The Summer Bucket List
It’s officially summer around here now that preschool is over. I started off by telling myself that I wasn’t going to make a list this summer. I was going to keep it simple and do whatever felt good and not stress myself out with things we “should” do. But then we decided that since we’re not going on vacation, we were each going to at least take an extra long weekend off from work to give us 4 family days for some fun that doesn’t involve home improvement projects. This decision made me really start to think about what we’d like to do with that time and maybe on one or two other day trips, so I decided to make a list, essentially to prioritize and cross most of it off.
Our biggest plans this summer involve gardening and being in our backyard and spending good time with friends. The more I thought about my favorite memories as a kid, the more I realized how much the things I remember involve things like feeling the grass on my feet and swimming and sprinklers and catching lightning bugs. So, we’ll do a few fun things and eat a lot of yummy things and in between there throw in a few bigger things. And if the bigger stuff never even happens this year, I’m 100% fine with that.
Things To Do:
Play in the mud
Play in the rain
Go swimming
Grow flowers
Play in the pool and sprinkler in the backyard
Grow a sunflower house
Potty Train Nick
Blog less
Take more pictures
Take more pictures on film
Get prints of pictures
Read books in the backyard
Have picnics
Catch lightning bugs
Eat as many meals as possible outside
Replace the side of the shed
Paint the shutters
Paint the front door
Have friends over for impromptu bbqs
Library summer reading program
Things to Make and/or Eat:
Make popsicles
Make ice cream
Make a bird feeder
Make jam
Eat watermelon
Eat other melons
Eat lots of tomatoes
Make lemonade and limeade and Sassy Tea
Make pesto – lots.
Places To Go:
Pick strawberries and blueberries
Go to the farmer’s market early in the morning
Walk to the park
Go out for ice cream
Visit some State Parks
Go for walks at our favorite spot in the woods
Visit a cute local town with a great ice cream shop and a fun lake for swimming
Things That Started on the List,
But Will Most Likely Be Saved For Another Year:
Go to a Baseball Game
Go Mini Golfing
Go to the Local Amusement Park
Philadelphia Zoo
Longwood Gardens
Go Camping
See fireworks
Sesame Place
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How about you? What’s on your list and what have you taken off of your list until kids get older or just to keep things simple?
This is great! I need to go to the farmers market for once.
ah I love your post! I especially like “eat more tomatoes; make more pesto; and blog less”! For me the first two are on my list as we are growing a plethora of tomato plants and lots of rocket. The things on my list for the kids this summer is go to the beach more often (only down the road and they are old enough to enjoy it); go to the library on rainy days; go to a different museum every second week. Oh and lots of baking with them. That is always a winner.! Can’t wait to add camping and cycling trips to the list.
One of my absolute favorite memories from childhood is blueberry picking in Indiana. Looking back on it as an adult I think – um, WTF was I thinking? It was SO HOT and HUMID and we were eaten alive by mosquitos but my sister and I loved it and looked forward to it every summer.
I wish one of your “things to do” was come to Colorado!
It’s is at least on my wish list for some point in the next year:)
Don’t you tease me Lillian. I call dibs on squeezing Nick first!
We are making plans for lots of little day trips. Some of which are just to a near by petting zoo. Swimming at Grandma’s on quick weekend trips. And working on week nights to say “no” on weekends. I can’t wait! Great post as always.
Ethan and I made our “list” last weekend. He wrote down mine and I wrote his. nothing ambitious at all – with the exception of ride his bike on 2 wheels. more along the lines of have friends over, have a BBQ, sleep in a tent, go camping…
I love your list!
Still working on our list, but trying to keep it simple. Lots of outside time. Lots of reading for all 4 kiddos and hopefully myself, too. Bonfires in our backyard every Friday night. One of my goals is to use every single thing from our garden and not let any of it go to waste. I had a terrible time keeping up with the growth last year.
Love your lists, lots of the same will be on mine when summer comes to the southern hemisphere here in NZ, camping in our back yard is on mine rather than needing to pack up and leave home – small kids so love it.
Of that list, my favorite books are (of cosrue) the harry potter books. If you read the first one, read the second one. DO NOT GO OUT OF ORDER.If you are not in the mood for harry potter, ready Island of the blue dolphins. GREAT BOOK! Advanture and friendship. Give it time. Its about a girl and her brother who live on an island. A russian boat comes to the island and want to hunt otter I thought the secret school was boring. Its about these village kids whose teacher goes away so they invent their own school. Treasure island is always a good choice because its a clasic. good good book. It won tons of awards.but if your not into the island thing, read the harry potter 2ed book. Personally, the third harry potter book is my favorite. If you choose to skip any of the harry potter books make sure you spark note the ones you go over so you don’t miss any important details.Constant reader.