a 2020 summer bucket list (such as it is!)
This summer is probably not going to be quite like any of us had anticipated.
Pandemics have a way of interrupting plans a bit. 😉
In fact, I hadn't even though about my annual summer bucket list until a reader emailed to remind me.
So.
Let's see what pandemic-friendly things I can come up with.
(And in case you are new here: every summer I make a list of things to do before summer "kicks the bucket". It's usually a mixture of fun things + practical things.)
Paint my bedroom.
This has been on my list for multiple years and I have still not gotten to it.
This is due not in small part to the fact that our bedroom is currently red/burgundy.
I am not very excited to work on covering that, although I know the new paint+primer combos do cover pretty well.
Also, I keep prioritizing the painting of my kids' rooms/furniture.
But no kid has any pressing painting project right now, so I think I will actually tackle the burgundy!
Paint Sonia's room.
I know I said no kid has a pressing painting project, and that's true.
Sonia's room is currently a medium gray, and it's not in terrible shape.
But it does have some areas that need to be repaired, and Sonia would really prefer a lighter gray color than she currently has.
So, AFTER I paint my room, I plan to paint hers (with her help, of course. I'm working on raising a bunch of "don't need whiskers to do that" girls. ;))
Declutter:
Not every area of my house needs a declutter this year, so I'll just list the ones that do.
- my bedroom (I can do this in conjunction with painting it and moving all the furniture)
- the under-the-stairs closet
- the laundry room (OF COURSE)
- the big bookshelf (I think there are things I can sell!)
- the old black dresser in Sonia's room
Take Sonia driving 5 days a week.
Is this ambitious? Maybe.
But summer seems like a really good time to make a dent in all the hours required before she gets licensed.
Get Sonia registered for college classes.
She's going to be a junior this year, which is when we've usually had our kids start taking some dual enrollment college classes.
I have to get her registered, get the homeschool paperwork done, schedule her placement test, help her choose classes, and buy the necessary books.
Do a donut run.
The local shop takes orders right on the sidewalk; very safe.
Go get ices/slushees.
7-11 is open, and sometimes an ice truck comes to our neighborhood ball field too.
Visit a food truck.
Sometimes one comes to our neighborhood, which would make this very easy!
Go on a long bike ride (or two) with Mr. FG.
The girls don't like biking much, but he and I do.
Do an unassisted chin-up.
I've been faithfully working at this three days a week, with bands. By the end of the summer, I think maybe I could do one without bands.
Plan friend get-togethers for Sonia and Zoe.
This is going to take more creativity than in years past, so I'm going to need to be intentional.
(maybe) visit our friends in Ohio.
Sonia and Zoe and I have taken a weekend trip there for the last two years, and we'd love to do that again.
But it will all depend on how things play out in the coming months.
What's on your summer bucket list?
(And if you blogged your bucket list, feel free to drop your link in the comments.)
Camp out in the backyard
Get chickens! Done! We got cute Silkie chicks a few weeks ago since we won’t be going on vacation this summer.
Go to a drive in movie
Play lots of Pokémon Go
Use the fire pit for s’mores
Find some natural places to swim-no pool for us this summer:(
Go for ice cream to our favorite walk up ice cream store
Knock out a bunch of homeschool work with all the great free zoom classes offered over the summer
De litter the basement
Organize our books
Julia: Not sure if you meant "de litter" or "de clutter" the basement. I like the idea of "de littering" better, and may start using that terminology. I think my basement is more a collection of unnecessary litter than it is of cluttered things just not put away.
1.) Do a road trip vacation. We are actually doing this fairly soon. We're visiting my in-laws and they are in a state that is mostly open again (unlike the mostly dystopian hellhole I'm in.) So I am definitely looking forward to that.
2.) Get some painting done outdoors. I need to paint my outdoor railings. I don't look forward to stripping them, though.
3.) Get some doors replaced around the house including my main entry door. Unfortunately almost no one is willing to do this right now. I want to spend money but people won't take it!
4.) Have regular family get-togethers.
