed, squeeze in a little more editing during the morning (with perhaps a slightly more generous amount of screen time than usual), then head out for adventures in the afternoon. Thankfully my husband can work from home whenever I have photography sessions booked, although I suspect I might have to recruit a "mini assistant" every now and then to carry reflectors and equipment.

We have a return trip to the Lake District booked, and all of us are looking forward to exploring more caves and searching for skateparks. We'll also be camping at Castle Cary in Dumfries & Galloway, which came highly recommended by a friend. Heated indoor and outdoor pools, plus donkeys? We were immediately sold.

I love that most of our summer adventures are staying relatively local, with our longest drive only around two and a half hours. Last year we went on an amazing road trip to Cornwall in our new electric car, learning plenty about charging, patience and discovering hidden gems at motorway stops along the way. It turned out to be one of our favourite holidays.

The weeks we're spending at home in Carmunnock give us the perfect excuse to explore everything on our doorstep. If the weather behaves, we'll be cycling around Cathkin Braes and Whitelee Windfarm. At some point, a trip to the ice skating rink in East Kilbride for a fun afternoon of pop music while trying not to fall on our bums will happen. I'm not a huge fan of skating in a circle for hours, but the kid loves it! One of my biggest priorities will be to finally make it to Gourock Outdoor Pool. I've been talking about it for years, and I think this could finally the summer we make it happen. You might even see an Instagram post to prove it!

When the rain inevitably tries to ruin our plans, we'll still try and head outdoors - provided it isn't the freezing, sideways Scottish kind. A soggy game of football in Queen's Park followed by pizza, ice cream and catching up with friends sounds like a pretty good day to me.

When it really is too miserable to be outdoors, Glasgow has no shortage of brilliant (and often free) days out. The kiddo loves drawing and has recently become fascinated with medieval history, so a visit to Glasgow Cathedral followed by a wander through Glasgow Green sounds perfect - especially if we manage to find a sweet treat along the way. There are certainly worse cities to spend a day eating your way around! The Climbing Academy in Kinning park is always a great day, with different areas for climbing challenges and good coffee, you can't go wrong.

We will definitely fit in a visit to Golf It as well. It's a bit further afield, but it's one of our favourite family days out, especially when the food trucks are open. We always end up competing on Angry Birds at the driving range before continuing the rivalry on the mini golf course. Afterwards we'll usually hire bikes and cycle around Hogganfield Loch. We can spend hours there and never get bored.

I genuinely thought we'd struggle to find enough to do this summer until I started writing this post. In fact, I've had to cut the list down! We'd still love to make it to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, ride the new(ish) mountain roller coaster, visit Elie Beach in Fife (three different people recommended it within 24 hours, so it feels inevitable now), and perhaps take a trip to Loch Lomond. Have you realised yet how much I enjoy doing things? I hate sitting still!

At this rate, I think I already need to start planning October Week... and maybe even next summer!

I know I'll always remember our adventures. Not because everything goes to plan, but because we roll with the punches and make the most of whatever the day brings - sunshine, rain, sand, mud, and probably far too much ice cream. My favourite part though, is hearing the snores from the back seat on the drive home. That's when I know we've had a good day.

While I've been busy adventuring with my little sidekick, I've realised I've completely forgotten to announce this year's Back to School photo sessions... so I'd better go and sort that out! More on that very soon!