Plans For a SeNsAtiOnAL SUMMER

I'm BAAAAACCCCCCKKKKK!!

Since the beginning of April I have been suffering with extremely low iron counts.  This is very unlike me, but I can sum up the past 3 months in one sentence-- lots of bed rest, an ER visit, probably 20 doctor & lab visits, blood transfusion, five iron infusions (& counting), and a partial hysterectomy. 

So that's what I have been doing in your absence!  But, I'm happy to report I am feeling much better and healthier, which means we are finally ready to kick off summer at our house!  I definitely owe Josiah some fun given all the boredom he has endured at the doctors, hospital, and home!

Just like last year, I have planned lots of special activities for us to enjoy so we squeeze every bit of fun out of summer!  We call these activities our Summer Bucket List!  I incorporated lots of new ideas with the ol' standard activities that make summer, well, SUMMER!

Here's a glimpse of our Summer Bucket supplies :)

Here's a link to see our list of summer bucket activities! 


I changed how we are picking & choosing activities.  Last year, we randomly drew an activity out of a bucket.  However, Josiah didn't appreciate the "randomness".  There were very specific activities that he wanted to complete ASAP.  Because I stuck to the rules, he became frustrated and eventually uninterested in the bucket list.

Therefore, in an attempt to complete each and every task before summer "kicks the bucket" AND keep Josiah engaged ALL summer long, I have adjusted our picking-n-choosing format! 

I color coded each activity, cut them out on heavy cardstock, laminated them and put them on the frig.  So, now Josiah can choose any activity he wants and once we complete it, we move it to the "TA DONE" section on our frig :) 

Refrig-- To Done & Ta Done!

There is only one summer bucket rule:  He cannot pick a same color activity 2x in a row!  He has to pick a different colored activity each time, to help keep things a little varied :) 

Of course, there can't only be fun....We've been assigning Josiah specific chores/tasks that he must complete each day, as well. 

This is our first time formally assigning chores and paying Josiah an allowance for completing them.  He is being paid $.25 per each task completed and paid his accumulated weekly allowance on Thursdays. He won't be paid for some of the chores like brushing his teeth, however, if he doesn't do these tasks, $.25 is subtracted from his weekly allowance.

I created task cards vs. daily task lists, so I have been able to "manipulate" what I need help with, needs done, etc... Plus, each morning he will be "surprised" by his assigned chores!  Here is a link to Josiah's chore cards! 


These are our plans for a successful, sensational SUMMER!  We'd love to know yours!!

The ACTUAL Summer Bucket LIST

Paint rocks like lady bugs, bees and/or butterflies. Use bendable wire to make the wings and hot glue them on. This is the link to "bee" rocks: http://www.thepartyanimal-blog.org/paint-rocks-ladybugs/.
http://www.craftsbyamanda.com/2011/05/rock-bees.html. And this is the link to "lady bug" rocks:


Make brownies in a mug.


Do some Q-tip painting together. Do a few paintings on notecards to use for birthday parties, thinking of you notes, or get well notes.


Make and send a few finger print flower cards. For inspiration use Ed Emberley design book.


Make and mail note card puzzles.


Make lunch in a muffin tin (visit Muffin Tin Mom blog for ideas).


Make and decorate cupcakes. Give some away.


Go to the Dollar Store and buy each other a gift, hide it, and draw a map so they can find it. (span over 2 days)


Invite and meet friends for ice cream.  Josiah has to call them on the phone. 


Play Croquet, Boccee, or Ladder Ball in the backyard.



Play flashlight tag at night. Before nightfall, make sure the flashlights have batteries and are ready to go.


Play hopscotch on bubble wrap.


Have our daily 20 minute reading time at a lake/river.



Send birth mom a care package. Josiah gets to decide what we are going to mail.


Send Mrs. Wiseman a letter and also maybe a hand drawn picture or card.


Invite friends for a PJ's and Pancakes Play Date Morning. Josiah will need to call them one day and have them over the next day.


Make sun-catchers with a kit from a craft store.



Fly a kite at a park.


Make and play with homemade face paint.


Read at least 2 books to each other in the backyard shade and Mommy will read our favorite Bible Stories.


