2017 Summer Bucket List Final Update + 2017 FALL BUCKET LIST!!

We managed to knock a bunch of additional items off of our Summer Bucket List since our last update. This was not a banner season in terms of bucket list accomplishments, but I think it definitely marked a turning point in the kids' growth—they are in dire need of free down time and quite capable of entertaining themselves. They'd wake up pumped for an activity but then just ask for time to putter about. That being said, fall is definitely one of their favorite seasons and they were all about creating a new fall list!

First up, here's how we finished up summer:

16. New science exhibit -- we loved the new to us exhibits at the California Academy of Sciences!

17. New historical site -- our report on Angel Island and Alcatraz are still on the way, but I'll note that we had an unexpected amazing trip to historical Angel Island.

18. Have a picnic -- we had a lovely picnic lunch on the top of a waterfall in Yosemite—post to come this week!

19. Find a new beach -- we found new beaches at both Angel Island and in Yosemite.

20. Workbooks -- the kids were total champs at working on reading, math, and writing over the summer and completed several workbooks each.

21. Rock climbing -- Yosemite!

22. Find a waterfall -- Again, Yosemite. Our bucket list thanks you.

23. Baseball game -- G O N A T S

24. Ride in a boat -- boat to both Angel Island and Alcatraz.

25. See sunrise -- we left really early for Cali and caught the sun coming up on our ride to the airport.

26. See sunset -- and then we saw the sun go down behind Golden Gate Bridge our first night there!

27. Watch a meteor shower -- not technically a meteor shower, but I'm counting the eclipse for this one. It was super cool.

28. + 29. Two new museums -- we went to several new museums this summer, but I'll count the DeYoung and San Fransisco MOMA (post also yet to come) for this.

30. New science project -- saltwater taffy slime!

31. + 32. Two service projects -- the kids both helped their grandfather deliver food with Meals on Wheels and Cami also chopped off 10+ inches of her hair for Locks of Love.

33., 34., and 35. -- three new NPS passport stamps in California at Muir Woods, Alcatraz, and Yosemite.

Now, on to the Fall Bucket List!

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California Day 1: San Francisco -- the Color Factory, Embarcadero, and Fisherman's Wharf

We just arrived home from an amazing, super-fun 10-day trip to California—we did pretty much an even split of time between San Francisco and Yosemite. I find planning vacations almost as much fun as going on them. Well, not really. But I do love researching, coordinating, organizing, and refining travel plans (and I always do a Pinterest board for each trip as a starting point to gather ideas). I generally start by putting together several lists: must-dos, if we have time activities, backup plans, and dining/drinking for neighborhoods around all three (arguably the most important list). But I had the hardest time picking and choosing for this trip! And it didn’t get much better when we arrived as I kept spotting more and more things I wanted to do. All of which is a long way of saying we’ll have to go back (and we will because my brother-in-law Steve is getting married next spring in Calistoga!).

Easy Summer Art Activities

We're headed into that home stretch of summer: August. Sometimes I feel like the season is dragging,  but this year I feel like it's been going way too fast! Nevertheless, when August hits I always find myself in need of a few good, simple art projects that the kids can handle on their own. Head over to the OOLY blog to catch a few of our favorites! 

2017 Summer Bucket List Update #1

We're a little late with our Summer Bucket List update this year, but we've been knocking things off in a somewhat more random haphazard way this year. The weeks the kids have been home from camp or we haven't been traveling had been filled with absurdly hot weather and other extracurricular  activities, so we simply haven't had a whole lot of down time to really get at our list. Plus, now that the kids are older and more independent, it's easier to just kind of putter about. We don't seem to need our bucket list to spur our every day activities. But, we've still tackled a good number of things so far this year ....

1. Summer playlist -- the kids are killing me with our playlist on repeat. Despacito needs to die. But we can cross that off our list!

2. Unplug for a day -- ironically the kids have had a lot of technology-free days this summer as a result of losing technology privileges for what feels like constant squabbling. They currently have audiobook privileges only, but they're always hopeful.

3. Buy lots of peonies -- I got a big bunch of beautiful peonies for my birthday -- thanks fam!

4. Cook together -- the kids have really bumped up their helping around the house game this summer and have actually been helping me cook quite a bit. I think their chocolate chip cookies were insanely good.

5. Go running together -- they are both into cross-training and strength and conditioning for their various sports, so we've been running together a bit (although not so much now that it's hotter than hell in DC!).

6. New hike -- when they are home from camp, they must assist in Penny duties. So we picked up a Rock Creek Park trail map and have been discovering all new hiking trails.

7. Water balloons -- easy fill water balloons are a total game changer. We had an epic water balloon fight over July 4th.

8. Sparklers -- the kids' grandparents put together a stunning display of sparklers and fireworks for the holiday. Penny was not happy.

9. New art museum -- we LOVED our visit to Artechouse.

10. 1 new science experiment -- we had a blast using saline solution to make a whole new kind of slime last week!

