Scoring the Summer Bucket List 2018

Another summer break has come to a close, and another year of school has begun, which means time for the annual scoring of the summer bucket list. Things are a little crazy around here, since my oldest started middle school! I am slowly getting into the groove of juggling between two schools and, so far, my boy is having a great experience (my daughter is, too, but she's still in elementary and loves school no matter what). The responsibility, multiple teachers and the school itself really seems to suit him. I rather hated middle school, although it was junior high (just 7th and 8th) for me, and I think my anxiety is for my former self and not this kid, especially in this day and age. Even if/when, he runs into any issues, there are as many school counselors on staff as when I was in HIGH SCHOOL! One of his electives right now is Yoga/Mindfulness/Meditation and the teacher is a buff young dude with a man bun and a beard! I would like a do-over please! ANYWAY...
We had a really great summer and this year my husband took off every Friday, which was excellent - highly recommend. This enabled us to check off a lot of bucket list items and we're hopeful that summer 'fun family Fridays' will be a yearly thing. Without further ado, here's what we managed to accomplish besides slothing in the backyard, hitting up the pool and beach.

Blueberry picking
An easy one to check off the list, and I highly recommend these Smitten Kitchen muffins.

Mini Golf
Another gimme for the summer! 

Go to the Movies
Christopher Robin was the consensus this year, and it did not disappoint. I have a huge crush on Ewan McGregor, so this was a win win for me!

Bowling 
We ended up enrolling in the national Kids Bowl Free program and went at least once a week, which was pretty fun! It doesn't end up being free, exactly, because I paid $30 for my husband and I to have unlimited bowling with them, and I spend $12 on shoes each time we go. But, all in all, it's a pretty good deal for keeping entertained during the summer months and it's still good through September.

Point Defiance Zoo 
My husband checked this one off with the kids, while I had a day of relaxation for my birthday. Ahhhh.

Visit Paradise at Mount Rainier 
Another year, another successful and strenuous hike for the kids! We finally hiked the skyline trail after a 12 year hiatus, waiting for the kids to be old enough to handle it. They had some setbacks, there were bouts of whining, but when they were done with over 8 miles of walking for the day, and well over 1500 feet of elevation gain, they were really proud - as were we! 

Having pool time post hike is also a great incentive, we love staying over at Alta Crystal Resort!

Hike Big Four Ice Caves trail and Wallace Falls 
We did Big Four and happened upon a hike and sketch program which was really awesome! Additionally, my husband took the eldest on his first Rattlesnake Ledge hike.

Wallace Falls fell off the schedule, but we hit up Snow Lake just before school started. It was a little overcast, but it's always beautiful there.

Go to an Outdoor Concert 
Nope. Just as with the school year, and even more so in the summer, I am stick-a-fork-in-me DONE by the time evening rolls around and am not super motivated to leave the house. Oh well, I'll put it on the list again next year, I'm sure!
Annual Car Show
My daughter had a birthday party on this particular day, but my boys went and enjoyed!
Art Project 
Well, we didn't do an art project per se, but the kids did their Amazon STEM kits, as well as National Geographic fossil kits and they discovered paint by sticker books - which were a HUGE HIT this summer!

New to us Museum 
Our first visit to MoPOP was so much fun, and we are now working our way through all of the Marvel movies with the kids (they had only seen the Guardians films and Black Panther). They mostly geeked out over that, while my husband and I also enjoyed a lot of old school sci-fi memorabilia  - Aliens, The Fifth Element, Battlestar Galactica, the list goes on!
Deep Clean/Purge and Rearrange Kid's Rooms 
We did this the last week of summer and my boy actually said it was FUN. I mean I enjoy a good game of keep, toss or donate, so the apple must not fall far from the tree.

Complete Library Summer Reading Challenge and Read Harry Potter Books
My son and I are nearly done with The Order of the Phoenix, but I got a late start on Prisoner of Azkaban with my daughter, since we spent the first part of summer reading Anne of Green Gables! YAY! She really enjoyed it and that makes my heart so HAPPY. And, of course they completed their summer reading challenge!
Visit Wild Waves
NOPE. Another thing that I keep telling myself I'll do with the kids that I'll put on the list year after year. One day, when I'm feeling brave...
Yoga Breaks
Cosmic Kids Yoga is so darn cute and I highly recommend! We even did some in the backyard! 
Have Each Kiddo Pick a Meal to Make for the Family 
This didn't happen, but since it's not necessary for warm weather/an outdoor activity, I'm hopeful that we will do this sometime during the school year!
Theo Chocolate Tour 
The day that I chose to do this, the tickets were sold out online! Boo! Again, something that could be done during the school year, so maybe we'll try again and plan well in advance.
Redmond Night Bazaar 
See above re: outdoor concert.

