Monday, June 3, 2013

Our Recipe for Summer Fun


Last year I created a fun and comprehensive (outdoor and indoor activities, field trips, craft projects, food fun, philanthropic work, and science experiments) summer bucket list for the kids and me to tackle throughout June, July, and August. And while we enjoyed working our way through the list, it became clear early on that my compilation of activities would have been less stressful for me and more fun for the kids if 1) I'd made the list shorter and 2) I'd included Will and Hallie's input.

So last week I asked the kids what they wanted to do this summer. They came up with:
  • Go to Logan and Kendra's house at least once a week.
That's it, folks. Will and Hallie just want to play at Logan and Kendra's house. Stacey, I'll be dropping them off at 9am every morning.

Just kidding. Sort of.

With a little poking and prodding, the kids finally started thinking outside the playdate box and came up with quite a few good ideas. Many of the field trips, activities, crafts, experiments, and goals on this year's list were also on our 2012 list, either because they proved enjoyable for all of us the first time around or because we never actually got to them last summer. But the list also includes a few new ideas, as well as a couple of surprises the kids don't know about yet.

PLEASE don't fall in the water trap...
Field Trips
  • Schlitterbahn
  • Miniature golf
  • Children's museum
  • Zoo
  • Splash pad
  • Bowling
  • Chuckie Cheese
  • Movies (Epic, Turbo, Despicable Me 2, Monsters University, and Smurfs 2)
  • Farmers Market
  • The 19th Hole/The Yumons 
  • "Wicked" (Will and Hallie are ready for their first Broadway musical and both love the story behind Wicked, so this summer my mom and I are surprising them with a trip to see the touring company's Wicked in Milwaukee - I'm SO excited!)

This photo really sums up our 2012 garage sale.
Activities
  • Schedule weekly playdates
  • Have a garage sale
  • Set up a lemonade stand
  • Camp in the backyard
  • Catch a fish
  • Play the license plate game
  • Fly kites
  • Eat popsicles at the beach
  • Read Charlotte's Web out loud

Cooking/Baking
  • Jello worms
  • Pigs in a blanket
  • Watermelon cupcakes
  • Sunflower cupcakes
  • Lemonade popsicles

Goals
  • Graduate to a karate yellow belt (Will)
  • Go off the diving board (Will) 
  • Water ski (Will)
  • Swim one full length of the pool (Will)
  • Swim in general (Hallie)
  • Pierce ears (Hallie)

    Tom and I have a joint summer bucket list of our own that includes accomplishing a couple of home- and yard-improvement projects, meeting work deadlines and pursuing new work opportunities, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. But I've decided that my ultimate summer goal is to RELAX, have fun, and enjoy my rugrats while they're still little and WANT to spend their summer vacations with me.

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