Every year, I publish a list of the things I want to do before summer “kicks the bucket”. My list is a mix of practical and fun things because I want my summer to be a mix of those two.
Register Lisey and Sonia for fall classes.
Lisey needs to be registered for college classes, and Sonia’s going to take two classes at a tutorial, which meets one day a week.
Declutter my house.
Always on my list each year!
Get out to a park with friends every other week.
Our most frequent park-going friends moved halfway across the country, so this is going to be a little bit more of a challenge. Which is why it’s going on the bucket list.
Install the bike rack on my van and take Sonia and Zoe biking.
I have the rack! I have the trailer hitch on my van! I just need to install the darn thing and get out there.
Obviously, we could just bike somewhere from our driveway, but the bike rack will allow us to get our bikes over to the biking trail or out to parks that have bike trails.
Paint my bedroom.
I’m typing this one hesitantly. But I think I want to do it.
Our bedroom is currently a dark red, which was very popular 12 years ago when I initially painted it.
But it feels too dark to me now, and a little bit outdated as well.
I know maroon is going to be a terrible bear to paint over, so summer seems like a good time to tackle that.
I think I want to go with something neutral, like a light greige.
Paint the soffit in front of the house.
I did the back soffit last summer, but the front soffit also really needs a fresh coat.
The old paint is peeling, so this involves sanding, then priming, then painting two coats.
Have a picnic once a month.
Breakfast, lunch or dinner…it doesn’t matter. But I’d like to eat outside more.
Go camping on a clear night.
Sonia saved up and bought a pretty fancy telescope, but we have so many trees here, it’s hard to see much of the sky.
So, we need to take a camping trip somewhere with a nice empty field.
Make new chore lists.
Zoe keeps asking me when I’m going to do this, because she’s eager to hand off the “unload the dishwasher” chore to someone else. 
Make a photo book.
I wanted to do two last summer and I did none at all! So I’m setting the bar low and just seeing if I can get one done.
Read on the hammock every possible day.
Some days it will rain. Some days, it will be unbearably hot and humid. But when the weather is good, I want to get out there and read.
Make my deck more habitable.
Our deck is nothing amazing, but we’d spend more time on it if it was more user-friendly. It needs some lounging/reading-friendly furniture!
(photo from when I initially painted the deck)
I want to:
-paint the board my dad replaced last year (it’s dry enough now for painting)
-clean the deck floorboards
-buy some seating
-buy an umbrella (the sun sets over there, so it gets very bright in the afternoon/evening)
-install the twinkle lights I already bought
This is a project that meshes my be productive/do something fun goals. Because if I produce a more welcoming deck, that will encourage us to have fun out there.
Do something random and fun each week.
I’m not really sure what these things will be, but hopefully inspiration will strike me each week. I’ll keep you posted!
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If I finish this list before summer ends, I can always add more things. But based on past experience, that’s unlikely to happen! My initial list always ends up being ambitious enough.
Becca says
I finally made my own bucket list this year, and gave you credit for my inspiration!
kim walker says
What brand of photo book do you use?
Kristen says
I usually use AdoramaPix these days.
WilliamB says
I have a 2018 goals list which is sadly similar to last year’s goal lists:
1. Update my will. Made good progress, need to make one change.
PROTIP: if you’re stuck about what you want in your will, do a starter that just writes down what would happen if you died without a will (aka “intestate”). It’ll be quick and inexpensive, and save your heirs a couple of years’ work.
2. Test for black belt. My sensei told me not to test last year. This really took the wind out of my sails for practicing, because it was about dojo politics/personalities, and not my actual skill level.
3. Medium-sized house maintenance. There’s a long list of small-to-medium problems (for example, kitchen drawers sag because supports weren’t properly installed) that roommate and I have never gotten around to fixing. Time to hire someone to do them for us.
4. New overhead light fixture & maybe wiring for rec room. The existing fixure has never been problem-free, and in fact hasn’t worked for years. There’s something wrong with the design. I’m no good at interior decorating so a friend has promised to help select. HOWEVER. First my roommate needs to deal with the infamous “paper project” that has taken over that room for several years.
5. New item: deal with my bathroom. Problem #1: the caulk never stays in good shape. I need to recaulk every 2-3 years; even when the pro did it, it degraded. Problem #2: the ceiling over the shower has gotten moldy/mucky. Overall, I’m a little afraid to investigate the problem(s) for fear I need to redo the bathroom.
Luann says
I love this post so much. This is my 3rd summer to make a list, and I would not of thought to do it had I not read about it here on this blog.
