A Very Low-Key Summer Checklist
What’s on your summer checklist? I’m excited for lazy weekends with no plans other than listening out for the ice-cream truck. Here are 10 chill things the boys and I are looking forward to…
1. Watch a popular movie you’ve somehow never seen. I watched Dirty Dancing for the first time a few summers ago, and this year I might check out a little film called Star Wars. Ever heard of it?
2. Sit in front of your house on a lawn chair. My septuagenarian neighbors often do this, and we — and everyone else on the block — stop to chat whenever we pass by. Such a relaxed way to connect with people.
3. Fake a pretty glow. My skin is so pale it’s almost blue, so for sundresses and skirts, I smooth on this award-winning lotion a few times a week to give my arms and legs a golden glow. It’s very natural-looking and easy to use. (Btw, if you have a wedding or party, they have a great instant version.)
4. Make galettes your thing. Or cakes. Or crumbles. Or whatever treat you love.
5. Read a big book. Our local bookstore, Liz’s Book Bar, posted a sign saying “Big Book Summer” above a table of doorstoppers like Lonesome Dove and Pachinko. How fun would it be to sink your teeth into a juicy read? If you’re looking for a new release, I’m currently devouring Land by Maggie O’Farrell.
6. Invite the little kids in your life on a picnic. Nothing more exciting than sharing a PB&J on a blanket together.
7. Paint your nails on a magazine. Right now I’m into this chic neutral and this bright red. (What colors are you wearing?)
8. Catch up with friends/family. I’ve always lived far from my siblings, parents, and other relatives — often an ocean away — so I love catch-up phone calls with aunts, cousins, and grandparents during the summer. For those who aren’t into phone calls, maybe text each other your Wordle scores or try Catalogues, the New Yorker game that just came out today.
9. Walk/pet/cuddle a friend’s dog. Anton’s forever favorite thing. xoxo
10. Lastly, take a sofa nap with the fan on. I used to feel guilty about staying inside on nice days, until I realized that slowing down is the whole point of summer. Maybe eat a bowl of cereal? Take a cold shower and see how many seconds you last? Just listen to your mind and body and let yourself take a good ol’ break.
What’s on your list for summer? I’d love to hear. And here’s the best parenting advice I ever got.
P.S. Low-key summer checklists from 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2025. They all hold up!
Tags: Summer checklists
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134 commentsA very Martha Summer: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZQGwOexNQn/?igsh=M2Vrb2xuOGRmdWNz
I always try to find new experiences and places…Planning a trip to Harrison Hot springs and Chilliwack in BC, Canada! National Parks! Reading a book a week! Trying new rhubarb recipes! Finding more local walking and hiking trails and cold plunge sites! Crafting more!
I’m 100% a cold weather person and I hate hate hate summer. I’ve already gotten bit by a tick and I have poison oak that’s taking its sweet time leaving my body. I naturally run very hot so I’m pretty miserable temperature-wise all summer long. Not to mention I work at a public library so it’s very very busy. BUT! There are things I look forward to in summer: impromptu road trips, great new movies always seem to come out in the summer time, watching my husband’s wildflower garden pop off, 9 of my family members (including myself) have summer birthdays, eating ice cream nearly every day, and spending lots of time inside my house where the AC is blasting.
A slow walk with an ice cream cone
I looove these inspiring lists! I have a tip to make summer longer, because, sometimes, we blink and its fall already! Each day, I anchor my feet in the ground, feel the sun in my face if possible, and say the date out loud :”We are Friday 5 of June 2026″. Of course I sometimes miss a few days, but it really helps me to feel each day go by!
I just listened to a Gretchen Rubin episode about designing your summer and I love the idea of giving yourself a word or framework to help be intentional about the season. The words I’ve come up with so far: lightness, pleasure, novelty, and ease. I am a creature of routine so sometimes summer feels like chaos to me (different day camp schedules each week, accidental late nights out, pooltime bleeding over into dinnertime). But I’m trying to reframe it with the words I chose and see if I can lean into all the wonderful ways summer is a break from our routines! My low-key summer checklist always includes: – Time at the pool (we belong to a neighborhood co-op pool of sorts–it’s basically a random lot on a cul de sac where neighbors built a pool in the 60s; now we pay a few hundred bucks a year to have a key. No lifeguard, no amenities beyond a bathroom, but big Sandlot vibes!) – Ice cream!!! – Fresh fruit – Ocean swimming – Our small town’s 4th of July parade
I’m wearing Lava as we speak!! Love Manicurist!
