My bucket list did not go well this year.
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.
For the first time since I started making these lists, I got no painting projects done!
WHO EVEN AM I?
But it's ok. I only have two kids that I'm homeschooling now, which means that it's quite possible I could knock out some painting in early fall. We'll see.
(If you're new, you can see my previous painting projects here!)
Register Lisey and Sonia for fall classes.
I did do this! Lisey's college classes have started, and Sonia's tutorial starts next week.
Declutter my house. (consider this half-heartedly crossed off)
I did take a big vanload of stuff to Goodwill, and I freecycled some things. But I did not systematically go through my house like I usually do, from top to bottom.
Get out to a park with friends every other week.
Nope. But I have gone with Sonia and Zoe, so there's that.
Install the bike rack on my van and take Sonia and Zoe biking.
Crossing this off since I'm going to install the bike rack today. For real! Like, I have it out right by my van in the driveway and I am totally going to put it on today.
There's no time like the present. 😉
Paint my bedroom.
Nope. It's still red, red, red.
Paint the soffit in front of the house.
Nope. It's still dirty and peeling.
Have a picnic once a month.
I don't think we had an official picnic at all. But we have eaten outside quite a bit, on the deck, and around the fire pit.
Go camping on a clear night.
We didn't manage to go camping, but it appears that the park where Sonia really wants to stargaze allows you to stay after close without camping, as long as you get permission.
So, I'm going to call and see if we can get permission to stargaze!
Make a photo book.
Yes! I did this, and I got pretty far into making a second one.
Read on the hammock every possible day.
I didn't do this EVERY possible day, but I got out there pretty often. So, I'm crossing it off.
Make my deck more habitable.
I did nothing to my deck. Maybe this fall!
(photo from when I initially painted the deck)
Do something random and fun each week.
This one I actually did pretty well on with Sonia and Zoe. For example, we've....
- gotten slushies
- gone to see movies
- had multiple sleepovers with friends
- gone swimming tons of times
- put together puzzles
- eaten ice cream
- gone shopping at fun places like candy stores
- taken a road trip to Ohio to visit our friends
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So.
I might not have gotten a lot of productive things done, but I did hang out with my girls a lot, especially with Sonia and Zoe. I can always paint later. 😉
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How was your summer? Did you spend it the way you planned to?
(unlike me!!)
Thank you for this post. I didn't get half the things I wanted to done this summer but the world did not come to an end and I did spend time with people I love. Maybe de-cluttering was meant to be done on a cold and snowy day instead?
You know, you have a point. Or maybe it's good on a blustery, gray snow-less day, which is more of what we get here!
I din't have a list but I think you did all the things that you and your loved ones will remember. I give you a total win on your summer, you did great.
I traveled a lot and saw my grand daughter twice. The second time I got to spend a whole week with just her; no parents!! Granted she’s not even 2, but we had fun. Well maybe I had fun!
I did some scrapbooking, but I didn’t finish painting either. Oh well!
I'm still trying to figure out why summer got away from me and just what I ended up doing most of the time. We did take a trip to see my in laws back in June and I did have a wedding trip last weekend. So what I did in the middle is a mystery I guess.
I did terrible on my list 🙁
The one thing I did do was eat summer/farm market fresh foods and grill out frequently.
But that is about it !
I did not get many of the things done that I wanted to, but I have a list for September! I did take off all of the Fridays in July, which was good, and we took a few day trips. Part of my problem was that it was unusually humid in my area this summer, and that just saps my energy and desire to do any sort of even slightly "physical work" like decluttering. I was, however, able to sell a mattress and box spring we could not use, and get rid of seven old tires. Looking at my September calendar, I am confident that I can get my list done, if only it gets just a little cooler....
I didn't get all -- okay -- most of my personal bucket list done, but my husband and I got a few things done we'd needed to do, and that, at least, was good.
For myself, I did go through my closet and sell some clothes to ThredUp, I am a bit over half-way through on a painting project I had planned, and I got some reading done, but not as much as I had wanted.
I had a great trip to Guatemala, which was planned through my church, so not so much "me" doing it, but still, I did it.
I think your fun and spontaneous trip to Ohio made this a good summer, no matter what else you did!
I still can't believe summer is almost over! I'm feeling really sad right now. I'm not ready for the fall yet 🙁 I'm a bit excited about the holidays season, but not so much the cold and the snow. Oh well, I guess I need to find the best in every season then >_<
I'm with ya, I have a perpetual list that only loses items once in a while. We all prioritize, so the things that keep getting delayed reveal themselves as just not that important in many ways.
I make a "Summer Manifesto" each year and I've marked off about 75% of it. It's all fun things to do, so it's been a great summer!
Do's: a good amount of decluttering, lots of reading, a brewery /car museum/shopping road trip, a great engagement party for a neighbor's daughter, swimming/potluck with neighbors, got new glasses, crown for a bad tooth
Didn'ts: kayaking -- too hot too many days, biking -- too hot too many days. (Also, it seems that bad tooth gave me a low-level infection all summer!, further contribution to low physical ambition)
We're doing a couple of short local trips in the fall -- when the weather is cooler!
