Summer Bucket List Update (Number One)
Every summer I make a bucket list; a plan for how I want to spend my time before summer kicks the bucket. And every month I share an update to let you know how I'm doing at knocking things off my list.
1. Declutter my house.
Decluttered so far:
-the linen closet
-the coat closet
-Sonia and Zoe's room
-our schoolbook bookshelf
And I've started on my office bookshelf and my office desk.
I feel like I'm being pretty ruthless (ALL THE THINGS MUST GO.), so hopefully that'll pay dividends in the long run.
2. Make a Travelwee photo book.
Nope.
3. Paint Sonia and Zoe's room.
Noo...but! We did do a big declutter of their room, which had to happen before painting (there was far too much stuff in the way!)
And Mr. FG did help them pick up some paint swatches. So, now we need to get a couple of sample jars to test on the walls.
(Summer usually brings painting projects for me. Last summer I painted Joshua's room and his craigslist bed, and the summer before, I did Lisey's room plus my kitchen cabinets.)
4. Teach my kids to cook meals.
I got a little bit of a late start on this but Lisey made pizza!
We'd planned on making thin crust, but didn't get that dough made in time. So we made regular pizza, using this recipe.
And the other three kids have all picked their meals to make during the next three weeks.
5. Say yes to swimming/water play twice a week.
We've met this every week so far!
6. Eat outside.
Yup! We had baked oatmeal at the pier on morning.
And we've had some picnic lunches at parks as well.
7. Grab small moments to do fun things.
This isn't super measurable, but I'm seeing progress here. I've gone out for short rollerblading excursions with Mr. FG and Sonia and Zoe, I've taken the kids on short trips to the closest pool, and last week, we went on a spontaneous short trip to a park with friends.
8. Initiate/say yes to playdates/sleepovers.
We haven't done tons of sleepovers yet, but we have had quite a few playdates and outings with friends.
9. Clean out our shed.
Yup! Still working on freecycling some more odds and ends, but I did manage to give away a LOT of stuff.
It was difficult to even walk one step in there before, and now there's so much more room to maneuver bikes and such.
10. Finish odds and ends left from the wood floor project.
Erm, nope. We discovered that the stain we were using on the railings/steps is too red, so now we have to resand and restain everything we did so far.
Womp, womp.
We haven't quite gotten ourselves psyched up for that yet.
11. Landscape the front borders.
Yes! My brother and I managed this in a day. I still need to mulch, and that'll hopefully happen next week (we're waiting on mulch delivery).
12. Go to the beach once.
Nope.
13. Plan for the next school year.
Nope.
14. Keep the library basket full.
Yep! Much reading has been going on.
15. Teach my girls how to use the sewing machine.
Nope.
16. Redo chore lists.
Nope.
(I hang their chore lists on their walls.)
17. Go see a cheap movie once a month.
Yes! We went to a $1 Regal summer movie this week.
18. Write to my grandpa once a month.
Not yet. Whoops. I'm gonna write him a letter today, count it as my June letter, and write him another one in July.
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How's your summer going? Have you been spending your summer days in ways that are meaningful to you? Let me know in the comments.
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P.S. In case you like looking at bucket lists, here's my 2014 bucket list, my 2013 bucket list, and my 2012 bucket list.
I'm doing horrible in my summer To-Do list.
Have I set up the nursery? Not yet. Have I organized my video games - erm, sorta, kinda ... not really. Have I started working on wiring my house for Ethernet? Well, I priced switches and might get a patch panel for free ... maybe.
I think the only thing I've really done this summer to prepare is to buy some cloth diapers for the kid's arrival. I have three months left but that's not really all that much.
Well, diapers ARE pretty essential, so...
All of my items are little-bits-at-a-time projects. I've been making good progress on them all, and I'll find out today where to go next. (We are finding out the sex of the coming baby, and I am meeting with my thesis advisor for feedback.)
Ooh, an exciting day for you!
I have SUCH good intentions. My intent is to get the living room, dining room, and entry painted. The monkey wrench in the works is that we have an elderly dog who is requiring a lot of care, and a church commitment that is taking more time than I'd thought. AND, I'm tired.
Question - how do you declutter, when some family members have emotional attachments to so many things?
For us, it's been a slow process. Mr. FG isn't particularly sentimental, but a number of my kids are! They've gotten a lot better over the years at decluttering, but we had to start really slowly, and I've had to be patient with baby steps.
Here are my best 10 tips for decluttering with kids...maybe some will be helpful to you! https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2015/02/10-tips-for-decluttering-with-kids/
I would like to get some decluttering done around the house, but it hasn't happened yet. However, we have gone on two car camping trips and one backpacking trip so far this summer, and I am pretty happy with that! And this weekend we are finally going to look at some wedding venues so we might be able to set a date soon.
So you're doing really well on the adventuring front. Good for you!