Speaking of PB&J on a picnic blanket: SEVERAL years ago I read a story (can’t remember where) of a group of Boston area kindergarten teachers bringing their students to the Public Garden and Swan Boats for the day. As son as they arrived, they realized they had left all the lunch crates at school. Panicked, the only thing they could do was throw themselves on the mercy of the Ritz hotel. They were told to return to the park as the staff arranged something. Shortly after the teachers and their students witnessed traffic being stopped as several room service tables (covered in crisp white linen) were wheeled over, containing silver domed platters filled with PB&J sandwiches, fruit and brownies. The servers were in full, traditional uniforms, also impressive. They would not accept any promise of payment. Now THAT in particular was a picnic I would have loved to attend. Once again, it takes a village. And the Ritz is part of that village!
OMG I love it. This should be a children’s book!
This made me cry for some reason. Just lovely.
with Eloise joining the kids!!!!
Maybe a kind of fusion between “Make Way for Ducklings” and “Eloise”……
I’m definitely much of more of a cold weather person, so I’m trying to remind myself about all the things I like about summer, instead of focusing on the ticks/humidity/sweating: -swim in the lake and get peanut butter soft serve after -swimming and cookouts at the lake with friends -introducing our baby to outside water! Lakes but also maybe a kiddie pool/water tub. Finally get to deploy the “just add water” CoJ motto. :) -Reading outside with an iced coffee -Tomato sandwiches and also BLTs -Going to local outdoor events: art walks, Pride, hot air balloon festival -picking a ton of raspberries from our canes. It’s a pain in the butt but then I get to make raspberry brownies, raspberry cheesecake, raspberry and chocolate scones… -finally, I’m looking forward to late August when I can get excited for fall hahaha
Hold up, there’s another Abbe here?! Love it! Did your parents choose the spelling, or did you? My dad liked the spelling of it from the singer Abbe Lane.
Always exciting to meet a fellow Abbe out in the wild! My mom chose the spelling — she is big into numerology and according to her any other spelling would add up to an unlucky number for me? I do love that it’s such a unique spelling even if (as I’m sure you’ve experienced) I end up getting called “Abe” way too often…
Yes, always Abe! But it’s also like a built-in test of how detail-oriented people are :) That’s so interesting how your mom chose it! I’ve always felt like it’s an auspicious spelling in some indefinable way and at the very least feels like a super intentional choice. Glad we could connect! :) :)
Loved these recs! But are there places to purchase them that aren’t amazon?
Agree!
We are a couple of days into winter here and the weather today is so bad! I wrote my list for things I like in winter amd include finding a place that has mulled wine and going with a friend, finding a place with an open fire (ooh maybe the mulled wine place), reading under a doona on the couch, riffing up me and my dog and going for chilly walks, going to the cinema and all the pasta. Enjoy your summer guys! I look forward to it later in the year.
Ceridwen, not sure what side of Melb you are, but SoJo has a fireplace from memory and is relatively central.
A bit off topic but not totally off topic, does anyone have any recs for at-home pedi? I used to get one to two pedis in the spring and summer, as a treat yourself but where I live now – they’re not the same. It’s not worth the money. My feet very much benefit from some TLC though. Any recs for at home care would be appreciated!
Yes! I do at home pedis all the time. I get grossed out in the salon. It smells so bad! All those chemical smells give me a headache. Here’s what works for me. Soak your tootsies in warm/hot water. Bonus points for throwing some Epsom salts in there. I don’t have a bathtub, so I use my roasting pan to soak them (now you don’t want to come to my house for Thanksgiving). Trim your nails, then file them. Then I drip blue cross cuticle remover all around the edges of my nails. Not just the base where you push back the cuticle, but also on the sides. Let it sit for a minute. Then push back your cuticles with a tool. I sometimes use an orange stick (cheaper option), sometimes use a metal tool with a curved tip. Reddit has lots of recommendations on brands. Then I usually go for another pass of the cuticle remover and another pushback. Then I clean out the sides of my nails. I have really deep and curved sidewalls, so it gets gross in there. The cuticle remover makes it softer and easier to get out. I use the orange stick for this, or the weird file with a curved end that’s in most nail clippers. Then I lightly buff my calluses/barnacles with a pumice or glass file. I have a Dr. Scholls’s glass file I really like. I find that if I am too aggressive with the file, my feet crack. It’s like the calluses/barnacles are protecting my feet and I just want to get off the scratchy layer and make them a little smoother. Then I rinse my feet, dry them. Then I paint them. I don’t use any clear coats on the bottom or top; I find they don’t make a difference. Or at least my feet are far away enough from my eyes that I don’t see the difference! I like two coats of color. If your toes are crowded, you can wad up some paper towel between them so the nails are easier to get to. Or buy some of those foam separators. If you get polish on your skin, just wait until it’s dry and then you can pick it off pretty easily. Happy sandal season!
