Last Saturday was my first official day of summer vacation and let me tell you something –
I FELT LIKE A DIFFERENT PERSON.
Without the impending doom of my alarm clock going off at 5 am on Monday, I may or may not have frolicked around the house on Saturday like a My Little Pony.
I was also incredibly productive. I washed Happy Buddy’s sheets – something I am sure hasn’t been done since the school year began, I worked on a project for our church marriage ministry that I have been putting off, I made my own bed, cooked dinner (something else that hasn’t happened since the school year began – ha!), and stayed joyful all day! If the rest of summer is going to be like this –
I. CAN’T. WAIT.
Do you remember my Summer Bucket List from last year? That was so fun to write and even though I didn’t get everything done on the list, it was still helpful to have goals so that I didn’t just spend the entire vacation washing sheets.
Here’s what I am hoping to do this summer…
1. FLOORS – The hubs and I took a Financial Peace class with Dave Ramsey earlier this year and we have decided that one of the things we would like to save up for is new flooring. We have had the same carpet throughout our house for about 12 years now, so you can imagine what it must look like. There is that spot where Happy Buddy colored on with red Sharpie, the multiple spots that encountered a potty training accident or stomach bug incident, paint drips, dirt, mud – you name it. You could probably conduct a science experiment based on the amount of elements found hidden in the carpet fibers. We are really hoping to replace the carpets once our budget allows.
2. CHORE SMACKDOWN – Lately I have been having this growing concern that my boys’ lives are way too easy. This is a breeding ground for whiny, ungrateful attitudes. When it comes to chores, I have kind of slacked off on them because in all honesty, it is sometimes easier to just do them myself! Plus there aren’t as many broken dishes – ha! But I know that my boys need good, hard work to help them appreciate their many blessings, so this summer our home will be attending Chore Bootcamp. HERE is a good list of chores according to age that I am using as a reference.
3. NEW JERSEY – I grew up in New Jersey and I haven’t been to see my Oma since THIS POST a few years ago, so the other day the airlines were having a good deal and I jumped on it. I can’t wait for my boys to hang out with my grandma again and get to see all my aunts and uncles and cousins. One of my uncles even has a giant pet pig that lives in their house named Franklin Boaris. You can imagine how much fun it will be to see him!!
4. TEACH HAPPY BABY TO SWIM – Last year we made it our mission to teach Happy Buddy how to swim and I am proud to say he is now a PRO. Happy Baby on the other hand has a long way to go. We are especially uneasy being around water with him because of his muscle weakness, so having him trained will be such a relief!
5. NEIGHBOR LOVE – We have had several new neighbors move into the houses on our little street and I regret to say that I have not been over to welcome them yet. I am hoping to make THIS RECIPE and drop by to say hello. I also want to do some fun surprises for our neighbors this summer like one neighbor just painted their house and it looks really nice. I thought we could drop a note in their mailbox telling them so.
6. SHUT-IN VISITS – With the world falling apart the way it is these days, it’s easy to retreat into our quiet, comfortable lives and forget that one of our main purposes as Christians is to reach out and be a small part of the solution. I know I can’t solve world hunger or the ISIS situation or environmental disasters, but I can teach my kids to love and serve the poor and needy. One practical way I would like to do this is take the boys to visit a few of the older members of our church’s congregation who haven’t been able to leave their homes due to illness and/or age. It’s risky bringing 2 extremely energetic little buddies into that kind of setting, but I really think it will be good for the souls of everyone involved. The hubs even mentioned tagging along with his guitar so we can sing some worship tunes.
7. WORSHIP NIGHTS – Speaking of worship, the hubs is the worship pastor at our church and this summer he has visioned out a few nights where we gather in a warehouse setting with a bunch of friends and guitars and just sing to the Lord. I cannot even express how excited I am about this. Worship on Sundays is my favorite and sometimes I feel like we just can’t linger in the Lord’s presence the way I would like because of service scheduling and time constraints. This is a night to linger.
8. BLOG DREAMING – I have been writing for Happy Home Fairy for almost 6 years! It is one of my favorite things to do and I dream about it being my full-time job one day. The hubs and I have been talking about ways we can try to monetize the blog, but that would mean moving it to a self-hosted site and investing some $$$$ into construction and design. It is a big decision and I have some fears about it (like y’all wouldn’t follow me if I moved and then the whole thing would crumble), but we are praying and seeking God about the next step.
9. MOVE HAPPY BABY TO BIG BOY BED – Happy Baby is 3 now, so it’s time to get him out of his crib. Plus, he is also finally potty-trained so when he has to go tinkle in the morning if I am not there first thing to help him out, he tends to not be able to hold it any longer and thus the reason we need new carpets. Lol.
10. WEAR A BATHING SUIT – I mentioned HERE that I am carrying some extra weight right now, but I am determined to not let that keep me from wearing a bathing suit this summer and actually getting in the pool and ocean with my kiddos. I have missed out on a lot of fun because of my silly insecurities and don’t want to let that happen anymore. Plus, if you read THIS INSPIRING POST, you will probably go put a swimsuit on right now and just wear it permanently for the rest of the summer.
What’s on YOUR Summer Bucket List? I’d love to know!
And don’t forget – my FAVORITE SUMMER THINGS GIVEAWAY ends TOMORROW night at midnight, so if you haven’t entered yet, do it NOW by clicking HERE!
– Julie 
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