Today I realized it’s almost mid-June and I feel the summer months are already getting away from me! My girls are in daycare year round and I work full time so we are not on a traditional summer break, but we only get so many warm months in Chicago I want to make the most of it! I feel if I write down my top ten items it will not only inspire you but hold me accountable! Plus, I’ve heard so much about putting what you want to do out in the universe to make it happen, so here goes!
Bucket List Items
- Street Fest – Literally every weekend in Chicago there is some sort of fest, Burger Fest, Blues Fest, and the list goes on. The surrounding suburbs usually have a fest one weekend during the summer as well. The city I grew up in is having their summer fest this weekend and I’m hoping to check this item off!
- The Chicago Dogs – While I would love to take my girls to a Chicago Cubs game, the cost is just too expensive. Instead we have a local independent professional baseball team close by and I plan to attend a game with my family. They will get the experience of a professional baseball game and I won’t get the high cost.
- Play in our backyard – It sounds silly but for some reason we rarely spend time in the backyard, I always feel we need to go somewhere, like the park or for a walk. This summer I hope to spend quality time in our backyard. I even picked up a splash pad and sprinkler to get us back there!
- Visit with cousins – My husband and I are lucky enough to have siblings with children and this summer I want my girls to spend more time with their cousins. Family is so important to me and I really want them to build relationships with their cousins.
- Road trip! We’ve already taken our vacation this year but I would like to plan a mini road trip for our family. Right now I’m planning on Dubuque, IA. It’s less than three hours from Chicago, which seems like just far enough away but not too far where I’ll be pulling my hair out by the end of the car ride. 🙂 From my research there’s also plenty to do!
- Chalk paint – I posted a few weeks about chalk paint. I found a recipe for it on the Pinterest page for Michaels. Basically you grind up chalk, add in some baking soda and water and voila, chalk paint! It was less messy than actual chalk and my girls loved it!
- Go to a farmer’s market – Whenever I visit a farmer’s market I am usually introduced to a local small business that I wasn’t familiar with before. I love walking around buying fresh flowers and produce.
- Try a new coffee shop – In the last few months of “meeting” other moms on Instagram, I’ve been exposed to so many new coffee shops! My goal this summer is to try out one of these quaint shops instead of my regular go-to Starbucks.
- Get outside – Seems obvious but it needs to be on the list. When I used to live further in the city I used to love running along the lakefront. Now that I’m further out I don’t get that opportunity very often so I want to make an effort to make sure we get in a few walks along the water.
Let me know how you will be spending your summer in the comments! Might give me a new idea to add to my list!
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