I don’t know that I have the best advice because here I am with toes still unpolished BUT I do recommend dividing up the labor… like one day soak your feet and use a pumice stone/exfoliate and deal with cuticles and shaping. Then the next day do the painting. I guess it’s similar to painting a room: prep one day and paint the next. I don’t have specific tool recommendations but Lush’s peppermint foot lotion is amazing for a little self foot massage before you go to bed.
A Bare August Glass Foot File & one of the body oils from Trader Joe’s is a cheap & cheerful combo to revive your feet!
Genuine question about #3: how is paleness still a thing? I’ve noticed that even my most (otherwise) body positive friends seem desperate to look tan. I have a beautiful aunt with albinism, and I’m naturally pale. As a kid I worked as a beach lifeguard. Due in part to social pressure to tan, I did a lot of damage to my skin. I’m grateful we strive to embrace beauty and health at every size. Why not every complexion? What’s so wrong with pale? Someone please explain.
Do you shave your legs or armpits? Same thing. Nothing wrong, just a presentation preference. Happy summer!
Allie, we’re not social animals, our choices are influenced by what our peers do. Representation matters. So if most of our entourage starts to get tanned or botoxed, for sure we will be influenced by it. And if I choose not to do it, it will ask more willpower than if I faced a really wide diversity of bodies! Also, about hairs, I strongly disagree with “it’s a choice”. I live in France, and in my last job, I would have been seen as unprofessional if I had showed up with hairy legs. In many places I go, women who assume their hair are shamed for it. And I’ve practically never seen in my life a woman with hair tucking out of her swimsuit. So, I keep waxing, even if it affects my health (I suffer from dermatillomania). The same for my collègue who’s highly diabetic and keep shaving even if she should do her best to avoid microcuts. It affects our health but we keep doing it because of social pressure. (I also wear men’s bathing shorts sometimes to give myself some slack). T.E., I don’t have answers about tanning! Fortunately in France (or at least among my friends), its totally ok to be pale (but well yes some friends may tease you a bit about it!).
I disagree with everything maia wrote. Gently saying this of course. I just think it’s interesting how people are so different. I’m not influenced by peers at all regarding any of those things. Nor do I think unshaved legs are unprofessional. Do the men shave their legs ? Ate they allowed to have facial hair ? I’m surprised to her this from France or at least some people in France I guess. And doing all these things even if it is affecting health ? The waxing and your diabetic friend risks. I don’t get any of this at all. Is this a small subset of people ? Just as an aside, if swimsuit hair is a bother you can always wear a different type of suit rather than risk your skin issues. Well like I said, just curious to me, all these standards. Who knew France of all places.
Enjoying the last summer of our family as we know it before my oldest goes to college in the fall. Her 9yo sister just realized she’s moving away in the fall—for some reason she thought there was going to be a gap year—so tears have ensued. My oldest and I still haven’t made it through the Marvel movies in timeline order so we’ll see if we can fit that in! Also organizing family photos so I can send the oldest off with a hard drive of the family photos she loves to look at on my computer.
I’m hoping to just find a way to unwind, relax, and breathe. My kids are starting high school in the fall and our public school district has a massive budget deficit, so I’m bracing for what’s going to get cut and doing my part to fight the inevitable. It’s small, but I’m making sure the bird feeders are filled and cleaned regularly because I enjoy the feeder drama. My husband politely vetoed my Boston July 4th vacay idea, so we’ll probably visit art museums in our state, which will still be wonderful. I’m just grateful for my family, really. My sister has so many unresolved issues and it’s hard when someone is in a lot of denial about accountability for their own livelihood. I want to help her, but can’t make her do the work or see the beautiful light on the other side.