Build a blanket or sheet fort inside OR outside.


Go bowling. You can invite one friend.


Go garage "saleing" (we have $15 to spend).


Ride the trolley and go out to lunch and shopping downtown (take your camera). You have $10 to spend on something for you or someone else.


Make dirt cup/gummy worm treats to eat and give some away.


Go try on lots of sunglasses and take pictures.


Make, play with and give away some edible sand.


Make our own moon sand to play with. You can find two different recipes by following these links: http://www.naturalparentingtips.com/creative-play/easy-uncooked-sand-playdough/ or http://www.playbasedlearning.com.au/2011/03/moon-sand-recipe/




Find a new city park to play at.


Go out for donuts.


Make a tape city on our carpet to play with your cars. If you want, we could also make some buildings for our cars to visit and drive to (up-cycling treat boxes, cereal boxes, etc…)


Dance to 3 Wii Just Dance for Kids songs together.


Go for a nature hike. Take your camera.


Do yoga together for 30 minutes.


Practice skipping rope for 20 minutes.


Do a themed scavenger hunt (color, alphabet, shape). Take pictures with your camera.


Make silly putty. Follow recipe on The Idea Room blog. Here's the link: http://www.theidearoom.net/?s=silly+putty



Make Glow in the Dark Slime. Follow the recipe on The Idea Room blog. Here's the link: http://www.theidearoom.net/?s=glow+in+the+dark+slime




Go see a movie at the Pavilion


P DAY—Pizza, Picnic, and Play Date at the Park. Invite friends.


Make treats for the Callie Branch librarians. Josiah can decide what we should make them and must help Mommy bake them and package them.


Plan and make a foil packet grill meal.


Have a picnic lunch at a park by ourselves. Plus, Josiah can play and Mommy gets to read.


Learn some history about someone you've always wondered about (an author, an inventor, a pioneer, etc…). We can search for information on the internet, go to the library, call someone, etc…    


Make a birdhouse and then paint it. Use a craft store kit. (2 days)


Read a story and have Mommy video record it. Mail copies of the recordings to birth mom and both set of grandparents.


Buy and assemble a 500 piece puzzle together. This might take a couple of days.


Do a word search puzzle.


Go for a walk and pick up garbage for 30 minutes. (You can use your squeezer picker-upper).


Visit Falls Park. Take your camera.


Go for a bike ride on the bike trail.


Buy dog treats and make Cooper go on a treat scavenger hunt. Time him and see if he can do it faster and faster. (Maybe we can do this for our neighbor dogs, Simon and Jake too J).

2011 Summer Bucket List

This summer I decided to attack summer boredom HEAD-ON before it even had time to fester.  In keeping with the goal of being "intentional" of my time with Josiah, I decided to create a Summer Bucket List of activites we will do together before the end of the summer.  I found inspiration for this idea at:  http://littlewondersdays.blogspot.com/2010/05/purple-summer-bucket-list.html.  I wanted the activities to be somewhat simple yet fun and unique activities to make our summer time together a more memorable one. 

I started compiling ideas for our bucket list about 2 weeks ago.  Of course, I found inspiration for many of my ideas on blogs and some activities were just ones I've been storing in my "bag of tricks" for some time.  After finalizing my list, I created a supply list of the items we would need to complete each "task".  I gathered most of the items up from my own crafting stash but we had to go shopping for a few items.  By making sure all of our supplies are gathered in one place, I'm hoping this will ease the work, burden, and/or excuses of completing (or not completing) each task. 

The above pictures show nearly all of the craft items required to carry out the "crafty" tasks and I will be storing those in a specific clear plastic container for the summer.  Whereas, the food  items are typical part of my normal pantry or refrigerator items I keep on hand at all times. 

I read Josiah the whole list of activities so he would have a general idea of what to expect.  However, in order to create an element of surprise about each day's task, I decided to print our list on one sided scrapbook paper, cut them into strips, fold them and place them in our special yellow bucket. 

Each day Josiah will randomly select an activity for us to do :)  He is most anticipating our bowling outing and making sun catchers.  Today, he selected the task to put together a 500+ piece puzzle, which was a perfect activity on this cloudy, windy and drizzly day.