Thursday, August 1, 2013

Summer Bucket List Update


Back in June, I posted our Summer Bucket List.  Since today's Finish the Sentence Friday prompt is "My bucket list includes. . . ' I thought I would take the opportunity to give you an update on how we are doing with our Summer Bucket List!  Overall, I think we are doing great and we have crossed off a lot of stuff.  We have about three weeks to see what else we can get to before the girls go back to school!  (Yes, I really did just say 3 WEEKS!!!)  Here goes:

Go To The Beach
Done!  See the evidence here.

Get Sunset Slushies
Done!  This is a place at the beach where they make a very unique slushie/Italian Ice that the girls love!

Take a trip to a new city
Not yet.  We had planned to take a trip in July, but just got too busy and it never came together.  A trip to another state is probably out of the question now, but maybe we can go somewhere new that's a little closer.

Go to the new Science Center Aquarium
Done!  Our local science center opened a new aquarium in July and we went a couple weeks ago.  We saw penguins, sharks, otters, and touched some rays!  It was lots of fun!

Go to the Zoo
Not yet!  The first few weeks of summer break the girls had camps and then we went to the beach.  After that, it rained for three weeks straight and then it got hot.  IF there is a not-so-hot day during the next three weeks we might do this one (but summer in NC is not likely to yield many not-so-hot days!)  We did see the outdoor animals at the science center when we went, so I guess we can count that if we don't make it to the big zoo~

Go Swimming
We've done plenty of this!

Have sleepovers
Yes!  The girls have slept in each other's rooms, they all shared a room with their cousin for a week at the beach, we spent a few nights at my parents, Rachel is having a birthday slumber party tonight, and Megan & Emily are going to sleep at my in-laws with their cousin!

Watch 4th of July Fireworks
Done - Finally!  On the actual 4th of July it rained.  A week later, we went to a minor league baseball game and planned to see fireworks afterwards, but it rained again.  A couple weeks ago, the same team had a Christmas in July promotional game complete with Santa and Fireworks! And. . . .it didn't rain!  We watched great fireworks with Christmas music playing in the backgournd. :-)

Go to a Grasshoppers baseball game
Done!  See Above - 

Mom & Dad date night
Done!  Last week, we left the kids with my in-laws and went out to a wonderful dinner and then went birthday shopping for our two August birthday girls.

Go to Blowing Rock
Done!  Read about it here!

See Monsters University in the theater
Done!  We did this on a rainy day at the beach.  (I was not impressed and Megan cried through most of the movie!  Glad we didn't put any other movies on our bucket list!)

Plant an herb garden (Rachel)
Done!  I DO NOT have a green thumb, so my mother-in-law helped Rachel with this.  Sadly, Rachel decided to water the plants with pool water one day and most of them did not survive the dousing of chlorine!  She does have some basil, though!

Make ice cream
Done!  We made vanilla and chocolate! Yum!

Cookout/PoolParty with friends
Done!  We had some friend over for the 4th of July and we will have family over next weekend for birthday celebrations.

Read a book (or 2 or 3)
Done!  Well, all the girls have read at least a couple books each.  Me - not so much.

Family Movie Night
Done - kind of.  My Megan is not fond of movies (long explanation) so we haven't pulled this one off yet.  However, David and I did hang with the girls one evening and suffered through 90 minutes of Disney shows so I'm counting it!

Go Bowling
Done!  The girls and I went bowling with cousins when we were visiting my parents.

Make "Dirt" Pudding
Done!  See here for proof!
Make ice cream sundaes
Not yet, but I'm sure we can work this in in the next few weeks.
Go Night Swimming
Done!  The girls just love to go swimming with the pool lights on when it is dark outside and now that they are getting older, we can let them stay up a bit later.  We've actually done this a few times!

Family Game Night
Done!  We played a Pictionary-like drawing game together!  (A grand feat because I loathe board games!)

Eat Chocolate Fondue
Not yet - but we can always make time for chocolate!
Get Mani/Pedis
Not yet, but might be good on a rainy day before school starts.
Do at least 10 Random Acts of Kindness
Getting there - so far we've counted 6 including holding doors, taking trash cans to the curb for someone else, and donating canned food during Vacation Bible School!

Whew!!  We have certainly done a lot.  I've always been a list maker.  At first, I was a little concerned that this bucket list might stress me out.  So, instead of viewing it as a to-do list, I thought of it more as an idea list.  The girls have actually had lots of fun checking things off - literally!  I tried to include some things that I knew we would do (setting us up for success), but I also included some things that would push us a bit.  All-in-all, it's added an extra element of excitement to our summer - albeit a small amount - and I'm glad we did it.  Hopefully, we can come up with some new ideas for next summer!



Finish the Sentence Friday




This post was written as part of Finish The Sentence Friday which is hosted by the following bloggers.  Please give them a visit and see all the other blogs that participate as well!


Janine at Janine’s Confessions of a Mommyaholic

Stephanie at Mommy, for Real

Kate at Can I Get Another Bottle of Whine?

Dawn at Dawn’s Disaster

36 comments:

Janine Huldie said...

Wow, you did get a lot done this summer so far and you still have all of August. Go you and have no doubt you will get most if not all accomplished now. We too have had out fair share of fun with the pool (and even some night swimming, too), went to see Monsters University and Despicable Me 2 and as for the reading not so much for me either! Thanks again Lisa for linking up with us and really enjoyed reading about your summer so far!! :)

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks Janine! Some days have felt so lazy and wasted, but looking back at the list helps me to know that we have had some "quality time" too!

