A little summer bucket list check-in
I needed to look at my list again...I'd sort of forgotten a few things on it!
1. Declutter the house from top to bottom, one room at a time.
I started on this, but only a little bit. I did part of Joshua's room and also my linen closet.
It's amazing how bad things get in a year.
2. Go swimming or have waterplay (sprinkler, slip n slide) more than once a week.
I am doing fabulously with this goal. In fact, I've exceeded it most weeks!
3. Arrange sleepovers, since this is easier to do in the summer.
Joshua had a several-day sleepover with Thomas, but I need to arrange some for the girls.
4. Make homemade slushies with the kids.
Yup!
5. Visit the library at least every other week.
Yup again...we've been faithful library patrons.
6. Go camping again.
No. Because it's too stinking hot.
7. Write an ebook about keeping Christmas simple.
I, uh, haven't started on this.
8. Order school curriculum for the coming school year.
Nope.
9. Make a fire in our backyard fire pit and roast marshmallows over it.
Nope. Again, too hot. Who would want to make a fire right now??
10. Sell/give away the extra electronic junk we have in our office.
No.
11. Teach Zoe to ride her bike without training wheels.
Also too hot for that.
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.
Now this I could do in the heat!
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.)
Yes! I did that in June, so now I need to write a July letter.
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!)
Ooh. I'd kinda forgotten about this. What an excellent idea for a hot day.
15. Make a spur-of-the-moment trip to go get ice cream cones.
We did get spur-of-the-moment slushies. But those are not as good as ice cream.
16. Eat breakfast at the pier.
Too hot.
17. Visit a pick-your-own farm.
Too hot.
This seems to be a theme, no?
18. Maaaaybe paint my kitchen cabinets. Still hemming and hawing on this one.
Yes. Still hemming and hawing.
19. Tackle my pile of clothes that need to be mended/modified/dyed.
I did start on this! I mended a towel and washcloth and took care of two pairs of shorts for Lisey.
20. Get outside to enjoy lovely summer evenings.
There haven't really been any of those recently! But if the heat breaks, then we will get ourselves outside.
Looks like you are getting the sun we should have but aren't, as well as your own. It's so very wet over here in England and humid too, although not hot.
J x
Too hot for us here in Kansas as well. Most days well over 100 degrees. Yech. Hard to be motivated for anything really.
I vote for painting your cabinets! My mom has been considering painting hers and I think she needs to. Time for an update. Some before and after pictures of yours may be just what she needs to convince her. I know several people who have taken that particular plunge and loved the results.
Painting kitchen cupboards takes a lot of thinking about. I painted ours white from brown and after six months, they don't look too great - and I'd taken care to research and prepare them properly - sanded them, washed them, primed them and used Benjamin Moore paint. I found that splashes don't wash off perfectly so there are stains, and there are some chips. It was a lot of work and difficult to do with children. Would you be able to take them all off and put them somewhere away such as the garage to work on them?
I am WITH YOU on the "too hot" thing. It's SO hot on the East Coast! I gardened for 10 minutes at 7:30 this morning, and I was sweating!
What a beautiful picture of the seldom-seen Lisey!
We are super hot here too. But we have our own pick your own berry patch and I wouldn't have been out there if it hadn't been our farm! 😉 You are doing great and it is nice to see there are still things to fill the rest of the summer.
You have inspired me to get my list written and monitor my progress. I have definate goals and seem to need the reminder to accomplish these productive and fun things! 🙂 Now...to find a piece of paper and pen
This heat kinda takes the wind out of our sails, doesn't it?!
Thanks for the reminder! My number one thing to do this summer is spend more time with my kids. And plan a small family vacation (still need to get to that!)
There is an ice cream place near where we used to live that is amazing and VERY inexpensive. I so miss that place.
I took your idea for a 'summer bucket list' and made one of my own, but I haven't checked my progress yet.
But I had a great idea for you! left over from when my kids were young enough to appreciate stuff like this...