We made a little summer bucket list with our 5 yo at dinner the other night. I’m a teacher and have the summer off and am so pumped to knock out this list *make ice cream *go to the pool *swing *slip-n-slide *paint a lot *learn to read *lots of snuggles
Hopefully we’re starting off summer with a Knicks sweep!!! We’re headed to Michigan for a month and all we’re doing is eating cherries by the lake, climbing sand dunes by the lake, swimming in the lake, reading by the lake, sleeping by the lake, eating by the lake and playing by the lake. My doorstopper book is 1776 by David McCullough in honor of America’s 250th, alongside a lot of thrillers and rom coms. I’m already craving salads- pasta, potato, tuna, fresh greens etc. I just can’t wait to sit back, get bronzed and watch my sun kissed babies play their little hearts away all summer.
GO SPURS GO!
I was never really into Dirty Dancing, but for an (adult) summer story that takes place in the Catskills at a summer camp, I really liked A Walk on the Moon, with Diane Lane, Viggo Mortensen, Liev Schreiber and Anna Paquin.
Looooove this movie! Anyone know others like it?
THE BLOUSE MAN. 😍😍😍😍😍😍
1. Eat popsicles whenever I want 2. Use my sister-in-law’s family pool at least weekly. 3. Go to the beach biweekly – it’s about a 45 min drive to Lake Michigan, so not far at all, but it’s still a *thing* to get there. 4. Weekly family ice cream dates – homemade or walking to the neighborhood ice cream stand 5. Perfect my BLTs
BLTs !!! Omg. With corn on the cob, my favorite summer meal. When I was in PA that is. They don’t have tomatoes or corn where I am now. I really miss both things. The corn I left behind was heaven. Ditto local and homegrown tomatoes. What’s there to perfect though ??? Ha. Perfect as is, recipe in the title. Just add mayo. :)
Or better yet…#9 should be foster a dog! We are in a dog crisis here in NYC and every rescue and shelter is maxed out. Help the community, scratch the dog loving itch, FOSTER A DOG!
Yes to this! I am not in NYC, but shelters everywhere are at capacity. We just said goodbye to the last of our 3 senior dogs and plan to start fostering this summer in their honor.
yes!! also, for folks without the space for fostering, lots of ways to volunteer by walking shelter dogs!
I too had never seen Star Wars. My two boys desperately wanted to watch it for a family movie night and I fell asleep. We have now seen almost all the Star Wars movies for family movie nights and I fall asleep every time without fail. Can’t stand any of them lol
I get to go to Madrid for a week with my husband and leaving-for-college youngest child and we’re going to have churros for breakfast, take siestas, eat leisurely late dinners, buy classic espadrilles, and see all the art. I told them they can go do whatever they want but I’m going to sit and look at “Guernica” as long as I want to and it may be for hours. I can’t wait!
Recommendation for “Big Book Summer”: The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. I devoured all 600+ pages. Some of the best female characters I have ever encountered in a book!
Thank you, EmilyB! I just checked out the audiobook from my library in Libby and CANNOT WAIT to dive in!
Read East of Eden as my nightly book my first lonely year of college. I missed CA, and just hell yes.
Summer, let’s go! Liz’s Book Bar is my local spot, too, so my summer list includes people watching while at a sidewalk table (or any sidewalk table in the neighborhood). Lots of walking. I want to walk the length of Manhattan this summer. Day trips that require very little prep, aside from snacks, water, and a loose itinerary.
get the kid a dog.
Her boyfriend has a dog! Close enough. Not everyone should go buy a dog.
After Star Wars… I’d recommend the TV show Andor. I’ve seen some of the Star Wars films/tv shows (not all), and I don’t think you need much Star Wars knowledge to watch this show. It’s so good. It’s really about the people that are planning rebellious action / fighting against facist regimes that aren’t named. It was beautiful and entertaining and heartbreaking…though I saw Rogue One first (came out first) but this is a prequel to that. Not sure the recommended order, but Rogue One is an important part of the viewing experience. I started with Rogue One, watched the series, and then re-watched Rogue One when I finished.
Kat, yes! I am not a Star Wars Person, and I absolutely loved Andor. Soooo good. I don’t know much about Star Wars, have snoozed through the old first one. But my oldest is obsessed with all things SW. I decided to watch Andor with him to have some planned one-on-one time/activity with him… and oh my goodness I got so into this show!