11. Family olympics -- our friends returned for another epic family olympics over July 4th. This year we had a bucket-filling contest, an unwind-a-streamer race, a shaving cream head/cheetos toss, a three-legged race, and the water balloon fight. And everyone cheated.

12. Swim club cookout -- the kids love our new pool and the swim team! Every Tuesday the pool lights up the charcoal grills for you, so that's when we grill :)

13. New sewing project -- Cam has been taking sewing lessons and made a quilted pillow and is working on a backpack now.

14. 1 new service project -- the kids accompanied their grandfather on one of his Meals on Wheels deliveries and got a big kick out of helping him. I hear they were a big hit too.

15. Chase fireflies -- we had a great dinner with the kids at our friends' house and the kids spent a lot of time debating the best way to catch but not kill fireflies. They caught at least a few when they stopped talking.

Summer Workbook Fun

We haven't been crushing our Summer Bucket List in our usual fashion this year (although I promise an update next week!), but I am so proud of the fact that we've managed to make time to get a little math, reading, and writing in almost every week day. Sure, summer is about not-school, but also we really needed to be better about avoiding the seasonal slide. In any event, we're sharing our ways to make summer workbook time more fun over on the OOLY blog today -- check it out for a little colorful inspiration! 

Saltwater Taffy Slime

We've seen all kinds of recipes lately for "fluffy" slime. Mixing up mysterious compounds and potions is always really high up on our kids' fun lists. And, as I mention in Banish Boredom, I love how much we get out of sensory play -- from the making to the playing to the cleaning (everybody and everything else) up, sensory activities are always a good solid chunk of play time. Plus, I really love any activity that incorporates both science and art. Anyway ... we decided to try out a fluffy slime recipe ourselves (thanks to Little Bins for Little Hands!).

After watching the kids mix, shape, and play for the better part of a morning (including taking a break to shower up!), I decided that we'd have to call this Saltwater Taffy Slime! Watching saltwater taffy being made along the New Jersey boardwalk is one of our fave summer vacation activities and this reminded me so much of the sweet treat. And since the recipe we followed uses saline solution, the saltwater idea really stuck.

It was an incredibly messy activity, but the kids loved every single part of it. The slime we made ended up being really, really sticky for much of the mixing process. But the kids actually been bickering a lot that morning, so I got a huge kick out of them two of them being literally stuck together while they worked to make the slime. It was perfect!

They let the slime sit for a bit while they cleaned up and it got less fluffy, but also less sticky. It turned much more like flubber than slime, but they loved that too. They popped air bubbles, rolled it out, and even bounced it.

If you're in need of a good mid-summer activity, give this one a try!

Summer Camp Organization

We're hitting our summer stride and finally have our camp organization pulled together! Head over to Honest to Nod to see how I help the kids avoid losing their goggles (again. and again. and again.).

Summer Travel Kit

I don't know about you, but we seem to spend A LOT of time in our car in the summer. From adventurous day trips, rides to the beach, or just the innumerable daily errands I have to drag the kids on, there is a lot of backseat sitting. To help curb the "are we there yet?!" nagging, I put together a Summer Travel Kit with the help of The Land of Nod. Head over to their blog to check it out! 

The 2017 Summer Bucket List -- 85+ Ideas to Save Your Summer!!

Woohoo!!! Summer is here! Well, not technically, but our kids are out of school so I'm calling it. And around our house that means it's Summer Bucket List time. The kids took a heavy role in making the list this year and I loved seeing how their interests have changed since last summer (or not). We carried over a few of our favorites from past lists as well. And we had a fair number we didn't get to check off our Spring Bucket List, so those make a reappearance. All in all though, we are pretty psyched to get cracking!

p.s. need additional inspiration for your summer? Don't forget that Banish Boredom is chock full of fun ideas from science experiments to family field trips!

5 Ways to Keep the Kids Cool This Spring

We just returned from a fabulous spring break trip where every day was gorgeously sunny and 85 degrees. While D.C. weather hasn't quite hit that stride yet, the temperatures here are starting to climb, and I couldn't be happier about it. But I also know that before long the kids will start whining about it being too hot.

It happens every year. One minute everyone is complaining about winter going on for forever, and the next, the kids are claiming that it's too hot to go outside. Fortunately, I keep a running list of ways to keep the kids from overheating while entertaining themselves. Here are my five favorites.

Experiment With Cool Science

Kids are always up for science experiments, and taking a messy project outdoors is always a great way to sneak in some education. I love to add in a cool-down element to spring and summer experiments. Try making some icy goop for a lesson in physics or a potions station that includes cold water and ice to let the kids come up with their own experiments.

Set Up Simple Water Play

Put out the kiddie pool, turn on that freezing hose, and add a bunch of simple kitchen toys. I'm always amazed at how much time our kids, even now that they are older, will spend just futzing around with water. If you have a little extra time for something more complicated, try using cold water to make a giant sensory squish bag. It's worth it!

Art Outdoors

You know that I'm not mess averse, but for those of you who can't stand art exploding in your living room, use the opportunity to let kids do art outside while staying cool. We love to mix up a batch of liquid sidewalk chalk or frozen playdough. Sometimes I even roll out a big piece of paper and let the kids make a collective mural. Whatever the activity, I put them in their bathing suits and hose them down after!