Ferry to Bainbridge 
We've had bad timing in the past with ferries, so we didn't feel up to Bainbridge. Instead, we hit up Whidbey Island, visiting Coupeville and Fort Casey avoiding the ferries. Thumbs up for this as a day trip!
Try a New Cocktail Recipe
I tried this Escape From Alcatraz  and made quite a few Aperol spritzes, but I kept coming back to last year's Gold Rush cocktail of bourbon, lemon juice, honey syrup and mint: so easy and delicious!
Try a New Restaurant for Dinner
We tried two new restaurants in Enumclaw during our summer road trip and both were excellent! The Historic Mint Restaurant and Ale House was really trendy and cute with tasty food and wikki stix for the kids! Il Siciliano also had excellent atmosphere, delicious pasta and pizza, as well as a nicely done Aperol Spritz. I wish we had a similar neighborhood Italian joint!
Unexpected bonus summer accomplishment number one:
My husband and son do a twenty mile supported bike ride every year, and this year I got a great pic:

But the real accomplishment was getting my daughter up and running on her bike! She was really determined and proud of finally hitting this milestone, and we are, too.

Unexpected bonus summer accomplishment number two: enroll my son in joining me for my boot camp class! He asked to come with me and I thought maybe he'd try it a time or two. And, lo, he loved it and dutifully came with me every Tuesday without fail this summer! 

He's already looking forward to classes during winter break! And yes, I'm already counting down the days to Thanksgiving and Christmas...

Summer Bucket List 2018

We've been pretty busy this first week of summer break, already putting a dent in our annual summer bucket list! We've hit up the pool, the Y for some indoor games and rock climbing and a trip to a local farm/amusement park. And even though the list only varies slightly from year to year, I thoroughly enjoy writing it all down and aspiring to check off as many items as we can in between the inordinate amount of time we spend at the beach or pool. Without further ado:
Blueberry picking (The photo above was from some raspberry picking we did this week, but we'll be back at it when the blueberries are in season soon!)
Mini Golf
Go to the Movies
Bowling 
Point Defiance Zoo (We're Woodland Park Zoo members and love it, but every summer we take a trip to Point Defiance as it's MY FAVORITE.)
Visit Paradise at Mount Rainier (We bought a national park pass when we did our summer road trip last year and are headed back to Crystal Mountain this summer! I'm hoping we can do a separate trip to the Paradise entrance to Rainier and get the most bang for our buck.)
Hike Big Four Ice Caves trail and Wallace Falls 
Go to an Outdoor Concert 
Annual Car Show
Art Project (I bought origami papers from Michael's before school got out, so I'm hoping to do a little origami. Perhaps a tie dye party if I'm feeling brave...)
New to us Museum (The kids have been to a few on field trips that my husband and I have yet to visit, so I'd love to finally see MOHAI, MoPOP or the Museum of Flight.)
Deep Clean/Purge and Rearrange Kid's Rooms (Not necessarily a fun task, but while we have the time...)
Complete Library Summer Reading Challenge and Read Harry Potter Books (My eight year old is ready for The Prisoner of Azkaban and my eleven year old is on to The Order of the Phoenix. I'll likely read with the younger, and this might be the first year that my older will read on his own. Although, I might butt in and read to him or have him read to me from time to time, because I enjoy the experience so much!)

Visit Wild Waves (This has never really been on my list because uggghhh, CHAOTIC water parks are not high on my list. However, we get free tickets doing the summer reading challenge, so... Also, I'm pretty pumped to have my own adult challenge sheet!)
Yoga Breaks (My daughter loved her after school yoga class, and she's been doing some Cosmic Kids Yoga on her own. I'm thinking I might get my older guy on board with the Minecraft or Star Wars yoga sessions...)
Have Each Kiddo Pick a Meal to Make for the Family (This will be with our help, of course - and I'm referencing this helpful post from Shutterbean.) 
Theo Chocolate Tour (This has been on my list for awhile, as I've never been and both kids are old enough now!)
Redmond Night Bazaar (I'm usually dead tired by nighttime in the summer, after long days in the sun at the beach or pool, but this sounds so fun.)
Ferry to Bainbridge (Like the aforementioned museums, we have shamefully never visited Bainbridge! Perhaps something to remedy this summer.)
Try a New Cocktail Recipe (I'm already eyeballing this one using the fresh raspberries we just picked...)
Try a New Restaurant for Dinner (Lots of new restaurants have opened in our neck of the woods on the Eastside of Seattle and the bucket list is a perfect impetus to check them out!)

