Second chances at Summer: Our Summer Holiday Bucket List

Do you know what I’m loving especially about the fact that we’re going this time of the year to my sister? Well, aside from that I miss her and her family so terribly much, and just cant wait to hold her and squeeze her, and huddle over indulgent breakfasts at her breakfast table in our jammies, WITH our mom, to talk until her hubby and the cows comes home again, and the fact that she’ll finally get to meet my children? Well, it’s that we land smack bang at the start of their summer!

Meaning, we get to have a bit of an extended summer…or at the very least a second chance at summer – so all those little fun things that we didn’t get to do during our’s is now ripe for the picking!

Thing is, I didn’t think of it in that way, until my sister asked what are the things we’d like to do once we get there. I told her we just wanted to spend out time with them – it’d been years, and I know it was going to fly, so we want to get as much time with them in as possible. But I also then realised I’m not going alone like usual – I had my hubby AND two very busy kids with this time. So we needed to be sure we went in with a game plan to ensure we were prepared. Especially if the jet lag gremlins stay longer than expected, and the brain hazes over and we can’t think on our feet when the kids start looking for things to do. Cue our summer holiday bucket list!

So those four dozen water balloons I had stocked up for our water balloon fight that didn’t get to happen this past summer? That’s so happening now. The summer moonlight swims that were nigh impossible in our freezing pool water? Happening! Cousin picnics? Happening, happening, happening – all freaking happening! Rollercoaster rides, catching the fireworks over Cinderella’s castle – on the list you go!!!!

Doesn’t have to be huge things on there either. I’ve been reminded by morgy’s recent 5th irthday, that kids don’t need much to have a freakin awesome time. I mean it’s happened time and time again, where Morgy insists she just cant stay at home ( even though, Mike and I enjoy exploring, we are mostly real home bodies and feel good about staying in.) I’d normally suggest a quick ice cream run with just dad or a quick run on the beach just to satisfy their itch to be out and doing things. And these very normal and easy bits are more than enough to do the job. So that’s what we’re aiming for here: exploring the State and having fun, whilst still having enough time to catch up with my sissie, bro-in-law and nieces.

I’ve always been a big believer in making these kind of lists. One: because my brain is a bit of a wild beast, and will be all over the place lest it gets given structure – so I do it for my own good. And with kids now in my life, I’m even more militant about my lists. And two: because I’ve done seen the power of manifestation in my life all too many times thanks to lists: I once made a list in high school about all these little adventures I’d like to have one day. I made it without a thought of limits of costs and geography. I pasted up against the back of my wardrobe. But in the midst of the chaos that ensued within the constraints of my cupboard, that list got lost, and I never paid it any mind again.

Until, one day, in my early twenties, I went to finally start clearing my cupboard out – yes it took me that long to get a hold of the chaos, much to my mother’s frustration- I found that list. And to my amazement, I had crossed off at least 50% of all those wonderful adventures: hike the grand canyon, jump out of a plane, eat a hot dog Battery Park, picnic in Central Park, and sooooo much more… And there’s still much more to do, as I keep adding to it.(By the way, I lost that list again, and am hoping it pitches up somewhere soon.) But for now, I’m focussed on our awesome little Summer Holiday bucket list.

And I’m getting super excited about it now that we know it’s on like donkey kong. And I want my girls to get in on this excitement. Morgy’s already half way there with her very short bucket list: wear princess dress to Cinderella’s castle and hug aunty Shona. So to help add on to it, I’m putting together a visual bucket list that will not only keep my brain in check and up the excitement ante for my girls, but also to document our trip in a fun way, and make for a sweet little keep sake of our holiday for them to always treasure. I know how much she loves going though my old albums, so this is going to be a win to have her very own album of little adventures.

Previously, I’ve used a journal to document my travels – my isster’s best friend back in the states gifted me with one after I told her of my travel plans. It was a journal that inspired me to write, and reminded me of the love I’ve always had for writing – still ever so thankful to her for that gift. But I know our girls are much too small for something like this, as kids work best with something more visual, and fairly simple. Enter our holiday scrap book!
Yes, sure not very original – so very 1980/90’s. But very effective. Plus I’ve learnt I’m horribly boring when it comes ot scrap booking, as evidenced by my first & last attempt – I have friends that I wish could just lend me their creative brains for just a bit to do the scrap-booking and then hand it back to them. So until they do, I’ll stick to simple. (You say boring, I say simple.) Bucket list item label, with space left for the photographic tick box. BOOM.

I used the scrap books found at Type (Love Typo!)

And that’s exactly what we’re doing, collecting beautiful moments in this life, stored in brain, in our very being…molding our children’s view in life….and then here we are giving it s physical form for some of them. Yet another reason I love photographs.
Of course there’d be no pressure to do it all, but it certainly will be a fun little list to keep us going.
How do you document your travels? For your kids or for yourself? Wold love to know – more ideas for next time!

But for now, until it’s go time with this summer holiday to do list, there’s so much still to do in “real life”. Let’s get to it! Have a great week ! X