5.) Roadtrip to my favorite restaurant.
Hm, you've probably already tried them, but we just got a new front door put in through Home Depot... I'm sure it varies among different stores/areas, but if I guess they're worth a try if you haven't already. (The crew was happy to get the work, especially since it was pretty much outside, no real contact with us, and finished in @ 4 hours.) Good luck!
On my summer bucket list this year is...... nothing!
This Covid thing really slowed things (and us) down at home. Weirdly, since both myself and hubby are still working full-time and the girls are back in school since May 11th. The "go-go-go" pace we were operating at kind of took a big halt, and it's wonderful!
So I trully have nothing specific on my bucket list this year apart from enjoying my backyard, reading a lot of books, taking bike rides with the family and doing regular chores.
A-W-E-S-O-M-E!
Ps : I really like your red wall!!!
I agree with you Isabelle. I like the slower pace and am very happy to have my 19 year old at home with me since March. I am going to enjoy our family time together until he leaves to go back to Ohio State in early August.
Hi - we are thinking of dipping our feet into family biking but have no expertise at all in this area. Recommended bikes look like they are several hundred dollars! Would you recommend your bike brand? Could you share what you ride? This would just be for paved roads so nothing fancy needed.
Generally, my goals for any summer are to keep all animals, plants, and children alive and, ideally, flourishing. This summer is no different.
I do have to be more conscious of taking the time to do things like take the kids to the canyon or fishing, because those are not things that I personally like to do and I have to have my husband to do them. We get so wrapped up in all the outdoor work that needs to be done in the summer that it's very easy to forget that perhaps our children would prefer to do something other than watch Mom and Dad water and move fences for the sheep.
One of my goals is to get my husband to take all four children camping. I freely admit that is a purely selfish goal, because then I get a night by myself. 🙂
Kristin--time alone in your own home! Yes! I'm not sure that's selfish .... sanity makes moms better at being moms.
I am so excited to see your list!
My kid is stuck here with me overseas for the summer— every year of her life she has travelled back to our home country (Canada) to stay with her dad and grandparents, go to day camp at the local community centre, and just generally remember what it’s like to be Canadian.
Obviously, no such luck this year!
Your previous lists inspired me to have her make a list of her own for the summer and ease the sting a little...
Items include: buy ice cream cones from the ice cream truck, have picnics in the backyard, grow a fruit or vegetable in the garden and eat it, swim in a lake/river/ocean (no idea yet how that’s going to work...)
Summer bucket list:
1. Complete massive yard project. I'm so excited to plant native perenials instead of the boring evergreens that are rotting our wood siding and trim! And to have a deck that's all one level! And to have a yard graded to drain water away from the house instead of towards it!
2. Go swimming in the local lake and small pool in our backyard
3. Have picnics outside with the kids for lunches
4. Go on long bike rides every Sunday (for me)
5. Plan and execute rides to get my son up to his goal of riding 50 miles
6. Install shelving and cabinets (our new house has a LOT of space, but not a lot of usable storage! I need bookshelves, game storage, etc.)
7. Finish son's room - he still needs a bed and at least one bookshelf
8. Help daughter plan her room - I don't even know what she needs yet, but clearly she needs some additional storage.
9. Go camping in the back (or front) yard
10. Build a bonfire and make s'mores
11. Get the ice cream truck to stop and sell us ice cream! It keeps driving down our street without the driver or seller seeing us (driver looks at road, seller looks at phone). We have two families across the street from each other who want to give you money!
12. Get my canoe from my parents' house in OH. This is going to be a hard one - we live outside Chicago, and I'm not sure about the travel component.
Love the idea of a summer bucket list!
- Keep all of the flowers and vegetable plants alive
- Paint new front door and screen door
- Furnish/accessorize new outdoor deck
- Eat outside whenever possible
- Pick berries at local orchard
- Go out to eat once a week at recently re-opened local restaurants
- Stay somewhere for 2-3 nights on Lake Superior
We *must* finally make up our minds about what we're going to do with the house and then — whatever decision we make — start taking whatever steps are required. At the moment, the 4yo desperately needs to move out of the crib in the parents' room, and the 12yo desperately needs a room separate from his sisters. The cost and the logistics have put off this decision/work until the point of those "desperately"s. Do we move? Do we add on? Do we scrap everything and move to a parallel universe? Time will tell.
