Summer Bucket List

2.) 10 Things you hope to accomplish this summer.

1) Survive tent camping with a four year old.
Last year we rented a trailer for camping as I wasn't sure we were ready to camp without a washroom in the same building, a night light, and a microwave, among other things. I'm still not sure we're ready but we've purchased a family sized tent and booked a site. We're going for two nights. I'm feeling a bit nervous. Hubby and I haven't been tent camping since 2008. However, E is getting more excited by the day so hopefully it will be a lot of fun.

2) Make time to read more books.
Last year I took the Random House book Bingo challenge and by this time last year I had read close to 14 books. This year I've read five! I'm feeling kind of embarrassed about that. Maybe I'll have time to read while camping.

3) Take E to the Beach.
We went to a small, muddy beach last year at the camp ground we were staying at and built a sand castle and she loved it but I'd really love to take E to a nice sandy beach similar to Wasaga, Sauble or Grand Bend.

4) Date Night
Drive in movies, frozen yogurt, outdoor patios, etc. Hoping for some summery dates with hubby!

5) Check out Double Decker Iced Cream
There's this cool ice cream parlour that's inside an old double decker bus. This year they're offering gluten free cones so it seems like the perfect time to check it out!

6) Freezer Cooking.

The more I can precook, the more time I'll hopefully have for doing fun summer activities with E (and hubby when he's on vacation). It should also cut back on fast food consumption and give hubby something more interesting and appetizing to take to work for lunch. 

7) Write a Children's Book

E is always asking me to tell her a story and I'll make one up on the spot and then she'll ask me to repeat it and I won't remember what I said. So I should probably record myself sometime and then actually write it down.

8) Get a hair cut.

I've been talking about doing it for months but haven't gotten around to it. E actually told me I'm "not allowed" to cut my hair but I have a love hate relationship with it. Some days I love how it looks but others I find it just gets in the way and putting my hair in a pony tail doesn't really put it up any more.  I think I should probably get at least a few inches cut off. 

9) Be more creative in the kitchen.

I used to be more creative and make, in my opinion, more edible food and then E was born. She loves bland and tasteless food and if I use spices she says it's yucky. Tough crowd. Then there's hubby who basically disgusts and upsets me by covering subtle, delicate flavours with mass amounts of hot sauce, often before tasting them. So I've given up for the most part and succumbed to microwaving frozen vegetables and basically creating cafeteria style meals. So this summer I hope to find a way to make something that satisfies everyone. (. . .and perhaps hide the hot sauce. ;))

10) Remember the past.

It's not really a bucket list item I guess, as it happens most days, but family vacations set kind of a higher bar I guess. I love sharing stories with E about camping trips, vacations, etc and teaching her through my own experiences and creating new special memories and I hope her experiences are as good or better than my own. I'm hoping to create some great memories this summer. :)