SUMMER BUCKET LIST 2018
1. Read on porch in the evenings.
2. Walk in the evening 8:30-9:00
3. Try 3 new summer salads. Eat summer foods.
4. Try 3 new burger recipes.
5. Go to 2 new Ohio State Parks: Shawnee and Burr Oak.
6. Improve menu planning and minimalist grocery buying.
7. Go swimming.
8. Go to the beach.
9. Go to a Columbus Metro Parks. Take a walk and a picnic.
10. Follow summer cleaning/chore schedule.
Barbara says
Re: painting your bedroom. A super awesome griege is Ben Moore’s Edgecomb Grey. Not too dark or light, goes with every thing. Or color match it with Behr paint.
Amy says
My whole townhouse is in Edgecomb Grey. Love it. Hat tip to the folks at Young House Love for the recommendation.
Amanda says
Here is my bucket list:
1) Get our family to the beach at least once, my brother’s lake house often, and our friends’ pool often.
2) Attend at least one baseball game with friends.
3) Do Thursday bike rides with our oldest while the younger two are at daycare. Also stay on top of him to practice math everyday.
4) Potty train our two year old. If she resists I will give up in a second. She is my third, and I am tired of buying diapers, but I am also losing all will to fight with toddlers. She will be potty trained eventually if not this summer.
5) Finish our bedroom swaps. We moved us to the back bedroom and the kids into the two connecting front bedrooms in our row house. Crossing this off will require staying on top of the electrician and painter who need to move plugs and repair walls before we can really finish the move. And then I have to motivate myself to actually put things away in the correct rooms. (It turns out to be very easy to live out of a different closet than the one in your bedroom if the clothes are conveniently already there.)
6) Finish the draft of my first dissertation chapter and either make significant progress on writing the second or in outlining multiple chapters.
7) Keep up with studying French and reading the Bible everyday.
8) Speaking of the Bible, I am taking over as treasurer of our church this fall. I want to meet with the current treasurer to prepare and also read something about being church treasurer.
This sounds like a lot. But I am in an “a lot” time of life.
Laura Vanderkam says
We bought an outdoor sofa and two chairs for our covered porch and I truly think that was among the best money we have ever spent. I love lying there on the sofa reading and watching the sun go down (at least until my offspring find me).
MountainMom says
*Have a baby! I’m due in July and I feel pretty confident that I’ll manage to get that done before summer is over . Though I’m sure the doubt will kick in about a week before I’m due .
Everything else is a, “It would be nice to” kind of bucket list.
*Get to the lake weekly. We live 10 minutes away and I’d love to have friends over to go with us. Or even just my family, but a second adult around is a necessity.
*Potty train the toddler. This would be amazing to get done, but so far he hasn’t seemed ready.
*Get chickens. This is entirely dependent on my husband so we’ll see.
I’m going to leave it at that because I want to really enjoy baby and not stress about getting stuff done. I’ve been working like crazy to get everything done beforehand so that nothing important HAS to be done then.
Kristen says
Isn’t that the truth? Near the end, you wonder if you will possibly be the first person in history to be pregnant forever.
MountainMom says
Eeeee’ry time!
Sasha says
I potty trained my toddler right after my baby was born last fall. It was the perfect time because we were home all the time (my husband, too). I night trained her too, which was no big deal because I was up anyway. We used the book Oh Crap Potty Training, which claims readiness isn’t such a big deal. Hope it goes well for you, too!
MountainMom says
I think that book was what gave me the kick in the pants to just go ahead and potty train my middle child. I probably need to review it!
Kristen says
Ohhh, potty training. Rough times. I hope yours goes smoothly!
Teddi says
My favorite post of the year!! Have fun!!
Mrs. Picky Pincher says
Oh man, this time already, huh?
Good luck with the bucket list! It’s already unbearably hot here in Texas so as much as I would love picnics and reading outside, that’s a tough one for me! I hate the heat lol.
This summer I just want to keep my sanity! There’s lots of personal and work travel on the horizon, as well as plenty of work and freelance work. Sigh.
Kristen says
If I lived in Texas, I wouldn’t be planning on any picnics either!
Susan says
My living room was a similar deep red. I didn’t do the job myself, but my painters covered it in 2 coats using this paint: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/products/emerald-interior-acrylic-latex-paint/651016925?replacement=true
It isn’t cheap but would likely save you a ton of time!
Kristen says
That’s a good idea! I’m definitely not going to skimp on the paint quality, given how deep a shade I’m covering over.
Alison R says
We covered dark colors here by priming with a paint/primer in one tinted pale gray (a painter taught me this trick) and then one coat of our desired shade in a Behr (Home Depot) brand paint/primer in one. Behr paint is the only thing I buy at HD, it has worked very well for us through several houses over many years!
Good luck!
Susan K says
Yes! I was going to suggest the same thing. You can pick up a gray primer on the cheap to cover the maroon, then do your paint.