Houses are such big decisions! I feel for you.
Oh my, just like your bedroom walls, my bedroom closet shows up on my list basically every year. So, here it is again this year. The good news is that I've decluttered it, but I have to re-make it now, and that means emptying it and doing something with all those clothes and shoes and getting new shelving chosen and put in and... I need to breathe deep and just start.
I am also having trouble getting anyone to do some needed work at my house, so I'm with you Battra92 -- it's one of my goals, too. I'm rooting for you to have success.
Get some fencing replaced. We had trees removed and it turned out that some of them had grown into the wire fencing in our back yard and were pulling the fence apart as they grew. We will have to replace several sections. Also we need to make sure that doesn't happen again.
Put up a bird house my brother-in-law made for me. This is literally just run two screws in, but I can't decide where to put it.
Get to bed on time. This has been a real problem for me. I always have something else to do in the evenings that keeps me up "just a few minutes" more. I'm on my feet and busy from the time I get home until I go to bed, except for timeout to eat supper, but for my health's sake, I need to just stop and go to bed.
I understand the closet one! I'm not looking forward to taking everything out of my closet just for the painting (the inside of the closet is burgundy too. Sigh.)
You will be amazed at how much better you can see inside the closet if you paint it white or some other light color.
Yes! I am excited about that. We do have two overhead lights in the closet, but I can only imagine how much better they'll illuminate the closet once the walls are light.
I have been struggling to get to bed on time as well. Not because I'm busy, I just want to watch TV, play on my phone, or read. I need 8-8.5 hours of sleep so when I stay up late I'm dragging the next day. ♀️
I'm the same way if I stay up late; I just do not function very well on less sleep, so if I stay up late, I am just screwing myself over for the next day!
The main item on my bucket list at this point is get my daughter moved out of her apartment which is a couple of hours away. We're still working on the logistics of moving her mattress around three tight corners, into the elevator, down three floors and then up a half flight of stairs to the parking lot. It was in a box when we moved in.
I'm hoping for lots of early morning walks and picnics in the park as well.
This is not about a bucket list but I made your pizza dough recipe for dinner last night, it was delicious. My only question is can I half the recipe and do you think I would still have enough dough to make two thin crust pizzas? We are diabetics and can't eat all that dough. The dough rolled beautifully but way too thick even after making two full pizzas.
Yeah, I think you could certainly give that a try! Maybe roll out the dough a bit, and then let it rest for about 5-10 minutes to let the gluten relax, and then roll it out until it's nice and thin.
Let me know how it goes!
Just came to add: you can freeze pizza dough! It’s the best thing, we make a big batch and freeze it in individual balls. Take out of the freezer a couple of hours before you want to use it and let thaw at room temp.
1) Go for a walk with my husband every day. We had a tiny pandemic wedding (just the ceremony, in a field) so no honeymoon, but we've both been working from home, so we actually get to spend lots of quality time together, which is nice, and we're enjoying exploring our new neighbourhood.
2) Go for picnics--at least every other week.
3) Practice piano three times a week. My parents bought me a keyboard as a graduation present and I mean to use it!
4) Be able to hold a plank for one minute. I'm not in great shape and have joint problems besides, but I'm trying to strengthen my core in addition to actually doing my physio.
5) Sew a pair of pants. I have some non-fun sewing to do (masks, alterations) and some fun sewing (skirts! blouses! novelty pyjamas!) but I really want to challenge myself and make a well-fitting pair of pants.
My summer goal is to work on some more decluttering, organizing, and decorating as we get ready to bring our first kiddo into the world this November. Our house is on the small side, but not overly so, and we need to think about how this house will need to change for a mobile kid!