Betty Taylor said...

Amazing! Sounds like you have had a fantastic summer. This was a great idea! I have a couple of things yet to check off my mental list.

http://agutandabutt.blogspot.com/

Considerer said...

Wow! You're doing so well. Congratulations :)

Sarah @ LeftBrainBuddha said...

Yes, Idea list sounds much better than "to-do"! It sounds like you have had a delightful summer. I'm 'stealing' some of your ideas. Great post and suggestions. :)

Tamara Bowman said...

Christmas in July! That sounds fun. I love this list. I keep counting that we still have 6-7 weeks of summer. I know it's winding down but for us, the calendar school year is far enough away to get a few more items off my summer bucket list..

MamaRabia said...

I need to re-visit our summer bucket list, too. It seems like the time has just flown by! The kids only have two weeks left of summer! Looks like you've had a busy one!

Stephanie Sprenger said...

You have totally inspired me to do a Summer Bucket List next year- that is such a fantastic idea! And you've done pretty well on yours, and still a few weeks to go! I personally like the zoo better in spring and fall... and sometimes even winter! The animals are so lethargic in the heat... and so am I!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks Betty! There's still time for those last few things!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks Sarah! Glad yo found some ideas to use!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Wow! 6-7 weeks? There's definitely some time to squeeze in some more adventures!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Busy but fun! the summer has certainly flown by, just like most do. I didn't let the list stress me out, but it does help me to see that we didn't just waste the summer away!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks Stephanie! Glad you like the idea. I think the zoo may not have been such a good one to add for the summer. Next year we'll have to change it out for something different!

Kristi - Finding Ninee said...

I'm so impressed that you have made ice cream and that you were so prepared to enter summer with a bucket list. What an awesome idea. We're doing Random Acts of Kindness, too, and still have a little ways to go as well. Great list!

The Dose of Reality said...

You are AMAZING! You've done so much of your summer bucket list already! Good for you!! (and you can't be blamed for the zoo. It was SO rainy. It was impossible to go for weeks on end!!) --Lisa

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks Kristi! This is the first time we have done a summer bucket list and it has been fun!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Yeah - I'm not going to worry too much about the zoo. But, we definitely have to do the fondue!

Karen said...

so many awesome things you have done...WAY TO GO BABE! Love that random acts of kindness are on your list...that is beautiful.

GrowingUpMadison said...

Seems like you've done quite a lot of it from your list. Just a few more to go. You're almost there. Way to go! Hope you're having a great weekend!

Stacey said...

Good for you for doing so much of the things on your bucket list! We still have a lot of things left undone...so I'm extending it. Technically, fall doesn't start until September, right? ;)

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks Karen! I didn't actually realize how hard the Random Acts of Kindness would be to complete - really have to be intentional about it!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks so much!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Right! Like I said, it's an idea list - not a to-do list. ;-)

Jules said...

This is a great idea - me and my kids need to put together a bucket list for the rest of our summer! You have a lot of good stuff on there.

Rachel @TaoOfPoop said...

Wow! That is a really long list and I'm in awe of how much of it you have done! You had a full, rich summer. Here's to completing the rest! Really great list. I like how you included REAL things on your list. I felt like I was along for the ride with you a bit!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks Rachel! I thought it was important to include some real things - to set us up for success so to speak. I'm glad you enjoyed the ride!

Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell said...

I can't believe how much you packed in! I'm so impressed! I like making lists too. That checking off is so satisfying!

Tess said...

A great list-youve been busy!

Michelle Nahom said...

Wow, that's quite the list! I'm impressed that you have so much of it done already!! And I love the random acts of kindness - that is awesome that that is on your list!!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

It is satisfying and it has been fun to watch my girls try to check it all off.

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

I thought the random acts of kindness would be easy but we have really had to be intentional about it. It's been good for all of us, though, to really think about ways that we can help others.

Kenya G. Johnson said...

You answered my question. I was going to ask about Monsters University, I didn't think it could possibly be scary but you never know. We had to leave Happy Feet 2. So Megan isn't fond of movies? I want to hear the long story ;-) I think mani/pedi's would be a nice back to school treat, followed by chocolate fondue! Yum!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Megan finds movies in the theater overwhelming and it doesn't take much to scare her. Obviously, in this movie there were Monsters and they were trying to be scary. It should be noted that she didn't like Monsters Inc. either. I just didn't like the story line - Revenge of the Nerds set in Monsters University! :-)

Kenya G. Johnson said...

Poor thing! I certainly understand. We don't do 3D anymore. The volume and 3D contributed to us having to skip out on Happy Feet 2.

Journeysof TheZoo said...

You have crossed tons of stuff off your list. Great job! I'm a list maker too but have never made one like this. I think because then I always meet all our goals (nothing, smile). Still tons of summer time left to get the last few in.

I am a follower of yours via BlogLovin and would love it if you linked up to my weekly BlogLovin Hop
(http://www.journeysofthezoo.com/search/label/BlogLovin%20Hop). Hope you find
lots of new friends and stop by every Thursday.

Looking forward to connecting further.

Besos, Sarah
Blogger at Journeys of The Zoo
BlogLovin: http://www.bloglovin.com/journeysofthezoo

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