Every summer, I make a list of fun & practical things I want to do before summer “kicks the bucket”.
On my Facebook page, I asked if I should share my summer bucket list posts like I usually do, and 100% of the respondents said yes.
So! Here I am.
Cook with my kids.
I’m not sure how much this will happen with Joshua and Lisey, given that they’re often working at dinnertime. But I can at least do this with Sonia and Zoe, whose schedules are significantly less cluttered. 
They’re both anxious to get into the kitchen anyway, so this will be fun for them.
To make this specific and measurable, I’m going to say I’ll do this twice a week.
Go see (3?) movies at the theater.
The theater isn’t a place we go often, but I’m thinking we could probably go see three over the summer, especially if some of the ones we want to see make their way to the $3.50 theater before summer is over.
I’ll keep checking the listings every week!
(My kids have mostly outgrown the fare offered, but if you have younger kids, check out Regal’s $1 Summer Movie Express. Super cheap theater seats! Not affiliated.)
Keep Sonia and Zoe supplied with books.
Both of them are pretty voracious readers, and I’d like to encourage that by keeping our library basket full of new stuff for them to read.
Make photo books.
This is rather vague and not-measurable, I know! So, let’s fix that.
I’d like to make one for September-December 2016, and then one for January-June 2017.
My last book ended in August of 2016, and though there are gaps before that book, I figure the best thing is just to pick up where I left off most recently and get my last year or so of photos into books.
Get Joshua and Lisey squared away for college classes.
I’m gonna break this down into multiple steps so I can cross things off a bit at a time.
-Register Lisey online
-Take her in for a placement test
-Have her take a CLEP test for Spanish
-Sign her up for fall classes
-Buy books
Joshua’s already registered, so his list is shorter.
-Register for fall classes
-Buy books
Buy schoolbooks/supplies for Sonia and Zoe.
Since they’re both using mostly non-consumable books now, I shouldn’t have to buy a whole lot for them aside from the things I already bought during a curriculum sale online.
We don’t need a ton of supplies either, but I do want to keep an eye out for those spiral-bound notebook sales. We use a lot of notebooks for math alone.
Paint my kids’ bathroom.
It was a rather fluorescent green when we moved in, and I covered it over with some paint we had from when I painted the office (I was trying to find a taupe color but ended up with kind of a green. And I had extra, so using it for the bathroom was free.)
It could really use repainting by now, and since I wasn’t ever a huge fan of the greeny/gray color to begin with, I think I’m going to paint it an actual gray.
Declutter my house.
Breakin’ it down:
-linen closet
-coat closet
-kitchen
-my room
-laundry room (THE WORST.)
-the under-the-steps closet (second worst thing)
-office
-downstairs entry area
-living room (not a lot in there, but I’ll give it a once-over)
-Sonia and Zoe’s room (they’ll just need a little help)
Joshua and Lisey can handle their rooms on their own…the only thing I’ll do there is to go through the toys/games that are stored in Joshua’s big closet. Lisey’s closet has a bit of communal storage in it too, and I plan to look through that.
Make new chore lists.
Since Joshua and Lisey will be working and taking college classes, I’m going to have to seriously rethink what this will look like.
I do want them to still contribute around here, because as adults, they’re going to have to work/go to school and take care of household tasks.
But on the other hand, if they’re not here at breakfast, I can’t really assign them the task of unloading the dishwasher.
I’ll figure it out!
Make lemonade from scratch.
One of my Cook’s Country magazines has some fun lemonades in it, and I think Sonia and Zoe would enjoy making a batch or two.
Do random fun things as they occur to me.
I have no idea what these will be, but I’ll report back after the fact!
___________
Alrighty! Like I always say, if I finish all of this stuff, I can always add more.
But I’m not sure that’s ever happened…I usually give myself enough stuff to do on the first bucket list draft.
I’ll do a bucket list progress post at the beginning of each month, and since it’s already late June, the first update will be pretty soon.
Beth says
1. Paint every room in my house, hallway included (I’m currently waffling between white and gray, but we’ll eventually be renting it, so I’m thinking white.
2. Finish decorating LO’s room. When he was born, I told my husband I wasn’t doing a nursery and that he was in charge of the baby’s room. Now that we’re into the toddler stage, it’s driving me crazy.
3. Finish the decor projects I have for our living room/dining room.
4. Declutter our house (specifically the bedrooms, laundry room, all closets, and kitchen)
Beth says
Also,
5. Clean balcony area (basically our front porch) and grill
Lance @ My Strategic Dollar says
That’s a heck of a list! I bet it’ll feel really rewarding when it’s all done!
Amanda says
I am so interested in the K-12 to college transition you all are working on here. I had the much more standard division between high school ending in June and then moving to a four year college the next fall. I think there are merits to both approaches. Could you talk a bit about what that transition looks like for you all?
Kristen says
Sure! Could you give me some more specific questions to answer? Are you wondering about what this is like academically? Socially? Something else?
Jenelle says
If needed, I can also help with this question. I work at a college with the incoming freshman.
Mrs. Picky Pincher says
I love the bucket list! That’s tricky with two of the kiddos being out of the house so much. Maybe have them help out in lunch / afternoon when they’re at home? That’s a toughie.
This summer I’m hoping to swim at least once. Otherwise, I don’t have much of a bucket list myself.
Ms. Frugal Asian Finance says
Wow this is such a great list! I like that you always have great plans for your kids whether it’s doing chores, cooking, or getting more education. One of my goals for the summer is to learn how to cook from my mother-in-law before she goes back to China in a couple of months. I desperately need to improve my cooking skills!