For your unassisted chin up, you might also consider adding isometric holds above the bar (just use something to jump a little so your chin is over the bar and hold yourself there as long as you can), and slow negatives (lower yourself as slowly as you can.) You might have to practice more than 3 times a week, but you can do this! Getting your first unassisted chinup is such a great feeling!
Hi, just a comment on the red wall painting project, because my bucket list is always the same: organize and purge! When we moved into our house 15 years ago there were 3 burgundy accent walls that I wanted to repaint. I got to the big one in the kitchen 10 years ago. I used one coat of primer, tinted to match my top coat (sky blue), and one final coat. The tinted primer alone fully covered the red. We ended up using paint & primer in one for the other walls recently and it took just as much paint, and I think that was only because it was a medium tone final color and high sheen. I’d recommend a tinted primer for your first coat rather than just a paint and primer in one, especially if you are going significantly lighter for your final color.
Thanks for the suggestions. I have a dark purple wall to paint and I was wondering about a tinted primer.
I love that you're still including fun items on your bucket list. Much needed this year I think.
1. Declutter a few places in the house (kids' rooms, garage, office area
2. Paint bathroom/hallway. One is too dark, the other is a yellow beige that is very dated.
3. Water play for kids
4. Teach daughter to tie her shoes
I need more fun things. It's tough this year.
We just did a bucket list item this morning! We live near Lake Michigan and the kids and I have an annual Breakfast At The Beach. We got breakfast from Tim Horton's drive-through and went to one of our wonderful lakefront parks. The weather was picture perfect ... there were 3 deer running along the dune and through the field when we got there .... the water level is super high so we sat on a bench overlooking the almost-non-existent beach and enjoyed the peaceful beauty. Sigh.
We are somewhat nervously keeping our plans to go to WY this summer--we have VRBO rentals in the Big Horn Mountains (read: not many tourists come here) and that seems safe to do but we are a little concerned about finding bathrooms along the way. Hoping for one or two small camping trips ... visits to the beach .... the occasional ice cream cone out (did this once already) ....
Not sure what to do about visiting the in-laws in Illinois--I'm kinda afraid if we don't see them this summer, who knows when we can again, as I'm expecting things to get worse again in the fall/winter .... but they are in their 70s and we are all trying to be careful about each other's health.
I feel like I'm a bit on tenterhooks--I don't want to make too many plans or be too emotionally invested in the plans we do make, as I know that things can change in a heartbeat.
We are really lucky, and have a vacation house on the Oregon coast (we are normally in northern California). We accomplished one big bucket list by driving up to Oregon & getting to the house. Now, we're able to work from there, and have the longest window at our vacation house than we've ever had before. We're going to use that time to get things done & have some fun:
1) Reorganize the kids room. This involves putting in a desk, reconfiguring the bunk beds, & getting rid of the changing table turned dresser. We bought it 15 years ago, and it's definitely done its job.
2) Like I did at our primary house, go through every item in the house. Every drawer, closet, etc. This one is particularly challenging, because we don't use thinks very often, but they come in handy when we're here. I have to be mindful of that.
3) Take the kids to fly kids
4) Lots of walks on the beach
5) Keep up my running routine
6) Have a few socially distanced neighbor get togethers (sitting outside in the street, in our own chairs, with our own drinks, at least six feet apart)
7) Use our pool a lot
8) Keep up with the veggie garden
9) Reboot my ebay sales, once we're back home
10) Stay calm & prep for the ongoing flux that's sure to come in August with the upcoming school year
Well, this was to be The Year of the Patio, so here goes...
Those Guys keep throwing sticks and branches on the patio to get them out of the way to mow, and this has been gong on for some time. I bought a fire pit (I bought the old one around 1990, so I think we got our use out of it) to put on the patio. Last week I worked on burning the sticks and getting rid of the leaves that had gathered in the pile. It turned out that there were more leaves than sticks, so it only took a couple of evenings. Then I swept everything, and pressure washing is next. All this because new patio furniture is arriving Monday! This has been on my list for THREE years!
