My Summer Bucket List!
This is the list of things that I'd like to do this summer...some work and some fun, because all work is no good and all fun isn't really all that fabulous either.
These are going to be in no particular order, except the order in which they came to mind. 😉
1. Declutter the house from top to bottom, one room at a time.
2. Go swimming or have waterplay (sprinkler, slip n slide) more than once a week.
(I'm usually pretty good about once a week, but not more than that.)
3. Arrange sleepovers, since this is easier to do in the summer.
4. Make homemade slushies with the kids.
5. Visit the library at least every other week.
6. Go camping again (since our new air mattress was so comfy!)
7. Write an ebook about keeping Christmas simple.
8. Order school curriculum for the coming school year.
9. Make a fire in our backyard fire pit and roast marshmallows over it.
10. Sell/give away the extra electronic junk we have in our office.
11. Teach Zoe to ride her bike without training wheels.
12. Figure out a new chore assignment plan for the kids now that Sonia and Zoe are old enough to do more around the house. Must delegate more.
13. Write a letter to my grandpa each month (he doesn't have the internet, so I have to do this the old-fashioned way.)
14. Visit Mr. FG's grandma and go for a swim in her rooftop pool (we keep wanting to do this but it's never worked out so far!)
15. Make a spur-of-the-moment trip to go get ice cream cones.
16. Eat breakfast at the pier.
17. Visit a pick-your-own farm.
18. Maaaaybe paint my kitchen cabinets. Still hemming and hawing on this one.
19. Tackle my pile of clothes that need to be mended/modified/dyed.
20. Get outside to enjoy lovely summer evenings.
I'll keep you posted about how I do on my list.
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Have you made a summer bucket list this year? If you blogged your list, feel free to leave a link in the comments.
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Oh, I'll be looking forward to the Christmas e book! Simplifying Christmas? Do I need help in this area?? Oh, yes, I do!!
Good luck with your other goals. The best way is to jump right in. I've been putting off painting the second level of my staircase, and now I'm " under the gun" with house guests arriving in two weeks. Not what I really wanted to be doing right now, but I've left myself no choice!!
We, too, were under the gun but we finally got our rooms painted. Just in time for my last (sniff) child's graduation party.
If you want, you can come paint my kitchen cabinets. They have this ugly shellac on them now. We were thinking a darker gray color for the bottom cabinets and a white for the upper ones (and maybe replace some doors with windowed ones)
I declutter my house every summer. I usually do one room a week and sometimes need the children to spend a day (or two) at Grandma's. LOVE IT! I am amazed how much we accumulate during the year. Recycle bin and Goodwill definitely could a good portion of what leaves the house.
I love your list but find #15 amusing that you are scheduling a spur of the moment event. Aren't spur of the moment just that and not planned? Love making a list. I am very fond of lists and have lots of them for everything we do (particulary vacations).
Even a spur-of-the-moment even requires a conscious decision. It's a lot easier to do that if you've decided ahead of time to go ahead and get the ice cream when the opportunity arises.
I thought the same thing! This is mainly b/c this is exactly the same type of thing I would do. i am forever trying to be more spontaneous, but the planner in me wins every time! Made me smile!
This is quite an ambitious list! Since we will be moving in August (oh joy), decluttering the house is also on my Summer to-do. I'm hoping to get started this weekend. A spur-of-the-moment ice cream trip sounds like a good idea as well. 🙂
We're in those last few years of lots of family togetherness, so that' s big priority for me. A fun, but very frugal, family vacation is currently at the top of my list. I always have projects for myself. This summer it's painting the deck furniture, and making some cushions. I need to find an inexpensive option for the cushions. I was in the fabric store two days ago and nearly lost my head over some $20/yard outdoor canvas. And I always read 3 very fun books in summer. Not nearly as exhaustive a list as yours, sadly.
Our bucket list is 21 items long to include activities such as tye dying t shirts with the kids, squirt gun fights and picking dad up from work to have lunch with him and the kids:0)
I love summertime<3
Re: # 13 - I'll bet your grandfather saves your letters!
Re: # 18 - I've been waffling for over a year about painting my kitchen cabinets. They're not horrible, I just don't care much for them. When I saw House*Tweaking's white cabinets, I wanted them. Now, though, I think it's way too much work, and I'm painting the walls instead. They're currently builders "greige" and I'm painting them light aqua. I haven't decided about the ceiling yet. I might do aqua mixed with white, or leave it the way it is. I'm flexible about this.
