Weighing In: Summer Bucket List

Okay, I have to admit it, it's September. Already the air is a bit chillier, the leaves are not quite the vibrant green they were a few weeks ago, and I had to put a sweater on last night. Whether it looks like summer is cooling down where you are, fall has arrived, and my family is getting ready to head back to school. So it’s time to look at the summer bucket list we made back in June and take stock.

Firstly, creating and using a family bucket list has been truly changing. It’s added some good, helpful structure to our days while avoiding over-planning, something I have been known to be guilty of in past summers. For instance, I could add up the days on one hand that we stayed local and did unstructured, unplanned things last summer. And I could also tell you it kind of sucked always driving to booked locations, back and forth-ing to summer camps, hauling equipment and packing backpacks. Then unpacking it all at night and doing it again in the morning. Really exhausting. I don’t remember having a ton of spontaneous fun, and more importantly, neither do my kids. So I'm really pleased that this summer I got inspired, changed things up, and refocused this summer's activities. Here’s an updated list of what we crossed off:

• Make s’mores over a campfire

• Watch a movie in the backyard (on blankets!)

• Paint rocks

• Jump in a lake

• Go on a day hike

• Roll down a grassy hill

• “Fish” off the back deck