Our daughter will be visiting from Maryland over Fourth of July weekend and That Man's birthday, so I'm getting ready for that.
We both had knee replacement surgery early last year (His is JUST about healed - long story involving an infection and FIVE surgeries), and we want to get our bikes out and go riding.
Hiking at a state park.
Food truck Fridays.
Free outdoor movies.
Free outdoor concerts.
I'm also decluttering the house - FUN. I've found FIVE harmonicas, so I've been kind of playing around with them!
So many things have been put on hold because I've been doing the home health care thing for 15 months, and now I'm getting things accomplished! So many closets! So much excess furniture! So much STUFF - LOL!
1. Clean out house. (Done)
2. Touch up paint (Done)
3. List house for sale in Savannah Georgia area (Photos Friday, live on Monday)
4. Buy new house in destination city in East Tennessee (In process)
5. Try to get moved before school starts August 5th
6. Breathe!
Yes, we're nuts!!
My list looks similar to yours...
1. Move out of Hawaii house
2. Move into temporary furnished apartment in Germany
3. Get a rental house in Germany and wait 6 weeks
4. Finally move in with all our stuff and hopefully get settled before the school year begins.
I love the United States and look forward to visiting this winter. We live across the street from the USA border in the pacific northwest of British Columbia. Our province has been excellent with social distancing, therefore we have very few cases of the corona virus. Dr. Bonnie Henry has given us all safe advice. My family will be continuing to practice social distancing and wear the appropriate protection. Our parks, washrooms and establishments are open. Flights between USA and Canada are also open for travel. The border for car travel is closed. Our children are back in school with the exception of the parents who choose to keep them at home. Gardening is a priority for us, as well as keeping supplies well stocked and we continue to offer emotional support to my daughter who has been laid off in her tenth year at Air Canada. Please support her on youtube theflightalista she is working hard as a fashion blogger . Kindly "subscribe, like, ring the bell". Thank you for inviting us to visit your wonderful country in the past years and sharing your great outdoor playground.
* One thing we have planned on my "life" bucket list is to visit Sleeping Bear Dunes on Lake Michigan. I've never been there and have wanted to for years. We have camping reservations for early August. I'm hoping we can keep them!
* Have the kids complete all levels of their summer reading programs for the city library and church library without doing a mad rush at the end.
* Complete my own summer reading program challenge for the city library.
* Have a yard sale!
* Read at least 3 books on anti-racism or implicit bias or ones to just learn about others who have different life experiences than me. I'm halfway through my first one.
* Go to the pool at least every other week.
* Meet my college roommate's baby! We've prayed for this baby for years and I missed her entire pregnancy thanks to the virus. Even if I have to make the long drive, then sit and see her from a distance without actually getting to hold her, I want to meet her! She'll be born next week.
* Plan fun things for our summer birthday kids. This was supposed to be my middle child's first year with a real birthday party, but I have no idea what's going to happen now. I also can't delay too long with making a decision, though. Even if we can't do a friend party, I want to do something fun.
Ruth T make sure if you do Sleeping Bear you also do the Pierce Stocking Scenic drive there. Such a beautiful area of Michigan.
Thanks! I'm writing that in my planner so I don't forget. 🙂
Ruth T, you will love it. The entire coastline in that area is beautiful.
For the first time in several years, I haven't made a summer bucket list. Your post has inspired me though!
1. Tent camping! It will be the first time we bring our 1.5 year old camping.
2. Pick fruit at local farms
3. Hike new parks in our area
4. Paint our 2nd bathroom, paint shelves in our basement, and paint wall in basement hallway
5. Do lots of vegetable gardening
Summer Bucket List of top 10...
1. Herb Garden
2. Flowers in Containers
3. Swim in the pool for exercise
4. Buy an Elliptical to drop the gym
5. Lift weights and end session with yoga
6. Shop sales for a new baby girl coming October 31, 2020
7. Try out a few new cocktails and sangria recipes
8. Plan a trip to see the changing of leaves in North Carolina
9. Make over my front entry
10. Expand on my indoor plant collection
I love this! Travel is out for us this summer, so I need to make the best of what we have at home.
