Summer Bucket List Bingo Update #3

We're slowly making our way through our bucket list!

Over the past week or so we've crossed off:

Dinner at Five Guys! This was Nate's biggest wish for the bucket list this summer, so it made perfect sense to have it double as his birthday dinner! The kids absolutely loved it and are begging to go back.

Pretending to be sleepy :-P

Dewitt Park and walk to Blondie's for ice cream with our friends! It was a great afternoon hanging out with our friends Jess and Aaron. We don't get to see them outside of church that often, and we really enjoyed catching up with them. We haven't really explored this park before, and I can definitely see us coming back to explore more, especially now that we know the secret path to Blondie's!!!!

Proof that Ry will talk to Jess!!! He loves pretending to be shy around her.

Aaron playing with the kids

Family baseball! Okay, so I wasn't feeling well and while I technically didn't play, but I was umpire, so that counts for something, right? Pete and Ryan were on a team against Paige and Nate, and while we didn't officially keep score, it was a really close game. We're really looking forward to our bigger yard so we're not playing around our vehicles anymore :)

While we probably won't be crossing everything off of our list this summer (yet again), I have to remember to cut us some slack. We've been so busy with house things, but I'm loving how intentional we've been about taking time to fit in some fun things along with the chaos as well!!!

What fun things have you been up to lately?

Summer Bucket List Bingo Update #2

We're about halfway through our summer already, and we've been able to cross off more activities on our bingo sheet!

We did our play date square! Okay, so there's no picture of this, but the kids got to go hang out with some friends for a couple hours while Pete and I were at the inspection appointment for the new house.

We made cookies for neighbors! We made them for two of our current neighbors that we are going to miss terribly. However, we also made them for our next door neighbors at the new house! Yay!

Chocolate chip, peanut butter chip and M&M cookies!

We tried out the newly discovered play ground at the park square! We did this during one of our house showings. It had been rainy most of the day, but it stopped and cleared up nicely so we could burn off some energy.

Mason loves the park!

It was Mozzie's first time at the park!

We did fishing at Pete's sister's house! Well, Pete and Ryan fished. Nate and Paige chose to go in the boat instead ;)

Pete caught the biggest fish!

And Ry got to throw it back

Ryan's fish!

Fly fishy, fly!!!!

Paige and Nate with Pete's mom and sister

To see other posts about our summer bucket list (including the full list of activities), you can find them here.

Summer Bucket List

For the past couple of years, our family has made a summer bucket list of things we'd like to do. We don't have many rules about what goes on the list; we don't limit it to free or local activities, but as long as it is something we can all agree on and doesn't break the bank, it goes on the list :)

Now, just having a regular bucket list is all well and good, but we like to kick it up a notch and make it more fun and exciting: we put it on a BINGO board!

We always get super excited to get a BINGO, and when one box can make multiple BINGOs, that's just even better!!!!

Our goal for this year is something we have not been able to do yet: fill in our entire board.

It's a big challenge, I just hope we're up to it!

What's on our list this year:

• Dewitt Park to Blondie's. Our friend Jess mentioned that this park has a trail that leads to Blondie's, and what's better than taking a long walk and getting an ice cream all at the same time?
• Mario Kart night. A video game night of some sort always ends up on our list! This year the kids chose Mario Kart :)
• Glow stick bowling. We had this on our list last year, and we never were able to accomplish it. We have all the supplies still, so a free activity is a great thing to have!

