Summer Bucket List/Goals/Hopes

image courtesy of  iloveitallwithmonikawright.com

Ahhh.....summer.  We aren't quite in that season yet, but it's close enough that I'm starting to think about how to make the most of it.  I'm sure everyone feels like this, but sometimes it's frustrating that summer gets filled up with so many obligations and chores that we run short on time for the fun stuff.  I thought maybe writing it all out would be helpful this year.  Here we go!!

1.  Go to Kennywood.  

This is non-negotiable.  It's shameful that my kids are 'burghers and have never been to this classic park!  The rides, the food, the atmosphere (the, um...people watching.  Ahem.) it's all so great and I have no idea why we haven't made this a priority yet.  We went to Idlewild for the first time 2 years ago and they absolutely loved it, so I feel like they're definitely ready to "graduate" to Kennywood.  It should be slightly easier this year, too...while Liam still needs a nap most of the time, he's a bit more flexible having to go without it....which means that we could potentially stay at the park into the evening, which is my absolute favorite time to be there.

2.  Finish the treehouse.

It's coming along quite nicely, and I'm sure Brian will be working on it when he can over the upcoming weekend.  The kids are so excited to use it, and I'm so excited to see the look on their faces when it's finally complete.  They're really hoping for a sleepover out there in the summer, so we'll see how that goes!

3.  Enjoy our space with friends more.

This isn't exactly something to work towards, but I'd just love to have people over more often.  Nothing formal, even if it's just last minute, ordering pizza and letting the kids run around.  Again, with Liam being more flexible with his sleep schedule (lately he's actually been doing that crazy thing where, if we let him stay up later, he actually sleeps in later the next day....BLISS!!!) it makes it easier to do things in the evening. Up until recently, if we let him stay up later, he would somehow manage to wake up even earlier than usual the next morning--I'm talking like 5am!  Needless to say, he was a bear the next morning, so it was not fun to let him stay up late!  Do you know that my kids have never caught lightning bugs?  That must be remedied. Nothing says summer like good friends having some drinks and enjoying the night on the patio!!  (it would also give me an excuse to try some of the delicious looking drink recipes I've been pinning lately!)

4.  Summer Reading

This goes for both me and the kiddos.  Our local library has a summer reading program, so I definitely want to get both of the kids signed up for that. I'll be the first to admit that last year we didn't do a great job of making sure he was consistently reading over the summer, so I want to do better this year.  Maybe he'll want to read in his treehouse once that's done? :)  Here are some books on my summer wish list (I'm a sucker for anything that relates to the beach May-August):

5.  Go to a drive in movie

This one may be ambitious, considering the fact that I have trouble staying awake through one movie in my own house, but we'll see.  There are a few cute kids movies coming out over the next few months, so maybe we can make a night of it and try to see at least one under the stars!  The Minions and Inside Out are definitely on our must-see list:

6.  Pirates Game
 I still haven't figured out if Liam is ready to sit through a full game yet (I'm not, but I guess I could suck it up for the sake of the family), so if not all of us, then Brian and Jake will definitely go to at least a game or two over the summer.  They always have such a great time there!

June 2014

 7.  Water Stairs on the North Shore 
Again, another very Pittsburgh thing that my kids haven't experienced. The water steps are part of the North Shore Riverfront Park, the area near Heinz Field and PNC Park. They loved the fountain at Point Park when the giant ducky was here a few years ago, so I'd love to head back there again, too.

Water Steps - North Shore Riverfront Park

Point State Park - October 2013

8.  Go to the Blue Slide Park
Again, another Pittsburgh thing we've not yet done!  The Blue Slide Park is part of Frick Park (which we've been to before, we just never managed to hit up this particular part of it); most of the playground is just your standard playground equipment, but then...there's this:

image courtesy of playpittsburgh.com

image courtesy of playpittsburgh.com

It doesn't look like much and it requires a piece of cardboard, but everyone who has taken their kids there has raved about it. All images above courtesy of playpittsburgh.com and a full review of the Blue Slide Park (and MANY other Pittsburgh parks and playgrounds!) can be found here: http://playpittsburgh.com/playgrounds/#.VVYCGvCVEYU


What am I missing?  What's on your summer bucket list?