Summer Bucket List

This is the last week of the "school year" for us. Basically, it's the last week of music class and playgroup meeting in the church nursery. Our normal weekday morning schedule looks like: 

- Monday: Music Class

- Tuesday: Groceries

- Wednesday: Playgroup

- Thursday: Miscellaneous errands or having lunch at Daddy's work

- Friday: Something fun (usually the children's museum or a play date)

For the last two weeks of June, Claire will be doing swim lessons every morning at our neighborhood pool. It's actually a private swim club - we're not members but swim lessons are open to the public. 

Then, after the July Fourth long weekend, we'll start our summer schedule:

- Monday: Groceries

- Tuesday: Kids concert at the lake, soccer at our neighborhood park for Claire in the evening

- Wednesday: Playgroup park date

- Thursday: Something fun

- Friday: Preschool open swim at the public pool

I always pick up a rotisserie chicken when grocery shopping, so we'll have that on Monday night and then use the leftovers to make chicken salad sandwiches, pasta salad, or green salad with chicken for a picnic dinner at the park on Tuesdays after Claire's toddler soccer practice. 

Of course, I'm hoping there will be lots of late afternoons spent in the backyard playing with the baby pool and water table. And maybe doing some messier outside crafts like play dough and finger paint.

My ideas for "something fun" on Thursdays are:

- Raspberry picking in July and blueberry picking in August

- The splash parks in Bellevue and Sammamish

- The farm parks in Bellevue and Redmond

- Cougar Mountain Zoo in Issaquah 

- St. Edwards State Park in Kirkland

My summer list for weekends includes: 

- Alki Beach

- Tilicum Village 

- Mount Rainier

- As many parks as possible, like Washington Arboretum, Seward Park, Gas Works Park, etc

And closer to home:

- Biking along the Sammamish River Trail to Woodinville

- The Saturday farmer's market

- After church picnics at Evans Creek Preserve

- Idyllwood and Houghton beach parks

In September, when it's technically still summer but the weather isn't quite as spectacular, I'd like to go to Woodland Park Zoo and the family fun park at Remlinger Farms.

I'm still toying with signing Claire up for tennis camp at our neighborhood park. I'm bummed that she's not quite old enough for our parish vacation bible school - you had to be three by the end of December. Next year!

We have several visitors coming to stay and some fun Pacific Northwest road trips planned as well. I couldn't help digging through Instagrams from last year to include in this post. Ahh, summertime. I'm so glad you're here again.