Summer Bucket List

School is almost out around here, (11 more days!!), so as usual, it's up to me to come up with a plan for keeping the children from driving me bonkers happy.

I will probably try to do a daily plan like I did last year, but I want to do a few special things, too.

BUT, because we just bought a new (used) van, and now have a car payment, we will need scale down on activities that cost a lot of money.

{Read As: No beach vacation, no Disney vacation, no fun...}

And we've all seen those Summer Bucket Lists on Pinterest that have like 125 things to do on them. 

Well that's just ridiculous. 

There is absolutely no way that I am trying to come up with 125 different things.  I think if I get out of bed, and we make it to the pool, we've achieved success.

But I thought that ten was reasonable.  So here is my summer bucket list for stuff I want to do with our girls that I'm pretty sure we'll be able to accomplish!


10.  Columbus Zoo!  I have only ever been to the Cincinnati Zoo, but I have heard a gazillion people say how much better the Columbus Zoo is, so I really want to see for myself.

9.  Go Camping.  If you know me, you know I HATE CAMPING!!!!  But, my girls have been begging for several years now to go, and to be honest, pure guilt is my only motivation here.  I don't want to deprive them of something they might love, just because it's not my thing.  But rest assured that this will be a one night camping trip and it will be local.  I want to know that my bathroom and bed are close by.

8.  Go Hiking!  While I don't like camping at all, I LOVE hiking!  This year I want to do it more, and explore some places that we haven't been to before.

7.  Teach the girls to ride their bikes, without training wheels!  I know, it's actually embarrassing that we haven't taught our girls to do this yet.  We kind of earn the 'worst parent' award on this one.  But this is our year.  I feel it!

6.  Indianapolis Children's Museum!  We try to go here once a year, too.  My girls think this place is AMAZING...and they are kind of right.  They are always changing exhibits, so it's like a new experience each time. 

5.  Coney Island Amusement Park in Cincinnati! I remember going here when I was younger, and while it's no Kings Island or Cedar Point, it's still a fun place for kids. Plus, it's a lot less expensive than the other/bigger amusement parks.

4.  Have lots of bonfires and roast lots of marshmallows!  We have a fire pit, but we don't use it near enough.  This year, I am making it a priority to use it more often because the girls love it and it cost nothing!

3.  Have a Slumber Party!  Summer is lots of fun, but it's sad that the kids don't get to see their school friends as much.  So this year, we'll plan a big slumber party night for both girls and they can invite some of their school friends over to catch up.

2.  Make Homemade Ice Cream!  We actually got an ice cream maker as a gift when we got married, (almost 10 years ago).  It's still in the box.  Soooooo, the plan is to dig it out, and amaze my kids with the magic of homemade ice cream.

1.  Have a Lemonade Stand!  This one is actually already being planned.  We have some friends who are going to Africa to serve orphans and our house church is going to help the kids have a lemonade stand and bake sale to raise money for them.  I'm actually pretty excited about it!

What are some of the things that are on your Summer Bucket List??

I will be linking up with Many Little Blessing for Top Ten Tuesday and We Are THAT Family for WFMW.  Be sure to check them out!