We are building a house and moving at some point late in the fall. With the pending expenses for landscaping and new window coverings, we decided that this is the summer of side quests (yay for my gamer husband and kid)! We’ll do the kid’s first IKEA trip and make a day out of it, lots of time at the neighborhood pool, the summer camp shuffle, and maybe a random night in San Francisco. My son and his neighbor friends have been filling their free time playing basketball out front and making up games with a $5 airplane, and my host-with-the-most-kid is loving bringing ice water out to everyone. I had a moment last night feeling so grateful for a sink full of water bottles to wash after listening to the giggling and scheming and ball bouncing outside all day.
Ok, Georgie clutching a cloth napkin to her heart while trilling happily about the picnic PLUS you giving us permission to just hang out inside with a cold shower/fan/nap (and bowl of cold cereal) is all very very very sweet
Summer of 26 let Anton get a dog!
We love a good driveway hang! I keep an eye out for cheap or free collapsible camp chairs so everyone has a place to sit while the kiddos play with chalk, bubbles, or just run around like whackadoos. They’re easy to carry out and don’t take up too much space!
Your list and the comment lists are so inspiring and yet gentle enough to feel doable. Im 6 days post partum with a baby boy 💙 that rounds out our family so wonderfully. He has two big brothers, 7 and 3. Im currently nestled into a weird routine of being a NICU mom, trying to find some normal in the total rollercoaster of this kind of motherhood. There is some guilt as the last week of school/excitement for summer/vacation was also caught up in the new baby coming a bit earlier than expected. So as soon as we are home im looking forward to… 1. Helping the big boys find the magic of an ordinary summer day(ie grab your wallets! The ice cream truck! Run through all the puffy overgrown dandelions on the lawn!) 2. Making space and time for each of them, a book here, a coloring project there. 3. Supporting them in their growth as big brothers(help with bottles, diapers, soothing). 4. Some self care…walks and rest… 5. Time at the lake 6. A corn dog from the county fair 7. All the baby snuggles and moments I can soak in. I want to absorb this baby as much as I can. Never forget and always remember what he looks like, what he does. 8. Slow down in every sense of the word.
Amanda, congratulations on your new bub–as a former NICU mom, my 2.5 is a sturdy and strong rascal, it is actually shocking to look back at pictures from her NICU days! sending you good vibes through the weird and wonderfulness of the NICU, hope you and your baby are surrounded by kind nurses that you’ll still think about fondly years later! xx
I’m a wedding planner in Canada, so summertime is my busiest season. However this year I booked most of July off and I am SO excited to really enjoy summer for the first time in years (and take a proper out-of-office trip to a family summer camp!) We have a 4 year old and 10 month old and I’m hoping for picnics, beach days and lots of quality time :)
Hikes with partner and dogs every weekend. Breakfast burritos on the way or veggie burger and tots/ onion rings and milkshakes after. Taco bus enchiladas just because. Friday trail runs to all of my favorite mountain lakes with my dogs. Each week a little bit farther. “Work” days, little kiddos splashing with the water tables or baby pool, swinging, tossing ball for puppy, feeding hens, picking flowers in the garden, eating ice cream and Popsicles, falling asleep at nap in under two minutes. Outside all day, every day. It’s the best. Camp trips in the tent, cabin trips. Star gazing, maybe seeing northern lights. Hikes with baby grandson on Thursdays. 30+ lbs in a back pack, aka LEG day. Pot luck dinners in back yards with gfs. Making felt birthday crowns for a bunch of children in my life. Breathing the mountain air and gazing at the blue sky. Smelling warm pine needles and seeing the sunlight filter through the forest. Hearing the rivers rush. Remembering this is where I belong.
Last summer, here in the Midwest, it was so extremely hot and humid that I barely spent any time at all outdoors. So my plan is to make up for that this year and spend as much time as I can outside. Of course, I am assuming that the weather won’t be a repeat! Fingers crossed.
1. Bookmark this blog entry 2. Check it whenever I need inspiration End of list.
Please could someone encourage me to read Pachinko?! I’m a little way into it and it has not grabbed me at all so I put it down. I want to want to read it!
My rule is to get 15% of the way through, and if I’m still not into it I don’t waste any more of my time. Reading is supposed to be enjoyable!