Do you have a summer bucket list? Any suggestions or feedback? Happy summer y'all!

Scoring my Summer Bucket List

Ah, that bittersweet time of year is upon us! The end of summer and beginning of the school year gives me such conflicting emotions, especially as my kids get older - they get more fun as they mature, and it's sad to think about the dwindling number of childhood summers we have together. 

On the other hand, they were breaking out into intense bickering sessions way more frequently near the end there, and I am enjoying eating my lunch in silence (sitting down, even!) again...

Anyway! Evaluating the summer bucket list is a fun way to look back and preserve the memories of another summer:
Try one new hiking trail and also do the Big Four hike
Well, we definitely got a new trail under our belt on our trip to Rainier National Park. Alas, we didn't get over to Big Four this year. (Half a point for this?) The trail to Grove of the Patriarchs and Naches Peak were both excellent.

Go bowling
Check! Full marks for bowling and FINALLY ridding ourselves of those cursed prize tickets.

Go to the movies
Check! Just one outing to see the latest Minion movie, but it was fun.

Play mini golf
This is an easy and fun favorite we checked off early in the summer.

Teach the kids the art of making friendship bracelets
Big fat ZERO on this one. Although we have been keeping up with our creative side over the summer with Kelly Kits. (Half a point?) I got a deal for a trial three month subscription and might just subscribe for the year now, they are that awesome. It is a nice low maintenance option for those of us who feel so overwhelmed by the craft store. Each kit has just what I need to do at least two art pieces for two kids, with a really thoughtful and educational handout on the theme for the month.

Hit up a farmers market
Alas, this did not happen - hopefully we can squeeze one in before the season ends...

Annual summer road trip!
Yay! This was a blast and I think I might do a photo dump here soon for posterity. Short version: the Alta Crystal Resort is adorable (and I'm fervently hoping every day that our wildfires do not inflict damage to this lovely spot), the Gondola and Summit House at Crystal are both excellent, and you can never go wrong with a visit to Mount Rainier National Park.

Go blueberry picking and make blueberry dump cake
Check! We went to a new blueberry farm and it was great - we decided on these Smitten Kitchen muffins instead of dump cake. 

Make smores
Handily supplied to us at our resort on the aforementioned road trip:

Picnic at a new-to-us park
We didn't picnic, but spent an afternoon exploring the Lewis Creek Visitor Center one afternoon.

Visit Woodland Park Zoo (and hopefully see new baby giraffe!) as well as Point Defiance Zoo
Check and check!

Visit MoPop
Womp, womp. Hopefully soon...

Visit the Bellevue Art Museum
I visited TWICE. The cut paper exhibit is just amazing and we brought the kids to their first Bellevue Arts Fair.

Visit Pike Place and the new waterfront market
Check!

Try a new restaurant
It had been a long time since we had gone out for Italian, and as I mentioned in my monthly meal wrap up, we decided to try the new Carmines in Bellevue and it did not disappoint!

I also took the kids out for my kids first sushi experience and they ventured just as far as I thought they would: cooked crab being the most exotic choice. Baby steps.

Make frosé
I did this almost weekly! Maybe two points? This recipe continues to be a favorite. 

Make a new cocktail recipe
I mentioned this in the July monthly meal wrap up - this Gold Rush cocktail is so simple and DELICOUS.

Take a blog break
I still posted almost weekly, but I think I found a good rhythm for going forward and hope to stick with it!

Bonus points for my daughter finally tackling the rock wall at the Y this year!

She came thisclose to ringing the bell at the top. We may have to hit up some open climb times so that she can achieve this summer goal!

Bonus points for mother nature bringing a solar eclipse pretty close to our neck of the woods! It was a morning we'll never forget.

Peace out, summer of 2017! Now it's time to look forward to THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR...🎄🎄🎄

Summer Bucket List (and my screen time philosophy)

School is out and we've already hit up two pools, two ice cream stores, two parks, the Y (complete with time on the rock wall), and the library, of course. Summer reading is in full swing! To that end, this weekend I purchased two tents for fifteen bucks each on Amazon and declared them summer reading nooks.

The rule is that they are for reading, writing, drawing or coloring only. It's basically my attempt at curbing electronics more, since I don't have terribly hard and fast rules about screen time. My philosophy is you can play with your devices if you've checked off the requisite daily tasks: your room is clean, a page from your math workbook is done, you have done some other activity for at least an hour, and it is after lunchtime. The only struggle is with the first two items which, ironically, take the least amount of time. Making them wait for screens until after lunch/other activity for an hour minimum is kind of a gimme, since we leave the house by 9:30 almost every morning to go to the Y for at least an hour or two before lunch. 

