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Top Ten Things on our Summer Bucket List

Don't forget to lay in the grass and just look at the clouds

It's Top Ten Tuesday, folks. Woot! And it's summer in our house...I know this because the kids are both out of school and I got a sunburn on my back doing yard work yesterday. Yep. Definitely summer. By August I will probably be complaining about mowing the lawn, but right now, I'm loving it. Believe it or not, mowing the lawn gives me a little time to myself...and an opportunity to listen to music other than the Frozen soundtrack. Plus, it comes with exercise and fresh air built right in. I always get 15-16,000 steps on my Fitbit on lawn mowing days. Score!

Anyway, now that we've made it through preschool graduation and teacher gifts, and 3rd birthday celebrations for my littlest, I've put "Summer Planning" on my to-do list. First I want to map out all of our summer trips--I'm spending a weekend in NYC with my sister-in-law and niece, we'll be road tripping to visit family and friends on two occasions, and we'll be taking a family vacation to Northern Michigan. Then we'll see if there's room for one week's summer camp for my 5 year old. After that, I'm looking for fun activities and lots of downtime and a light routine to carry us through our days.

So, as I start my summer planning extravaganza this week, I feel the need to create a summer bucket list for things that I want to make sure we include in these long, lazy days of summer...and I'm determined to make sure we shake the frenzied, hurry-up-ed-ness of the school year. More easy-going. Less rush. More go with the flow. Less structured, schedule-driven, formal activities. This summer, that's how we'll roll.

So here you go, this week's Top Ten Tuesday List...The Top Ten Things on our Summer Bucket List:

Top Ten Things on our Summer Bucket List

Don't forget to stomp in the puddles of a
summer rain shower
10. Take a day trip to visit the National Aquarium and other fun sights in Baltimore, MD
9. Create Fairy Gardens with the kids
8. Lay a tarp out on the driveway and have an outdoor family canvas painting day
7. Spend time hiking the nearby trails and wading through the stream in our rain boots
6. Make homemade ice cream and homemade bread
5. Use our season passes to the zoo and gardens and amusement park until they are Worn. Out.
4. Go swimming...A LOT!
3. Play lots of cool outdoor games and do lots of cool outdoor art and activities (like some of the things I've seen here and here and here and here and here and here. Oh glorious Pinterest, you are so full of ideas!)
2. Potty train Holden...not because I want to, but because the preschool says I have to. (boo.)
1. Relax. Go slow. Be together. Laugh a lot. Take naps. Read books. Be outdoors. Smile. Breathe.


You can find some other "Slow Summer" activity suggestions from Abundant Mama here.

Until next time, go get your summer on!






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