Although Pinterest is overflowing with summer bucket lists, I had a request (hi, Jess!) for our summer bucket list on the blog! While Pinterest is great and all, it often has totally unrealistic ideas or things that would cost at least $1 million dollars to accomplish. Well, in case you haven’t figured this out, we don’t have $1 million and I’m not a fan of unrealistic expectations.
I’m already struggling so much with the balance between letting my kids be bored and providing fun things for them to do. I want to be the fun Mom and live it up this summer. I want to look back and remember this as a summer that I gave my all- and my kids had a blast. But when it comes down to it? I just want to make dinner in peace, with no one talking to me. I just want to read a book of my own. I want to keep up with my blog and have a normal routine where we aren’t running around like crazy every single day.
So a few weeks ago, we sat down and wrote our summer bucket list. I had two guidelines:
- It had to be realistic (a bonfire on the beach is not realistic because we don’t have a beach)
- We could only pick 1-2 things that cost money, everything else had to be free
Heavenly’s Bucket List includes:
- Go to an Outdoor Festival (First Friday in Xenia, Yellow Springs Street Fair, Troy Strawberry Festival)
- Go on a road Trip (we will be headed to Michigan!)
- Have a water balloon fight
- Sleep in a tent (Lord help me)
- Go to a drive-in movie
- Go on a picnic
- Make a slip and slide
- Have a photoshoot with friends/family
- Complete a DIY project (slime…duh)
- Go up a tree
- Eat homemade popsicles
- Go to the zoo
- Make s’mores
- Build a toy boat
- Go Berry Picking
- Go Hiking
- Feed the ducks
- Read a book by the pool/river
Our agency requires that each child leave foster care with a scrapbook recording main events/happenings in their lives. So often when a child is in foster care, that part of their life is often a blank time with no pictures or memorabilia to keep. We will be making a scrapbook of each of these things for her summer with us. Unfortunately, I can’t share most of those pictures in this space.
Tera’s Bucket List includes:
- Learn to count to ten in Spanish (Heavenly speaks Spanish at home)
- Go to three playdates
- Pick Berries
- Visit Grandpa and Grandma (both sets, actually!)
My Bucket List includes everything on the above lists and then my own additions:
- Log 40 miles a month walking or jogging
- Establish a routine for the summer
- Finish 4 books a month
- Create a binder and daily FC journal (GET ORGANIZED WITH ALL THIS PAPERWORK TAKING OVER MY LIFE)
- Blog 3x a week
- Run 4 miles without stopping
- Attend a street fair/festival
- Spend time outside every day when the sun is shining
Our Daily Schedule:
6:30- Theo, Suzanne and Kiah up for the day.
7:00- Theo leaves for work, Suzanne blog and devotions time
8:00- Kids up, breakfast started (the kids can sleep in as late as they want, but so far nobody has slept past 8)
9:00- Reading and Morning School*
10:30- Mom does chores; Free Play Time**
12:00- Lunch
1:00- Rest Time (everyone in their own rooms!)
3:00- Afternoon Outside Time or Fun Activity***
5:00- Mom Makes Dinner, Free Play Time**
6:30- Dinner Time!
7:00- Family Time/Go for a Walk
8:00- Little Ones go to bed
9:00- Heavenly goes to room (can still stay up to read/play, etc)
*Due to the report card I received, there is no doubt that Heavenly needs be doing schoolwork over the summer. It’s been overwhelming to say the least, but I’ve finally thrown together some short activities that she can do everyday- reading, math and writing. Tera works on her alphabet during this time, too. I have a newfound mad respect for homeschooling Moms.
**Free Play Time is my nice way of saying everyone has to find their own thing to do so that Mama can get stuff done in peace and quiet.
***This Fun Activity usually involves going to the park, splash pad or some other item on our bucket lists. I know it’s only two hours of the day, but it’s the best I can do with all these varying ages and interest levels.
****We are REALLY limiting electronics time. We watch a movie as a family on Saturday nights and that is literally all the screen time Tera gets. Heavenly came from a home that has only ever watched TV, so we pretty much have cut it cold turkey. She gets one hour of computer time a day, and then we have been watching an hour of America’s Got Talent after the littles go to bed. I know it’s really hard for her to go without, but that is why I am trying to be so on top of planning other things to fill our days. Electronics can be SO helpful at times, but it’s just not necessary for us this summer. We’ve got plenty of other things to do!
Twice a week, Heavenly has visitation with her Mom for several hours in the morning and once a week we have a playdate with ladies from our church. Then, I kind of use the following list of things to fill up my day, but since they are all free (or nearly free), these are all optional and I just play it by ear.
- Vacation Bible School
- Fairborn Parks and Recreation Day Camps
- Library Events (soooooo. many events, I had to limit Heavenly and Tera to pick just two each week to potentially go to)
- Summer Reading Programs
(we are signed up for the Greene County Public Library and the Half Price Books one) - Local splash pads and pools/parks
- June Dayton Dozen (12 things to do around Dayton in June)
I think I might need a vacation from our summer. Anyone else tired from just reading that?
Having a schedule will help keep you sane! Yes, it sure does sound busy and by the time we get there the summer will be almost over. 🙁 when does school start back up?
I know! School doesn’t start until the 25th of August, but her summer school starts on the same day you get here. She has two weeks of that in the morning, then one week off and then back to school!
Suzanne! I love your summer schedule. We don’t have much of a routine in place, but it’s something I’ve thought about. This one seems like it’d be pretty easy to follow, as well! Great post! And I love the kids’ and your bucket list! Sounds so fun!