Making Memories: a Summer Bucket List Alternative

I've mentioned a few times throughout the last three or so years that we no longer do summer bucket lists. They work for some families, but made me feel stressed and anxious, which is surprising given how much I enjoy (and require) working from regular to-do lists in my day-to-day life. Instead I just try to find - for myself and for the kids - a somewhat happy medium between scheduled and unscheduled, together and alone, movement and rest, engagement and boredom, structure and chaos. Some days we do succeed beautifully. Some days we fail miserably.

I follow Emily Ley - the founder of the Emily Ley Simplified Planner and the Simplified brand - on Instagram, and last week she shared that she too opted to forgo the summer bucket list. In its place, she decided on a summer memory list: "Do the fun thing. Write the fun thing down. Pressure off."

I could not love this plan more.

So from here on out, we'll hang a summer memory list on our refrigerator and a collection of pretty markers (because pretty markers make everything more fun) nearby, and when we enjoy a summer activity, we'll write it down on our list. I can't wait to, at the end of August, look back at our summer memory list and appreciate all of the fun we had, rather than look back at our summer bucket list and worry about all the fun we didn't have.

Want to try this refreshingly simple approach to summer with me? Let's start making memories!

So far so good!

All the pretty markers... 😍