The Summer in Review

It’s the last Friday of the summer. And when I say summer, I mean summer vacation from school. Clearly, there are still plenty of hot, summery days ahead of us. But there are just a couple more days of no school and the relaxed summer schedule that comes along with the kids being out of school.

At the start of the summer I set some just for fun goals. Today…I thought it would be fun to do a check in on those goals…and see how things went.

Goal 1:  Go with the flow.

As I mentioned in the original post, it’s definitely challenging trying to balance it all during the summer. This year was better than last year—by far. One thing that definitely helped was continuing to go to yoga or boot camp as much as I could. I also found that having a vacation to Michigan to look forward to really felt good and kept my spirits high. (Making some mental notes for next summer…)

Goal 2:  Sit on the front porch and listen to the rain.

Honestly, this was never even a possibility! Very few rainy nights this summer…but there is always fall, right?

Goal 3: Be a tourist in my home town.

We enjoyed our local farmer’s market…but never did venture to St. Louis for a touristy outing. Seems our schedule was really filled to the brim with summer camps and a vacation in Michigan.

Goal 4:  Go on my first ever mother-daughter road trip to Michigan.

Yes—we did it, and it was so much fun!

(We even fed giraffes!)

Goal 5:  Run in the Komen St. Louis Race with my daughter.

Check! Loved every single second of it! Must put this one on the list again next summer.

Goal 6:  Play with my camera more.

A bit…I had something more in mind when I set this goal. But that’s okay. 🙂 (See Goal #1…I’m going with the flow.)

Goal 7:  Create a place to capture daily gratitude.

I did this via email with my friend Janine. We’ve been doing this since January (though I have missed a day or two, especially on the weekends when I unplug.) But I highly recommend an email gratitude exchange with a friend. This was Janine’s idea, and it’s a fantastic way to end the day. I love reading her gratitude list as it always inspires me…and it’s fun to have the reminder to really stop each day and think about how great life truly is. There’s always a lot to be grateful for.

Goal 8:  Take the kids to the pool…and play!

Yep!

Goal 9:  Enjoy homemade ice cream.

Yep, and yum!

Goal 10:  Watch less T.V.

Indeed. Though I must admit we have been enjoying Food Network Star (go Vic) and Design Star.

Goal 11:  Create a list of things my kids would like to do this summer.

Yes…we did this, but found our days were filled on their own. No trying to figure out “What should we do today…” It was good.

Goal 12:  Ride my bike.

Uh…nope. I must have written that goal when it was still cool! I did take my dog on lots of walks since my daughter set a goal to walk her every day. Now…one would think that goal meant that my daughter was going to walk the dog everyday…but that wasn’t it that at all. Essentially, quite often (like when she went to camp or had sleep over’s) Kailea became the advocate for the dog…as opposed to the dog walker. Oh well…there’s nothing wrong with a happy dog, right?

Goal 12:  Eat outside as much as possible….on the deck, at the park, etc.

Yep…until it got too hot and mosquito-y. Looking forward to more of this in the fall.

Goal 13:  Enjoy experimenting with fresh, organic fruits and veggies from a local farmer.

Yes and yum! We have tried all sorts of yummy things I’ve never eaten before like kale chips and kohlrabi. It has been a lot of fun playing in the kitchen with fresh veggies. Of all the things I will miss about summer…this is right at the top of the list…especially fresh tomatoes and basil.

Goal 14:  Create something…just for the fun of it.

If Rice Krispies Treats count…I’m all set. If not…there were those camp cards…that was definitely fun. Ready to do some more creating this fall. 🙂

Goal 15:  Relax in the hammock and read a good book.

Book = yes. Hammock = no. (See number 12.)

Goal 16:  Remember that my family is my number one priority.

Yes indeed.

It’s almost time to call summer a wrap. It was a good one…but welcome new school year. I’m glad you are here.

Did you set any “just for fun” goals this summer? If so…how are things going? I think the most important thing with these just for fun goals is that they help make your summer more fun. It’s not about getting to check them all off at the end of the summer…but rather, it’s about helping to make sure that when summer ends you can say “Yep, it was a good summer.” So how is it going for you? I’d love to hear from you!