• Camping. We've been meaning to go camping with our friends Stephen and Vanessa the past couple of years, but we've never been able to make the schedules work. If it doesn't work again this year, we kept it fairly general so camping in our backyard will also work for this square.
• Tim Horton's trip. We don't stop here often (unless we have a gift card or someone needs a donut after a shot/blood work), so this is a cheap and super special treat!
• Drive in movie. We LOVE the Silver Lake Twin Drive In, and I think we're going to go try and see Despicable Me 3 when it comes out soon! This is one of our favorite things to do during the summer, so it is a must for our list.
• Fishing at the cousin's house. Pete's sister and brother-in-law just got a new house last year, and it has a stocked pond. The kids love to fish, so we were invited to put fishing at their pond on our bucket list!
• Applebee's. We have a couple gift cards here, and it's the kid's favorite restaurant (and there's food I can eat there, too!).
• Game night. We love our board games! We have a closet filled in our play room and 3/4 of our coffee bar is filled with more board games. This is always one of the first things the kids ask for on our bucket list!
• Make cookies for a neighbor. I want to try and have the kids be thinking more of others and doing random acts of kindness, and this is a great way for us to bond as a family as well as think of our neighbors!
• Family baseball. This is Ryan's favorite square! He keeps asking to do this one, but it's always when we have someplace to go, it's pouring, or it is so humid out we can't breathe without breaking a sweat!
• Letchworth. This one was added a few months ago when I was thinking about applying to the Letchworth Arts and Craft Show in October. I have lived in this area for almost 11 years, and still have never made it to this park. It's quite sad. I'm hoping this will be the summer we finally go!
• Berry picking. This could be any kind of berry at any location. We try and pick blueberries every year, and we used to do strawberry picking. We love to take hikes in the Genesee County Park, and they have wild berries there, so we'll stop and pick them when we've completed our walk. Any of those can fill up this square!
• Buffalo Museum of Science. We went over spring break, and loved it! The kids can't wait to go back. We just renewed and upgraded our membership, so each time we go, we can take one extra kid. Pete and I will be taking Ry while Paige and Nate are at camp, so we're anxious to see who he chooses to bring along.
• Play date. We try to get together with Pete's coworker and her family at least once every summer, but we're also thinking about having the kids each pick a friend and having them meet us at the school playground as an option (or addition!) for the summer.
• Dinner at Five Guy's. Pete and I love this as a date night option when we have errands to run, and the kids are anxious to try it as well. This was Nate's #1 pick for the list this year!
• Bike riding. Ryan just got a new bike for his birthday, and all the kids want to ride this summer. We don't really have a place to ride where we live, so we don't really do it. Ever. So this would be a special thing!
• Movie night at home. Oh how we love these! Eating dinner in the living room while watching a glowing screen with moving pictures? Amazing.
• Fireworks. Last year we saw an amazing firework show at the kid's school for their field days, and we're hoping to go back again this year! If we miss it, sometimes we can see them at our house when neighbors put on a show.
• Make a new flavor of gelato. This is another favorite of ours! We have a gelato machine, and we love trying new recipes. Last year I think we did a peanut butter cup, a lemon blueberry, and peanut butter. So. Good.
• Geneseo Movie Theater. We have movie tickets there that were given to us, it's just trying to find the time and a movie we all want to see!
• Campfire cookout and s'mores. We LOOOOOVE cooking out over a campfire, and then roasting marshmallows afterwards for s'mores!
• Take Mason on a hike. Our pupper LOVES taking a walk, especially at the park where there's shade and a breeze, and the kids love bringing him for snuggles in the van on the way to the park!

If you're a math person and have tallied up how many things are on our list for our 5x5 BINGO board, two boxes should be empty. One just happens to be the free space, and the other one...well, we just can't decide what activity to put there! We have so many to choose from, and are really having a hard time picking from the list of other possibilities. 

Some things we have on the list of possibilities are:

• Air and Space museum in Washington D.C. We really really want to do this either on our way down or way back from the Outer Banks. However, we're not sure when Paige's middle school orientation will be, so once we know when that is, we'll know if we're going to be able to make this happen or not.
• Virtual Reality. Our library has this now, and I think it would be really fun to try as a family!
• Geocaching. Pete especially has wanted to do this for awhile, and I just saw that our county just set up a geocaching trail all over the county, so I think this would be a fun thing to try!
• Move. A lot of people suggested this one, and we LOVE this idea!!!! However, that's kind of out of our hands, so we'd hate for this to be the one square that would keep us from filling in our board!
• Memorizing scripture. Nate has been asking about this one, and we love this idea. But we're not sure what or how much we'd do, so that's the only reason it's on the back burner.
• Go swimming. We have a pool, so this one should be easy to do. However, it's either been too rainy or too cold, so we're not sure when this would actually happen!

Finding things to do that work with our schedule and won't completely blow our budget is what's challenging at this point!

I'll be posting updates regularly on how we're doing. If you want to do a BINGO board bucket list, this is the board we use (and it's free!). 

What would you put on your summer bucket list? We're always looking for new or additional ideas!

Book List Update: January

As you may remember, a goal for this year is to read 100 books that I've never read before. That translates to 8-9 books a month, and I'm trying to shoot for 9. This month has been crazy; I've had two guest posts I've had to work on, a heavier than normal babysitting schedule, and I was sick for two weeks with a nasty head cold. For awhile it was looking like I wasn't going to even get 4 books read as some books took longer than I expected, but I was able to get 9 done!

Here are the books I read in January:

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein – The story was not what I imagined it was going to be like at all. It was easier to read than I imagined, and so much fun! I was entertained the whole time and hated putting it down. Loved this one!

Creative Girls Club Adventure Book #1: Wellspring of Magic by Jan Fields – Yes, this is a kid's chapter book. One of the teachers at school gave this book to us to see if Paige would be interested in it. I read it first to make sure it was something we'd want Paigey to be reading, and if it would be something that would challenge her and be enjoyable for her. It wasn't too bad; I enjoyed that the six girls in the book had to work together in order to get their jobs done. Parts of it were a little cheesy, but then again I'm not an 8 – 12 year old girl :) We will probably let Paige read this, but talk to her about certain things that our family doesn't agree with (trees having sprits, magic being in all of us, etc.).

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine – I didn't know anything about the book before reading it (well, other than it was about a girl named Ella...), so again didn't know what to expect. Although I feel like the ending was slightly rushed, I liked this book a lot. Paigey's getting this one for her birthday, so I wanted to read it first to make sure it was appropriate.

The Fiddler, Home to Hickory Hollow book #1 by Beverly Lewis - Beverly Lewis is definitely one of my favorite authors, and I'm rarely disappointed in her writing. This is a brand new series by her, and one of the librarians set the first two books aside for me after our board meeting. I love reading about the Amish; I find them fascinating! I especially loved the main character in this book, but I'm biased as she had one of my favorite girl names: Amelia.