Isabelle says
My turn! My turn!
* Paint the kids bedrooms (I HATE painting!!!)
* Do a garage sale
* Do L-E-S-S
That’s it. DO LESS.
I want to keep the calendar opened. I want to read under the tree. I want the kids to be underscheduled and relaxed. I want to eat on the patio and play board games with my husband. I want to listen to free music shows in the park. I want to relaaaaaaaaaax!!!!!!! Tired of the busyness.
JD says
That’s an ambitious bucket list but I hope you can get it all done.
My list:
1. Last year I tried to get my closet organized. I started well, but finished very poorly. I’d like to make another start, and maybe even finish it this time.
2. All the shelf supports in my kitchen cabinets are plastic, and they are rapidly approaching 20 years of age. Before I hear all my dishes crashing to the floor one night, I want to replace all the supports with metal ones. This is a big job — I have cabinets all the way up to our 10-ft. ceiling and of course, I’ll have to stand on a ladder to empty, clean, and re-fill each overhead cabinet.
3. Find a paint to match the downstairs bathroom paint — I found out I’ve used up all I’d saved from when the bathroom was first painted. I had to move a towel hook — it didn’t have all of its screws in a stud and fell down — and now I discover I have no paint to cover the patch of the old holes. Either that, or re-paint the entire room. I’d rather find a good match.
4. This is a bit of a cheat, because I KNOW I’m doing this one, but I wasn’t sure I was going to, until January. I’m returning to Guatemala on a mission trip– leaving this weekend! — after making my first trip last year. My husband’s health issues are taking more and more of my time and our money, so this may be the last trip for me.
Deb says
Ok, that’s weird, my sister in law and niece are going on a mission trip to Guatemala this weekend.
JD says
I’ve discovered that a LOT of mission trips go to Guatemala. Due to many factors beyond their control, there is a large portion of the indigenous population that lives in pretty rough circumstances. It’s not from lack of hard work, either — these people are workers. We saw several mission groups while we were there last year, just in the area we were in. No telling how many are visiting throughout the country.
Chris says
Oooh…bucket lists!
1) We incurred some super high medical and medical-related bills last year so that is our focus this summer. Well…for the whole year, maybe. 13k+ down, 6k to go. Ugh. Lots of extra economizing going on.
2) I painted and decaled my son’s room in a Star Wars theme this winter, but I haven’t done the stars or the giant Kylo Ren decal yet. I have them, at least.
3) Finally convinced my younger two boys to take swim lessons. We have some kind of congenital fear of water going on. Not a great thing at all and consequently I am terrible at teaching them how. So..every Wednesday and so far they love it! I’m so excited for them!
4) Lots of front porch sittin’. It is shady, has a great view of the garden, there is a glider and it gets a nice breeze. Heavenly.
5) We have a business and I run the office and work in the field part-time. This spring was crazy and the office shows it. That needs to be dealt with.
6) We have committed to two hiking day trips this summer. Last year we didn’t do one, very sad, so just one would be better.
Ms. Frugal Asian Finance says
This is such a great list of exciting things to do for this summer! Sounds like you are pretty hands-on with home repairs and maintenance. I was also a bit surprised to see a dark red wall. I had no idea it was a thing 12 years ago. Now I’d also prefer a lighter and brighter paint color too.
3 months for so many activities. That’s definitely something to look forward to!
Lily | The Frugal Gene says
Photo book is a great idea! I thought about putting one together a long time ago but darn just never got around to it. This is why I think everybody should have these lists.
I learned a new word today, “soffit” had no idea what that was
kristin @ going country says
A tip of the hat to anyone who is willing to paint as much as you do. One of my least favorite house things . . .
Bobi says
I agree. I’m a reluctant painter. Kristin, have you considered replacing your wood soffit with vinyl? Best money we ever spent, but that’s obviously coming from a reluctant painter!
Kristen says
That IS a very good idea, but we have several more pressing home improvement projects that are first in line.
I figure my paint job will hold up for a good number of years, so it feels worth it to me. If I had to redo it every year, I’d be doing vinyl now!
Kristen says
There are a lot of house things that drive me nuts, but painting is ok by me. I’m pretty good at it, so I don’t feel overwhelmed or incompetent, and that helps a lot.
Karen. says
Another high five here. It stresses my patience and that’s why I don’t care for it.
WilliamB says
All the wood trim in my house needs repainting but dear ghu, I donwanna. The thought of all that taping and finicky care: bleck. OTOH, the thought of paying someone all that money for something as simple as painting, which even my incompetent self can doL also bleck.
So it waits, down near the bottom of the house fix list.
Kristen says
Yes. The taping is so annoying to do. Could you listen to podcasts or something while doing it to help make it more entertaining?