Today at the Y

On top of that, we usually go to the pool, beach or park afterward and don't end up at home until at least 3 o'clock. Once they've exhausted themselves out and about for the day like that, I have ZERO problems with them playing even two hours straight on the X Box or Kindles. But, that's just me, you do YOU. And, I gotta keep it real, I have caved to just requiring one hour of non-screen time in the tent prior to allowing the kids to play with devices in them. Oh well, I figure it's another screen free hour I wouldn't have gotten out of 'em otherwise and they are getting more fresh air...

And to break up the monotony of the daily trip to the Y, pool/park/beach, tent time - here's this year's aspirations:

• Try one new hiking trail and also do the Big Four hike
• Go bowling
• Go to the movies
• Play mini golf
• Teach the kids the art of making friendship bracelets
• Hit up a farmers market
• Annual summer road trip (we're going to stay for a couple of nights near Mount Rainier this year)
• Go blueberry picking and make blueberry dump cake
• Make smores
• Picnic at a new-to-us park
• Visit Woodland Park Zoo (and hopefully see new baby giraffe!) as well as Point Defiance Zoo
• Visit MoPop
• Visit the Bellevue Art Museum
• Visit Pike Place and the new waterfront market
• Try a new restaurant
• Make frosé
• Make a new cocktail recipe
• Take a blog break

As for that last task, I think I'm putting the weekly meal posts on the back burner for the summer. I've been feeling repetitive and I'm making an effort to NOT make an effort in the kitchen this summer! I will still be posting from time to time, definitely monthly and ARC book reviews. 

Yesterday at the pool, ahhhh.

Anything I should add to the bucket list? Do you have a summer to-do list? I'd love to see it in the comments! Happy summer y'all.

Summer Reading and Bucket List

Summer officially started this week, and I thought I would try again to hold myself accountable to a bucket list. After looking through last year's list, I think I'll keep with most of the items I had, and shall try valiantly to check off every one this year. But, first, summer reading is always on the agenda and has been in full swing since early June through our local library system. 

For each 20 minutes of reading, beginning June 1st, the kids can fill in a square on the sheet. Once they hit 500, they can collect a prize (a collapsible water bottle) and a medal after they hit 1000. Since they both usually color at least two or three squares a day, we will finish this challenge pretty quickly (I even took this picture a few days ago). But, it's still a fun incentive. I, too, am participating in the adult summer reading program! I set a goal online to read at least 14 books between June 1st and August 30th. I can earn badges and such, and I'm also entered into a drawing for a $200 gift card for participating, thanks to the King County Library Foundation. How cool is that? This is our first year participating in the local library summer reading program, since we have always made, and continue to make, our school's amazing program the priority. 

I snuck this pic of my eldest who was so excited his teacher was in attendance!

One day a week, our elementary school opens up the library for about two hours in the evening and the kids can pick out two books. They are given a reading journal, and each week they fill out a two page entry on the book of their choice. The first page is usually a way to summarize and answer key questions about the text, and the second is a 'word web' word association exercise. Then they sit down to go over it and talk about the book with a volunteer - usually a handful of their current teachers, and surprise visits from retired teachers or other school staff. 

This was the journal page my youngest chose to discuss I Really Like Slop. Yes, Elephant and Piggie still reign supreme in her world.

Once they are done, they get to pick out a sticker and a small piece of candy before switching out their books for the following week. The last week of the program is an ice cream social. It is SUCH a joy for the kids to come in and see their friends, their favorite teachers - old and new, and have access to their own school library. It's one of our favorite things about summer.

Hopefully we'll squeeze in a few more things in addition to our other favorites like the pool and the beach...

2016 Summer Bucket List!

• Visit one new beach
• See Finding Dory
• Make s'mores dip (this recipe looks too easy to skip on this year)
• Keep the annual visit to Remlinger tradition
• Pick blueberries at Mercer Slough
• Go to a free outdoor concert
• Picnic at a new-to-us park
• Mini golf
• A family hike (hopefully to Big Four Ice Caves)
• Go bowling
• Visit the Great Wheel
• Hit up a farmers market
• See the new butterfly exhibit at the zoo
• Get a babysitter squared away for my birthday dinner
• Check out the car museum in Tacoma and/or the annual Kirkland Car Show
• My two gimme items: family trip to Hood River and girls trip to Denver!