Summer 2012 Bucket List – The Military Family

Summer Vacation is soon upon us. A time of year I LOVE! The lack of routine is so refreshing but amazingly enough becomes a little old after only a few weeks (and depending on the moment, sometimes only after a few days).

So this summer my boys and I have created a ‘Bucket List’. Things we all want to do in the course of our lazy-days of summer. Somethings are things I want to do as a family. Some things are dreams. Others are already being planned. This is our list of plans, ideas and joys for the summer:

Ride our Bike to Tasty Freeze
Have a backyard game of kickball
Catch fireflies
Have Small Group over for a cook out
Change Rooms (My 7 & 9 year old are ready to be separated so we have to figure out the whole room switch thing. Four kids and four bedrooms can be a bit tricky)
Dance at 10pm with sparklers
Have a 10 minute Dance Party
Blow Bubbles
Camp in a tent
Make homemade ice cream
Read a new book
Ride our bike to the library
Go fishing
Play in the new playground at the Kindergarten building
Make s’mores

Visit our Zoo

Paint front door trim and side door trim

Pick blackberries at Grandpa Kissinger’s house

Ride a Rollercoaster

Eat corn on the cob from the grill

Watch fireworks

Take a picture a day of something fun and spontaneous

Paint the kitchen bar-stools

Pick corn from Grandpa Kocsis’ garden

Try a new type of food

Plan and make your favorite meal

Color pictures to send to Grandparents

Have a pajama day

Clean up our book shelves

Donate unused toys to Goodwill

Make ice-slushies

Have shish-ka-bobs for dinner

Have a backyard party in the pool

Eat watermelon and have a seed spitting contest

Enjoy a root beer float

Water balloon fight!

Memorize a new Shel Silverstein poem

Take a walk at French Creek Park

Visit Millers Preserve

Lie in the grass and look at the clouds

Make Flubber

Sign up for a Summer Reading Program at the local library (MWR Libraries urge families to bring their appetites because this summer, “Reading is so Delicious!”
Cut a vase of flowers for Mom
Make a salad out of our garden produce
Catch a butterfly and then let him go
Enjoy a Crushers Game
Learn a word in a different language
Climb a tree
Go to an Indians Game
Invite friends over for lunch on the deck
… to be continued

I’m not done … but this is what we have so far. When I hear an ‘I’m Bored’ this summer I can say, “Let’s Look at our Bucket List” and see if there is something there we can do. They won’t all get done. But it will fun to think about them all.

The one major thing I need to manage is DS / iPad / wii / computer time. My 9 year old especially can EASILY spend four hours plus playing computer games (I had a little experiment one Saturday to see if he could ‘self-regulate’ his screen time. Big failure.)

This year Summer Workbooks and Summer Job time will each have a reward. After they do their worksheet they will gain two marbles, summer job completion will also give them two marbles. Each marble is worth 15 minutes of screen time. They can save them up or use them each day. If they want more time they can read a book for 30 minutes for an additional marble. If they don’t feel like summer workbooks or jobs they don’t have to do them. But then there is no reward! I think know it is going to work. (Ah the power of positive thought!)

What is on your bucket list this summer? How do you keep the kids happy, busy and ‘unscheduled’ all at the same time? Summer Vacation, my favorite future thought! With a little planning, a lot of flexibility and smiles galaore it is going to be a great one!

– Leanne from MilitaryAvenue.com

Join Us byLeanne KocsisonFriday, May 18, 2012 Email This BlogThis!Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to PinterestMilitary Life:children,Leanne,motherhood,Summer,Summer Fun