Instead of s'mores over a fire-see if you can get the marshmallow and the chocolate to melt in the sun! Put it on a metal cookie sheet (you may need a pot holder when you're done!) and see how long this intense heat takes to melt it. A variation of 'frying an egg on the sidewalk' . (My older son tried this years ago-I don't recommend it!) Happy Summer!
I have to agree on every item you listed as "too hot." It has been BRUTAL. You're doing a fine job on your list at the halfway point!!
We don't use fahrenheit here is South Africa, but where we stay in Durban on the east coast of SA summers are HOT and HUMID - with 35 plus ( that would be in the high 90's Fahrenheit for MONTHS and hen we get to add in the humiture which sometimes takes us to well over 100! And we do school (and we don't have AC in all schools!), school sports like tennis and cricket in summer!! .... I love it when autumn comes around and the temps drop off...although at a low we don't drop much below 60 degrees at our coldest in Durban!
I can so empathize..... I feel like a blimp and want to vegetate inside with the AIRCON during summer much to my chidren's amazement (who never quite seem to feel the heat like adults)......sometimes even the beach and pool are just too much as the sun's rays seems to scorch your bare skin no matter what SPF you have on..... By the way, hope you remember the sunscreen on those beauties of yours! I find the best is to wait till the sun has gone down, have a evening dip in the pool and barbecue (we call it a braai) - while still in costumes and wet hair! 🙂
Thanks for sharing the summer bucket list idea ... I love it! Even though we're almost halfway in, I'm making one of my own.
A note on the heat ... I feel your pain, but kiddos really don't mind the heat so much most of the time. I live in Texas, and 95-100 is a pretty typical summer day at our house. If we avoided outdoor fun in the warm weather, we'd never have any summer fun!
When we have outdoor activities planned, we get up extra early and do them first thing, then save the afternoons for reading, library, errands and swimming. Just a thought ...
I'm with Joy on this one... it is so humid and wet here, all be it, I'm in Scotland. Love your very ambitious bucket list. I have a list, a long one that stands no chance of being done with a teething, screaming baby, so I'm in survival mode at the moment. I'd really like to get back to that list though. 🙂
Hi! I had to comment after I read #18. I attempted starting to paint my cabinets nearly a year ago and it still isn't finished. I have added the task to my summer to-do list also. My husband was recently laid off from his job so I am hoping with the extra set of hands in the house we will be able to finally get the job done before we host our little one's birthday parties - both of which are in August.
Good luck to you if you decide to tackle it. I have decided that once we do get started I am going to blog about as a way to somewhat hold myself accountable and get it done. =)
Yeah, my summer goals were pretty much amended, the last two weeks, to "Don't die of heat stroke, or let the kids die of heat stroke." We managed that.
I haven't started on my list yet, but have a feeling there will also be a theme to mine. Yours is 'Too Hot', mine will be 'Too Wet'...
What curriculum do you use for your children's homeschooling? We've been homeschooling for several years and I am looking at using something different this year.
Thank you
This hot weather is impossible. Summer is good for completing all things you couldn't to in winter time, but then it gets so hot you can't move an invh without getting all wet and sweaty (sorry about that, but it's true...). I wish us some nice cooler days, and some fresh spring breeze.
Re: # 18 - I debated for two years about painting my kitchen cabinets. I researched every blog post I could find about it, and every product recommended. I decided I could start with the guest bathroom vanity, as it's the smallest cabinet and would take the least amount of time.
Last week, I started painting my kitchen WALLS. Now I don't need to paint the cabinets! My house has builder's "greige" everywhere (yes, it is as ugly as it sounds), and I chose light aqua for my kitchen walls. I have 2 walls done, and I can't stay out of my kitchen. It's beautiful, really a color I've always wanted to use, but always opted for safe neutrals instead. Even the cabinets look good against it. This is the right choice for me! It's going to take me longer to get it done due to some physical problems, but I don't mind a bit.
You might want to think about making the big color change in your kitchen in a different way.
It's so beautiful! Reminds me of the Isle of Capri.
Love it. I'm keeping a "best summer ever" list of things that are going right. It's a good reminder to check in and see what I'm doing to enjoy myself - and what I'm doing to help my kids enjoy themselves too. In the heat we were sometimes swimming twice a day!