1. Finish writing my book chapters. I am co-authoring an academic book for in-service and pre-service Spanish teachers. My chapters are very overdue and I need this book off my plate before I take on leadership responsibilities in the fall. It's not super fun, but it's #1 on my list.
2. Read my pile of 10-15 leadership, self-help, and anti-racism books. I am a quick reader, so the trick will be to not let myself get distracted from #1.
3. Go for walks at least 2x/week with our dog. We live near Houston where it is hot and awful outside during the day.
4. Declutter the kitchen/pantry, my home office, and my stuff in the garage. I'm letting go of getting my husband on board with decluttering right now because he has severe anxiety that leads to strife over letting go of things. I've decided to just be okay with that and focus on decluttering my stuff. We'll then focus on making sure that everything is stored neatly and easy to find.
5. Find a little time to work on some sewing/needlepoint projects.
6. Make a fun list with my husband so that we don't go bananas being at home together all of the time.
1. Keep the garden weeded. To that end, I worked out there for 2 hours today but I should be doing that twice a week. At least. We have a huge garden and parts of it are in three foot tall raised beds so even when my illness is acting up I can weed from my wheelchair.
2. Help the husband paint the new shed. I do bottom, he does the ladder portion.
3. Organize my yarns and give away stuff I will never use.
4. Have a (dreaded) garage sale. This is not just for us. A friend is downsizing and also lost her job when her employer went out of business, so will be needing money in a few months when her emergency fund runs out. She has never held a garage sale so we are going to do a joint one.
5. List stuff on Craigslist and local FB sales
6. I have card supplies and when a friend died her husband gave me her supplies. I need to organize them and make cards for upcoming birthdays.
Well, given that the Shelter In Place orders aren't fully lifted in my state yet, and cases are on the rise again, I'm going to take a different approach this summer. I'm not going to make a bucket list. I don't want to feel like I'm missing out on anything, nor do I wish to yearn for something I can't have or shouldn't do. This year, I'm just going to relax and take this new life as it comes. Maybe by the end of summer, I'll have done a few noteworthy things, but I'm not going to beat myself up if I don't. Let me add I'm not being critical of anyone else's plans. This is just the way I've decided to do me this summer.
I think that plan sounds perfect; and maybe what I would be inclined to do if I had no kids in the house. 🙂
My son will be a junior also and so far I’ve managed 50+ hours of drive time practice during quarantine. We just get in the car and drive to “nowhere!”
Oh wow, that's amazing!
We're still just driving around neighborhoods since we're only three days into the process. Heh.
The children and I came up with a summer bucket list for this summer as well! Although with four children ages 2 - 8 its more small, fun things like blowing bubbles, sleeping in the treehouse, going to ritas, go fishing, swimming, grilling pizza, roasting marshmallows, going to the park, bike rides etc.
Where do you sell your books?
Usually eBay, sometimes Amazon.
I planted a small garden this year. Have been working on gradually painting all old wooden outdoor furniture. As far as traveling and visiting friends ..all plans are on hold as the COVID 29 seems to be increasing nationwide. We live right outside Yellowstone Park but have not visited this year as the tourist are moving through as if all is normal..but it’s not...so we will take excursions outside of park as a couple. We miss the closeness of family and friends but are glad we at least live in a beautiful area where we can wait out this sad situation.
Thanks for the inspiration to make a bucket list! A lot of my ideas are all about preservation of our summer food harvest and making the most of my time with my kiddos!
wisconsinhomesteader(dot)weebly(dot)com/blog/summer-bucket-list
We are working on decluttering the basement. It was put on hold because Goodwill was shutdown and could not take donations. Fortunately Goodwill is now open for donations and open to shop.
Working on decluttering the garage.
Walking every day. We vary the place. Sometimes its in town. Sometimes its at one of the local parks.
Keeping the front covered porch nice. It has become an office for my daughters college intern job.