Many of my friends have a "summer bucket list". I've seen it take many forms: a poster board filled with fun ideas; note cards with fun activities written on each one and framing a cabinet in the kitchen; and you name it! People have done it.
Don't get me wrong. This is one of those things that I often think about in May, and imagine myself creating. I picture myself sitting at our kitchen table with three or four sweet faces surrounding me, and we're dreaming of all the fun and different things we can fill our summer days doing.
I've never done one.
Never.
It has to be at least 4 or 5 summers have come and gone that at the beginning, I was planning to do one, And then I wouldn't pull one together and so I would have a list in my mind. And it is always ALWAYS bigger than possible. And somewhere in mid to late June, my mindset changes. Instead of how.much.can.we.cram.into.this.summer ... I let aspirations of many field trips slide, and realize that I have limits. Remember that there are always few things or places that should remain a goal, but many others can slide. Heaven knows that our schedule is full and carefully organized during the school, and so I cherish some of the summer afternoons where there is NOTHING scheduled and no place we have to be.
None of this is to say that I don't like the summer fun list. It's quite likely that next May I will be seeing some pop up on facebook or pinterest and think that I should do it! And maybe some year I will.
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| These three went swimming with Mommy while Jonah was at camp |
Bucket list or not, we have had a great summer. Jonah went to a day camp at a local church for the first time and loved every second of it. He made some new friends and reconnected with some old friends that he hadn't seen in a couple years. The three older boys went to VBS at church - which is always a highlight in the Brooks house! We went to a trampoline park for the first time, and little boy grins were lighting up that place. We've swam at the public pool, a friends' pool, and ventured to a nearby town pool that had more slides and more fun equipment to climb on. I've scheduled more playdates this summer than ever, so each week has been full of friends and places to head to. And although there are always afternoons in which someone is saying "Mooooooommmm, I'm bored", I certainly haven't felt bored! In fact, Eli told me a couple weeks ago that I needed to be more careful with how full I had been packing our afternoons because I was wearing myself out. And through all these little moments, the boys and I have certainly created lots and lots of memories to tuck away and pull out later.
School starts in less than three weeks, and I'm still looking at these two weeks ahead and planning the last few fun things to throw in there that we can all do together. I know that there are times during the school year for trips and events as well, but it certainly is easier to organize and go places when we aren't worrying about homework, schoolwork, music lessons, and regular scheduled life = )
