Jar of Summer Fun

Normally during my summer vacations I have a lot of time to myself. However, this year, thanks to Dan's work schedule, we have a lot more time to spend with each other. Should be a great blessing. But sometimes we run out of ideas of what to do together. So we end up spending the day in front of computer and television screens. Not exactly what we envisioned for our summer.

So, I turned to Pinterest for ideas. There were quite a few summer bucket lists out there, but none that fit everything that Dan and I wanted to do. Plus, we weren't exactly wanting a checklist. More a way to come up with an activity when we were feeling bored.

Solution? A jar and cardstock.

I took the ideas that I liked from the bucket lists and wrote them down on pieces of cardstock that I had stored away in a box. Then, I found a jar that was left over from our wedding decor and put all the activity ideas in there. But, before I did, I made sure to ask Dan if he liked the ideas that I put in there, and also asked him if there was anything else he wanted to add.

I put the jar in our dining room so that it was in a central location. Plus, we have to walk by it all day, every day, so it's a constant reminder that if we're bored, we can just pull something out of the jar. The rule is that if we pull it, we have to do it (unless its an outdoor activity and the weather is crappy). And, if it requires a little bit of travel, then we spend time planning the trip for the next day we're both home.

Here's a list of some of the activities we added to our jar:

• Go to the beach
• Walk around a local park/square
• Wash the cars
• Paper airplane contest
• Go fly a kite
• Feed the ducks
• Stargazing date on the balcony
• Play a card/board game
• Go to a local baseball game
• Have a themed movie marathon using DVDs we already own
• Make root beer floats
• Frozen yogurt date
• Go to a drive-in movie
• Go to Sea World
• Create a photo scavenger hunt competition
• Go bowling
• Try a new recipe
• Have a picnic
• Learn a new cocktail
• Random act of kindness for a stranger

Does your family make a summer bucket list? How do you organize your list? Any other activities you would add to your list?