The Bridesmaid, Home to Hickory Hollow book #2 by Beverly Lewis - Book two in the series, and I'm disappointed because I have to wait until April at the earliest until book three is released!!! Don't you just hate reading a book to find out the sequel isn't out just yet?


Where Angels Go by Debbie Macomber - Another one of my favorite authors, and this book has some of my favorite recurring characters - three angels named Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy! They get sent to Earth each year around Christmas to help answer the prayers of three people, but they get themselves into all sorts of messes along the way.

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - This was a very difficult read for me, even though it was only 100ish pages long. It was very good, but when you have a head cold, it's very hard to follow Sherlock Holmes' logic! It was neat seeing the original story; I've seen a modern day adaptation of it in Sherlock. I'll probably read this again, but it won't be one I'd read often.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - I had to get this and Through the Looking Glass from the library as I just watched Alice in Wonderland and loved it. I loved the book just as much as the movie, and couldn't put it down! I think I read it in an afternoon/evening. I ordered the children's version of this for Paige, and I can't wait until she can read it, too!

Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll - I didn't think it was possible, but this was even more nonsensical than Alice's Adventures in Wonderland! I read this in the span of 24 hours, and loved it. It's very quick and easy to read, but if you happen to skim any part, you'll get lost/confused because of all the nonsense. That probably doesn't make any sense, but I highly recommend these books!!!!


What's next on my list:
- I'm almost finished with The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett; it's taking me a lot longer to read this one because I can only read it when Paige isn't home (it's one of her birthday presents!). I read half of The Hound of the Baskervilles and both of the Alice books while reading this one.
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber


Have you read any good books lately?

Happy 2013!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Our year is starting out not as expected, but in the grand scheme of things, we are so blessed. We all woke up tired and fairly cranky, then went out to run errands, and either the stores we wanted to go to were closed, or we forgot the gift card we needed to purchase things at the stores. We were able to get some things, and I'll go back tomorrow to get the big item (a new living room light) with the gift card. The kids refused to nap, so the crankiness has gotten worse.

But we have a warm house, food cooking for dinner, running water, clothes on our backs, and love to spare. I was also able to work on some projects today: cleaning up the basement, putting together an organizational system for the kids' school papers, and I made two American Girl sized silky blankets for Paige's best friend's birthday gift (they match the twin sized one I made her).

A lot of people make resolutions this time of year, and in years past, I've done that. I've fallen short every time, and all I do is get depressed. Last year we did something different and made a Family Bucket List. It worked pretty well; we crossed off about 80% of the things on our list, and we were okay with the ones we were unable to do.

So here's my bucket list for 2013:

- Tackle my book list. I started The Hobbit today and have finished the first paragraph. Not bad for a busy day!

- Hug more, yell less. When my kids are cranky and disobeying, it usually means something is bothering them. I tend to yell, only to find out later that they're not feeling well, they're tired, their best friend was mean, etc. After I give them a hug, they feel better and are ready to start listening again. Wouldn't life be easier if I just hugged in the first place?

- Date my husband. With our busy lives and trying to stick to a strict budget, going out on dates weekly or even monthly is difficult. In December we started implementing Date Night, where we would take turns planning one date night a week. It's been just movie nights so far as December was busy, but even just sitting next to each other on the couch with the phones and computers off was a great way for us to connect. Best part? It's free! I would still like to have at least six nights out with just Pete this year. Birthday/anniversary dinners can count towards this number :)

- Have family night once a month. We put this on our bucket list last year, and it worked pretty well. We tried to have game night once a month, and it didn't always work out. Some months were just crazier than others, so we'd have a movie night with a picnic dinner on the living room floor. Movie nights or game nights count towards this; any ideas of other things we can do?

- Finish The Magician's Nephew with Nate. We started this last summer and made it through the first three or four chapters. He's been asking me to read it again, so I'd like to finish it with him this year.

- Overcome one fear. I don't know which one yet; it might be touch a fish after I've caught it, remove a snake from my garden, or fly on an airplane. I really want to go visit my best friend in Florida, but I'm afraid to fly....I can't let that stand in my way!

- Redecorate our basement. The plan is set, now just have to tackle it! I'm thinking it'll be a summer project. We'll be repainting, finishing the stairs, hanging new curtains, putting up new art work, and making lots of new pillows.

- Launch my Etsy site, SEA Creations! I think this will also happen later in the year; I don't have time to fully devote to it right now.

- Teach Paigey how to ride a bike without training wheels. We were going to do this last summer, but never made the time. This year will be the year!!!!

- Exercise more...but more for health instead of weight loss. I tend to get frustrated after I've been exercising for a few weeks and quit because I'm not losing weight. I forget that having a healthy body is more important, and the weight loss is just an added bonus. Maybe changing my focus will help :)

- Be silly more often! I love being silly with my kids. I don't do it often enough, and laughter is the best medicine!


What are your goals for the year? May it be a blessed year for you and your family!