Summer Fun, Goals and Bucket List
- April 30, 2018
- Last Updated: January 25, 2020
- 16 Comments
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I hope you guys had a nice weekend! We got out for some sunshine, lounged on the couch, and did lots of snuggling.
This summer will look a lot different than last summer in terms of traveling. We have a lot of travel scheduled (like last summer), but it definitely won’t be as laid back and spontaneous. Last summer, we went to Indy and Chicago, Nashville, and ended the summer with a trip to Rhode Island and a positive pregnancy test!
This summer, we have a trip to Maine, a trip to Rhode Island for some weddings, and hopefully a trip to the beach planned. I have literally no clue what traveling with a newborn will entail so would love any tips and insight that you mom’s may have.
So, I decided to create a blended bucket list with goals and fun stuff on it. I’m overly ambitious thinking I’ll do all of this this summer (I know I likely won’t), but goals and a bucket list never stopped me.
Food
Make grilled pizza on the grill
Host a BBQ with fun cocktails
Drink iced coffee on the back porch and enjoy a slow morning
Get a Carvel Ice Cream Cake. I used to eat them yearly on my birthday and I haven’t had one in forever!
Try Shake Shack, new to Charlotte. And I’ve never been to one but I’ve been anxious after seeing all the press about it.
Try a new ice cream flavor. Probably from Two Scoops or Golden Cow.
Go on a food tour in Charlotte (this is STILL on my list).
S’MORES!
Go Berry Picking
Fitness
Get back into running (when I’m medically cleared) with a local running group and sign up for a race by the end of summer.
Train for a fall half marathon. Ed is running an ULTRA this fall – I will NOT be doing that but would love to start doing some longer distance training.
Join the YMCA. Mainly so I can have childcare while I workout. (Genius idea, by the way)
Learn how to use the BOB running stroller. I think I have to wait until Cam is 6 months so there’s time for that.
Travel/Fun
Do a hike in Maine. Maine has been on my bucket list for FOREVER and we’re going in June!). I’d love to hike Acadia National Park, but that may have to wait until Camryn is older or a separate mommy/daddy trip.
Take Camryn to a football tailgate. We’re tentatively planning on going to the UNC Charlotte/Tennessee game in Knoxville in the fall (my sister went to Tennessee so they may meet up with us).
Family beach trip – Wilmington, Charleston, Carolina Beach, Emerald Isle?
Go to the local lake
Spend a day at the Whitewater Center.
Have a local picnic in a park with Ed and Cam. (The photo below is the last picnic Ed and I did about two summers ago – this was before meeting with our real estate agent and finding our current house)!
Other
Get 3 month professional photos done for Camryn. We JUST did newborn photos – can’t wait to see them!
Hit up a few breweries this summer (with Cam in my carrier). Babies and breweries just go together, right? 🙂
Join a local MOMS group to make friends. This is a big one I want to do. I haven’t researched local groups around me, but surely there are some. I’ve also heard about moms groups that do “stroller” workouts and I’d love to learn more about that.
Invest more in my virtual private practice and perhaps start a business website
Plant a garden. Realistically, this is probably more than a summer away, but I think it’d be so fun to have plants/veggies to pick with Camryn to introduce her to her food
Formalize my plan for going “back to work” and seeing clients in the office setting. Since I do mostly freelance/contract work, I don’t have an “official” maternity leave. I kind of figured I’d take the summer (since we’re traveling so much) while doing some freelance/work from home stuff, but really focusing on learning how to be a mom for the first 3-4 months. But, I do want to have a formal plan for going back to work so I can start planning for that.
Establish childcare for fall (daycare vs. nanny).
Find a reliable babysitter. I’ve heard about care.com – any other suggestions from mom’s on how to find trustworthy/professional references?
What’s on your summer bucket list?
What are some of your fun/food/travel/fitness goals?
Sarah Schlichter is a Registered Dietitian with a Master’s in Public Health Nutrition. She specializes in sports nutrition and intuitive eating, and recipe development. She also co-hosts the podcast, Nail Your Nutrition.
16 Comments
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Acadia sounds awesome! On my list too!
It looks so beautiful!
Oh I am loving this list – and TOTALLY wishing it was summer for us as it’s suddenly gotten cold here!
Is winter just starting for you all?
Sounds like you have alot of fun things planned for this summer! I still feel like summer is so far away but it will be here before we know it.
I can’t believe we’re already into May!
I would LOVE to go to Maine; that’s so cool it’s on your bucket list and you’re going this summer. It sounds like Camryn is going to be inducted into all the traveling this summer. Also, hmm…. I know a very sweet friend from church who has been on care.com or care.org, and she has had a really good experience babysitting.
I think it would be so cool to see you get to run with Camryn; there’s a sweet lady on Instagram Chelsey @chelseylovestorun who runs with a stroller, and she totally inspires me.
She will hopefully be a pro at traveling by the end of summer!
Hard to beat grilling a pizza outside, Sarah!
Agreed!
Yay bucket lists!! Summer bucket lists, especially, are so excited. Doesn’t matter how ambitious they may be. They get you thinking of all the possibilities out there.
I think you should put the Charlotte food tour at the top of your list, seeing its one of the ones over flowing from year to year. Maybe for someone’s birthday? If you book now its done!
Exciting to think of the possible Mom groups you may find. This would be so good. And would be another reason to have new people over for cocktails and grilled BBQ pizza!
Just getting it on paper feels good, even if we don’t accomplish it this summer. And yes, I should def start with the food tour 🙂
So many fun plans! We didn’t do a ton of traveling when the kids were itty bitty, just a few car trips. I would suggest bringing back up clothes for you and her (I feel like the biggest spit up situations happen when you are away from home and unprepared) and giving yourself a little more time for travel than you think will be needed.
Yes, we have already experienced some blow outs and spit up situations – great advice!!
I was at Home Depot yesterday looking for a basil plant and they had so many fruits/vegetables/herbs already starting to grow. It would be an easy way to make a garden without starting from scratch.
When I was growing up my parents would have our friend’s older siblings babysit or ask people in our neighborhood to come over to watch us. Then when I was babysitting, I know parents would ask their friend if they had any good sitters to recommend. If you join a mom group, I’m sure they would be happy to share their babysitter info with you!
I love those little basil plants – I buy them frequently at the grocery store. It’s good practice!