You're doing well with your list! I'm still (slowly!) working on my overly-ambitious list from the first of the year. I did so well there for awhile and got all the bedrooms and bathrooms deep cleaned/decluttered/redecorated and then I sort of ran out of motivation. Oh well, I'll get to it eventually - hopefully before it is time to start all over again!
What's the difference between regular and thin pizza crust recipes? I just mixed up a batch of dough this morning (before reading this) and it never occurred to me that they might be different.
Also, shouldn't Joshua learn to use the sewing machine too? My husband had to learn for his job (he makes orthotics for the local children's hospital, so he has to be able to sew the velcro straps) and it's such a useful skill! He has big plans to make his own travel bags, leather vests and jackets (for riding his motorcycle), custom motorcycle seats, and basically anything else he wants. He can also help repair our camping tent that got a tear in it and alter his own clothes. It's great (although he still doesn't seem to be able to figure out the iron)!
Well, I have a separate recipe from Cook's Illustrated for thin crust. It has more oil and less yeast for sure.
The girls have been asking to learn to use the sewing machine (Lisey and Sonia in particular), so that's why I put this on my list. Joshua hasn't really shown any interest. I will teach him how to sew on a button, though, because that's super useful even if he never owns a sewing machine.
My best friend is moving from Ak to Oregon to help out her elderly parents. she is a very talented person and collects all kinds of things, she's the best thrifter I've ever met. But moving has been, oh wow! It has made me think about my stuff. My collectables are books from the cheapest thrift store in town, near where I live. I've been sorting books to take to a "little free library" on the church grounds near where I live. those free libraries are so cool! It has made me think about if I had to move, how would i sort. so I'm trying to sort now. I don't have children, so can't imagine how it would be with kids. Just one person in a one bedroom apt can collect a lot! Thanks for this post, made me think!
Yeah, I find it helpful to think about moving when I'm decluttering or buying. Asking, "Would I want to pack this up and move it?" really helps to clarify the difference between what I do and don't want!
I am moving in the next few months and have three little kids. It's amazing how much stuff I'm happily giving away because I don't want to haul it with us. Hopefully all the decluttering now will make for easier home organization when we move. 🙂
Exactly. We don't even have moving plans right now, and I still find this to be a helpful way of thinking!
Hello. I have to tell you I love reading your posts. I've been reading for quite a few years now and enjoy the way you look at things. I just had to comment on one of your bucket list items that gave me the sads. I see you put "teach my girls how to use the sewing machine". But not your son? It just struck me as sad that he isn't on that list too. I mean perhaps you did ask and he isn't interested, in which case I'm good with that. It's just that I'm raising a boy and girl, and I come from a family where my little brother liked to see quite a bit, and design costumes, etc. So I guess I just hope it is the case where he isn't interested, not that it didn't occur to you to teach him too. Man...I'm trying not to sound preachy or judgemental and I feel like it sounds exactly that way. So I need to apologize for that. I just have been reading lots of blogs too about this whole "boy toys" and "girl toys" and why do we even gender toys in the first place? So it's something that has me a little unsettled.
Anyway, thanks for all you do. And I really just want to encourage rather than judge. Sometimes I know I get stuck thinking along gender lines myself and have to stop and recalibrate. Ok. Stopping blathering now.
Yep, he's just not interested, whereas the girls are chomping at the bit (well, Lisey and Sonia are. Zoe's not really interested right now.)
I'm totally teaching him to cook this summer, though...he's interested, and also cooking is, to me, a more necessary skill than using a sewing machine (so I'd probably teach him to cook even if he wasn't interested!)
I'm totally in agreement with you about toys and jobs being gendered. Mr. FG is better at taking the kids shopping, while I happen to be pretty decent at fixing appliances. It's all about what skills you have and what you enjoy!
I love your post, however, I'm very bothered by pop up ads that I can't get rid of while reading on my phone... The ads automatically scroll through SoyConnection, Motortrend, Trident, Snapple, etc. Very annoying and makes it hard to see your always-great pictures! Just fyi...
Oh dear, that should NOT be happening. When I access my site on my iphone, I'm not getting any ads. Could you send me a screenshot of the ad so that I can troubleshoot the problem?
Hi Kristen!
I was wondering if you can share the baked oatmeal recipes! I love the recipes you post 🙂
I knocked a few items off my summer list over the past 10 days- the overnight w/my husband, some boardwalk runs. Decluttering isn't really on the list but a few home projects might happen!
Ohh, sweet! Why did I not put an overnight with the husband on my list??? 😉
Well, we, as grandparents are a generation older than you, but I have LOTS of bucket lists. Scraping and repainting the wooden patio got finished, although it took ten times longer than we planned.
We live in So Cal and there are must dos for us every summer. So far we have spent a day in Catalina, one on Coronado Island, have gone sailing in San Diego bay, driven up to Idyllwild in the mountains and had joyous pool days with the beloved grandkids. And, like you, realize it is only July.
Our plans for August so far include a day in San Clemente and our annual summer malt at Richie's restaurant. I think summer is my favorite season.