My list was in some ways VERY similar to yours. I got a lot done, including spending time with my daughter and installing the bikerack last weekend, finally. I painted some furniture, but no rooms and not the outdoor porch, though I did make it more habitable...
The grill I was given for free, which is starting to rank as an all time frugal-fail because of the rehab it needed, is *almost* ready to use. I want to be able to use it for fall grilling, since I couldn't use it this summer.
How fun!
Yes, I spent my Summer exactly as I planned: home with my newborn son 🙂 Hubby and I and our 20 month old daughter got a lot of family bonding time. Not exactly the beach time of our pre-kid days, but we plan to take the kiddos next Summer to our favorite place, Santa Cruz! 🙂
A newborn is a very good thing to spend a summer on. 😉
I don’t really make lists like this but last year I vowed to do lots of extra listening to live music outside. My hubby and I have been to many new venues for this. “They” say listening to live music adds 9 years to your life. We are going to live until we are 200. Lol.
I listen to a lot of music but boy, I'm not too good at getting out to live music events. You are going to outlive me!
Looks like your summer was a pretty good one, list be, uh, darned.
This summer was one for the books for me, for sure. I didn't have a list--not that I ever do--but I did manage pack up and move (twice, UGH) an entire household and six people cross-country, so I give myself MANY gold stars for that one. I feel like a very successful grown up now, and I have no idea how my mother did this so many times as a military wife.
I love how much you guys got outside this summer! It's unbearably hot in Texas in the summer, so it's tough to drag myself out into the 100+ degree heat as fun. 😉 I do need to make it a point to eat outside more. We're hoping to redo our lawn next spring and install a fire pit. It'll be so fun!
I'm happy with the way our summer went. Boy, it flew by, didn't it? I'm shocked that it's already pumpkin spice season. 🙂 I have just 37 days left of employment before I'm officially self-employed. I'm trying to enjoy it while I'm here, but some days all I want to do is quit lol!
I noticed how well you did this summer on the "have spontaneous fun" items. Since that's something you feel you generally don't well with, you should consider this list a great success.
This is a very good way to frame it!
I have never thought of making a "to-do" list for summer fun activities; what a great idea! Perhaps I'll be so inspired as to make one for the winter to help us get out from under the inevitable February Cabin Fever.
I like your choices of items for the list: get some stuff done around the house, do some fun stuff with kids and friends, spend some time on yourself. All of the most important things in the Trail of Happiness!
For the first time ever I did a summer bucket list and I was suprised at how it motivated me so well. The first week I got several things done, mostly because I made really tiny goals since I didn't know how I'd do with the whole process. All in all, I got about half the stuff completely donoe on my list and a few things part of the way done, and I removed a few things from my list when my husband's job threw some almost unexpected stuff our way. I'm doing it again for fall, and keeping the same social/fun goals that I had for summer (not my strength) with a few new things thrown in.
Your summer still sounds super fun! I didn't do as well as I hoped either. For example, I listed that I would go hiking 15 times, but I only went five. I also planned to see two local plays and two outdoor concerts. I saw the plays but not the concerts.
So, I planned a three month fall bucket list, to end Nov. 30! My first item is to do everything possible still left on my summer bucket list.
I'd say that's not a bad summer! You didn't cross off everything, but you crossed off a lot of really fun things with your kids and that's pretty awesome. 🙂
I got everything but ONE thing done from my list. I overhauled my episode-of-Hoarders-worthy basement, I cleaned out my laundry room, I organized all the cabinets, island, and shelves in my kitchen, I cleaned out my refrigerator, I cleaned out my closest, I donated a TON of stuff to Goodwill... The only thing I need to do is scrub off the fronts of my kitchen appliances, along with pulling out and scrubbing off the side of my oven. They're all dusty and grody looking from sitting out, but so many of my days are broken up by physical therapy right now (if my back had a face, I would punch it, for real), so that project and a lot of others are on hold until my time is my own (and my pain goes back to more normal levels). It'll get done. 🙂
Wow that's awesome, you did heaps; hope your back is better soon
I had a number of big things on my to-do list. I got a number of big things done. What's funny is how few of the big things done were on my to-do list, and how few of things on my to-do list got done.
I'm still in shock that you normally go through your house from top to bottom! I have been slowly decluttering for years now - with sporadic enthusiasm; sometimes very sporadic but I think I am getting to a stage where I really want a place for everything & everything in it's place; just not sure it will happen this year but I'll give it a good go. We are opposite to you guys; Spring has just started here which is lovely but I got lots that I wanted to do this winter. I haven't made a list before but I have been thinking I want to be really intentional about spending more time with the important people in my life & I have made a very good start with that - including more phone time & cards/letters to my nieces & nephews, & eating with friends.