I definitely need to do this--I've been feeling lazy, and I think just making a list helps me do the things I want to do. I can certainly remember them all more easily!
Your post came through just as I sat down to check my diary. I've decided this summer break (starts end July through to start Sept) to have an activity day once a week - structured rather than just arranging play dates for the Kids. So far there's *Cupcake day* *Teddybears picnic* *Clay modelling* on the list. I'm going to invite a handful of friends to each...
As for my own objectives, I too am putting together some Christmas ideas, which is kinda funny. Baking Christmas pud when the sun is shining (wishful thinking), and decoupaging Santa wrap over old shoe-boxes. Just that fleece blanket to get to grips with now!
Have a great Summer, and I sincerely hope you're getting some decent weather. Summer solstice is upon us and there are still homes with the heating on in the UK. Bizarre year!
I love your list and you have inspired me to add decluttering to my own...perhaps this could go along with baby proofing the house. 🙂
Here is my list: http://dailyhomeblessings.blogspot.com/2012/06/summer-plans.html
Visiting a pick-your-own farm is on my list too! I just discovered that there's one about an hour away, and their prices are as good or better than the grocery store! I'm super excited about it!
We're also trying to make it to a museum or two this summer to learn about our state's history.
i found a great you tube video on teaching kids to ride a bike. no training wheels and take the pedals off. have her walk the bike along then lift her feet to practice balance. its the hardest part. my oldest daughter was riding her bike in 3 days. good luck
You are such a good girl with so many practical things on there. 🙂
Thank you for reminding me that I really want to write to my grandpa, too!
Here's our summer bucket list:
http://readysetsimplify.com/2012/06/14/our-summer-bucket-list/
Great list - here is my quick tip for getting your grandpa writing done - it is one that I use too because I love to keep in contact with my non-internet family -
Just address and stamp all of the envelopes ahead of time! Then if you find an extra fifteen minutes on the computer, you can type up a letter (I found this easier on my grandparent's eyes), print it out, and send it without procrastination (which I suffer with lol).
Sorry if this was a little too simple 😉
I love how you included simple things, like number 20. So many times, my to-d0 list includes big projects, but I forget to enjoy the little things.
I just wrote up our summer bucket list last weekend...some items on it include:
berry picking
beach trips
explore a new park/picnic
teach my youngest to ride a bike
farmer's markets
homemade icecream
4th of July party!
piano students ice cream social 🙂
A crazy set of events found me in contact with a distant cousin, my grandmother's youngest first cousin. I knew about her and knew stories about her, so much so that I hadn't realized that I'd never met her. We exchanged hand-written letters for a couple years, culminating with a visit complete with old family photo albums and a video camera. She identified a few more relatives, told stories for posterity, and showed me her album so I could see different photos of the same set. It was a great afternoon.
I cherish this memory and the knowledge she shared, and encourage all to do the same. Especially getting our elderly relatives to recount stores for posterity.
Work, deal with problems, stay inside as much as possible because the Italian summer weather doesn't leave you much choice... My list :-/
Wow that is quite a list - could be a lifetime list for some, not just a summer list!
Well lets get started on my bucket list : -
1) Start to write my summer bucket list.
2) Look for my summer bucket list. Now where did I put that? I know I started it. It has to be around here somewhere.
Thanks for posting your list! It's made me realize that the only things on my summer to-do list are chores. I need to add in some fun!
Please paint the cabinets and do a how-to with a supplies list! Please!?! This is on my to-do list for the next few months.
Love the summer list. Summer hours are long but fleeting. We're trying to catch a lot of fireflies (letting them go, of course). Swim when possible. Eat ice cream outside. Say yes to wacky stuff in general, because even things that aren't perfectly awesome in the moment can make great memories.
I love your bucket list! We are tackling clutter (both physical and in our schedules) and blogging about it at minimalism journey.blogspot.com.
Just don't feel guilty if you don't finish your whole list. You have an awful lot of stuff on there. 🙂
Here's a link to my post about my summer buckets: http://emperorp.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/summer-buckets/
I had a bunch of different summer bucket lists written in a little notebook and this is my link to my overview. I love having a bunch of categorized lists so that I can turn to them when the day-to-day routine with a large family gets a little much over the summer.
I was inspired by your post to blog about it. Thanks for the nudge 🙂
Great list! Homemade slushies sound fabulous1 Here is mine 🙂 http://wp.me/p2vyNf-1a