Gladys Starkey says
A very productive list! One of my summer goals is to declutter all our closets and get rid some of our girls’ toys that they no longer play. I’m also planning to take them to the public pool in town even though our girls prefer swimming in their “little pool” at home. They haven’t gone to a movie theater yet but hopefully this summer will be their first.
Lance @ My Strategic Dollar says
Wonderful list! I personally see about 3 movie per month so I’d crush that goal! Love the focus on cooking with your kids, I bet that’s a messy amount of FUN!
Britt says
I want to make homemade lemonade some time!! Be sure to share what you’re making!
Our bucket list is very short – Find some rest. And have some fun. We’ve been running short on both lately!
Ellen says
so far on mine is,
1) paint the kitchen and living room, small hallway. (not sure if I will get to my room or not)
2) DE clutter the basement, (this is a big chore, so we are going to do it in stages, a little bit at a time!)
so far that is it,
I just spoke to the kids the other day, that we need to make a bucket list. They seemed excited!
Amanda says
My summer list is all about decluttering this year! Looking forward to it!
Please don’t take offense to this, but have you considered having your two college bound children do most of those tasks on the college list, especially things like registering online and buying books? Or at least have them attempt it and then ask for help if needed?
Adriana @MoneyJourney says
Oh m gosh this is such a wonderful idea! I wanna make a summer bucket list myself! Thanks for the idea!
Of course, mine would include going to the beach and visiting various destinations I haven’t seen yet. This sounds like so much fun!
stacy says
Bow-Tie Cinemas is also doing a FREE movie special on Tuesdays & Wednesdays….looks like limited locations in the Northeast, but one is nearby. Yay!
Bobi says
My favorite part of your list is your home improvements which seem kind of limited this year. They always inspire me!
Will you be passing on your awesome bread making skills to your kids?
I don’t make lists, I just live vicariously through others’ lists.
Jenessa says
An ambitious list as always! Would you consider doing a how to post on painting a room? I know there are a ton of them online already, but you do such an excellent job on your how to posts! And, um, some of us have never actually painted a room in our house despite being well into our adult lives.
Angela says
You always have such a great list of things to accomplish over the summer. I will watch you scratch off things from your list while I do NOTHING all summer long.
Well, we do stuff like staying up late, eating whatever we want, swimming, travelling a lot, sleeping in late….stuff like that. I don’t plan on getting much work done around the house. I know that for you it’s easier to do things in the summer since you home school, but it’s much easier for me to do stuff when the kids are in school. I spend as much time with them as I can when they are home just doing fun stuff. Have a great summer!
Jean says
I am the grandparent living in the in-law and will be returning from a cross country trip soon. I found some great ideas to do with the grandchildren.
We collected Jr. Ranger booklets at all the national parks we visited. So I am hoping to do that, especially with the almost 6-yr-old. She can incorporate her Magic Tree House Book collection into this.
Take them to the local national parks
There is a sewing program called Row by Row Junior (rowbyrowexperience.com) for kids ages 6-14. I’ll take her to the local quilt shop to look into this
Yes, I think I will declutter
I’ll check out the Regal offer in our area, especially on hot days
Battra92 says
I think my summer list is “survive.”
Well, that’s not really true. I’ve been finishing up a basement project which at this point just means furnishing the place and sorting and moving and decluttering and a lot of other less than fun things. Still, when it’s done I’ll have room to hang out and my daughter will have some new areas to play.
At least I have the majority of the home improvement stuff done. I just have a small amount of painting to do and a couple of network wiring jobs and then I’m done.
I also want to take my daughter to a few places. There’s some good museums and parks and fun things that are free within an hour or two hours drive from us so we’ll probably get a bunch of those.
Marsha says
Love your bucket list. My daughter asked to ride a horse last summer and it just didn’t work out. She asked again last night.
I want to take her to Gettysburg, less than 2 hours away from me. They are starting with the Civil war in August when she goes back to school and I think seeing history will make it more interesting for her. She says she hates history and that breaks my social studies teacher heart.
3. We are going to Corning NY to the Glass museum and will make our own piece of glass. My mom is taking the 4 granddaughters, my sister, my dad and I. Kids and teens are free and with our AAA membership each of our tickets are discounted too.
4. Vbs is This week
5. Swimming is a must. She’s gone twice already and is planning on going again on Sunday.
6. We’re going to Texas for a week to the international Key Club convention. She’s never flown, nor have we ever visited Texas before. Plus it’s ICON, and her second.
7. Movies at the drive ins
8. A day or two track side with hubby.
And at least one day at Knoebels, our local free admission, free parking amusement resort.
Carla says
I just got back from a trip to Gettysburg a couple weeks ago. My nephews, ages 8 and 11, were along on the trip. They liked doing the Jr. Ranger program. Their favorite part was Devil’s Den (big boulders that they liked climbing on). They aren’t crazy about history either, but one said, “Ok, I have to admit. *This* is cool.” regarding Devil’s Den.
Linda says
My summer bucket list:
1. Paint master bedroom.- done
2. Redecorate granddaughter ‘s room. – in progress
3. Paint kitchen, hallway, and breakfast nook.
4. Reupholster outdoor cushions.
5. Read 6 books.
Christie says
Kristen, I would love if you shared what all your chore lists look like. My kids do all the chores I assign them but I always end up with a messy kitchen at the end of the night. I need to rethink things.