"Cook" Something Cool

Our kids love to cook, and making something cool is such a fun way to spend time together. We love to make popsicles and smoothies, both of which are easy for kids to make and help keep everyone cool.

Take Indoor Cool Downtime

It sounds oxymoronic, but I always make sure to plan some downtime indoors when the weather starts to get warm. We spend the time reading together, playing a game, or just lounging around. A little bit of time in air conditioning makes everyone happier. Just make sure that you program your thermostat correctly so that the downtime doesn't overwork your air conditioner and send your energy bills skyrocketing.

Each of these takes a little bit of parental setup time, but I find that the more often we do them, our kids become more independent at seeking them out and entertaining themselves. So you just might find time for yourself to cool off, too!

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Roberts Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. Thanks for helping to support the sponsors who support us!

Final 2016 Summer Bucket List Update

We had a fabulous summer! I finally feel like I had just the right balance of camp, travel, and free time with the kiddos (although I think they actually would have liked more camp). We actually didn't knock that many more items off our Summer Bucket List this last month--mostly because we had a lot of DIY projects left and we were either traveling or out and about in DC because we've been doing work on the house. But 73 things for the whole season isn't too shabby (last year we hit 55 and 46 the year before that). Here's how we finished it up!

61. - 62. 2 New Museums -- we went to lots of new museums this summer, but the two I'm counting are the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the National History Museum of Ireland.

2016 Summer Bucket List Update #2

We had a good Summer Bucket List haul in July. Between our beach trip and a lot of downtime at home, we were busy bees!! We are up to 60 things at the end of the month ... BUT we have 59 more left on our list so we best keep after it. How's your summer going so far!?

23. - 38. Fifteen geocaches -- I'll admit it. We are Pokemon Go obsessed in our house. I do like that it's a fun new form of geocaching and we had no problem catching fifteen fairly quickly.

Olympics Viewing Party!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Olympics. It's something about all those young hopes and dreams, perseverance, hard work. It's incredibly impressive and drives our household into Olympic obsession every time they roll around. Joel and I actually went to the last Olympic summer games in London and we originally planned on attending Rio this year with our whole family. Alas, we are not. BUT we will be watching the Opening Ceremony tomorrow night with fanfare and you can too! Even if you didn't plan ahead (like us), you can pull together an easy fun evening with these ideas. Go for it.

 1 / printable world flags 2 / Olympic bingo 3 / easy Olympic cookies  

4 / DIY laurel headbands 5 / printable diving lady straws

Whale (Dolphin) Watching off the Jersey Shore

The kids' grandparents booked an amazing whale watching tour over our July trip to the Jersey Shore. I've seen killer whales once on a Seattle ferry ride, but the kids never have. And with all our recent watching of Shark Week, they were pumped to get out on the water and put their newfound marine explorer skills to work. We didn't spot any whales, but we saw a TON of dolphins and had a beautiful (and much cooler) ride along the shore.

Ocean City, NJ Boardwalk

I truly never really heard about New Jersey growing up. Maybe that was just a Midwest thing. Sure, I knew that it was a state (I think), but not much beyond that. And anything I gleaned as I grew older was not favorable.

Grow Your Own Crystals!

This science project was one of our most favorite from our Summer Bucket List so far! The crystals grew incredibly fast and are super sturdy. And we are all about anything mythical these days. Head over to Honest to Nod to check out how we made these awesome unicorn crystals!

2016 Summer Bucket List Update #1

I feel like I say this every year, but it's truly hard to believe that we are a month into summer already! It's making me a little sad to see it zooming by, BUT we are crushing our Summer Bucket List. So at least there's that. We've knocked almost a quarter of our items off the list. Some are serving double duty, but with over 101 items on the list, I'm taking some liberties.

Did you make your own bucket list?! We'd love to see what everyone is up to this summer!!

*links to Amazon are affiliate links.

1. New library -- our favorite local library is closing for renovations this summer, so we finally checked out the public library closest to our "new" house. Win!

The BEST Pool Floats!

We usually spend lots of water time at our local public pools, but we've had the good fortune this summer of making a serious Caddy Shack'esque round of visits to friends' clubs. So we've also had our eyes peeled for fun contributions—especially ridiculous pool floats. I picked up a pair of enormous donut rings last week and now have more large and in charge ones on the brain ... don't let the picture fool you, these are enormous!

Happy 4th everyone!!

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golden swan // rainbow popsicle // pineapple // rainbow unicorn // banana // shark // lips // pretzel // flamingo // pizza // chill pill // gold heart // watermelon // golden pegasus 

July 4th Granita!

We are all about festive desserts this summer! Head over to Honest to Nod to get all the deets on our July 4th granita recipe—it's plenty sweet without added sugar. Happy almost fourth!!

Summer Vacation Necessities

Too soon?! Not in our house. We're planning our summer vacations now (wishful thinking, I know) and are over at The Land of Nod's blog today sharing how we're getting ready. Head over and check it out!