I read it in tandem with another book. I found it was too hard to just power through the whole thing. So I would read a chapter or two and then switch to a different easy read. It was a really profound read and I was glad a stuck with it. Good luck!
I really enjoyed Pachinko via audiobook. So, if you’re open to that, maybe worth a try.
Deb, it took me a bit to get into Pachinko—like, at least 100 pages. But if you like epic family sagas and following characters and families for a long time, this is the book for you! Hang in there. I often think about how I want a short book to have a sequel…this is like sequel after sequel, all in the same book. It was so good that I loaned it to someone seven years ago and never got it back. ;)
I read about half of it and gave up. For me the beginning was good and just got less and less engaging. People like different things.
Maybe try the tv show first? That was excellent – beyond excellent. Reading the book afterwards might be a lot more fun, if it’s not grabbing you now.
I love it when the long days unravel and meld together and you lose track which day it is. Can’t wait. This will be the year of relaxed side braids, early morning yoga on the beach, outdoor showers, perfecting iterations of grilled chicken salads and sangrias, reading until I fall asleep in the hammock, and painting big canvases barefooted in my garden.
I started something this spring we call Picnic Mondays. Every Monday after work/school, I throw some sandwiches, cans of seltzer, and cut fruit/veggie slices in a cooler and we drive to a park 5 minutes from our house for a picnic dinner. We stay for an hour, the kids eat and then ride their bikes or scooters, and then we head home. Something about keeping it very low stakes and repetitive makes it easy to stick to this routine week after week.
I love that idea. I always say I’ll do a picnic, but then I just eat at home and walk to the park nearby. Feels easier…. but also less fun!
This summer, I want to: – drink my morning tea on the back deck every morning – spend time getting to know my new garden – eat picnic dinner at the beach once a week – introduce my daughter to the glory of the summer reading program pizza party – enjoy ice cream cones under a shady tree – swim in an outdoor pool – try to enjoy the fleeting season instead of wishing the warm weather away (easier said than done!)
My summer bucket list is to not create a list, but keep enough free time for summer magic 😁
On this summers to-do list is a fair amount of travel, but one of the one’s I’m most excited for is a trip to Munich to see BTS in concert. It will be my first time in Germany and my google maps list is already popping off with places to go. I’m looking forward to the trip though also a little apprehensive as we plan to visit Dachau concentration camp as well, somehow in all my travels I’ve yet to be in the vicinity of a concentration camp before and as a Jewish person it feels sobering and humbling to visit. It shall be a trip of big, wide ranging emotions! Aside from that my list is much more humble; make various ice cream flavours at home, make my annual batch of blueberry lavender jam, go for swims at the public pools, have a campfire and make s’mores, tending to my little flower garden (my dahlia’s are starting to shoot up finally), and painting more.
Jak have a lovely time in Munich! I am visiting friends in Munich this weekend and next week I will be at a conference at the former Dachau concentration camp. I am a Holocaust educator in Germany. A visit to a former concentration camp is usually full of emotions but that’s normal, everyone reacts differently. I would recommend taking an entire day for the visit.
Thank you for your lovely comment Ami! I have so much respect for Holocaust educators, in fact I was one in a past career/life myself! I did a lot of Jewish/Holocaust education (even was lucky enough to intern at the museum in DC). Which makes it all the more odd that I haven’t actually been in such physical spaces yet, but life is life and the timing was never right before for a visit. But I think you are right, we are planning on blocking off that day to take our time at the site and then afterwards will likely go for a walk in one of the parks for a breather and maybe to a cafe. Plan to take it easy that day to account for the range of emotions. If you have any Munich recs, I’ll happily take them btw! thank you :)
The Star Wars one gave me a good chuckle. I know waaaay more than I ever wanted to about the entire Star Wars universe due to my husband passing down his love of it to my sons, with the oldest amplifying that love ten times over, aided by his other favorite thing, Lego, and their excellent Star Wars collaboration. (Another thing I know way more about than I could ever have imagined due to this combo of interests: the secondhand Lego market!) Shout out to the nerdy families who can relate!
Same! And now that kiddo is 26 and a huge birder (professional bird guide, huge nerd). And now I know more about birds than I ever thought I would. Be excited about they are excited about (even if you have to fake being excited listening to some Star Wars lore for the millionth time) and they’ll know it’s ok to get excited about new things.
Kara, can you give some tips on the secondhand Lego market? Where do you look? Asking for a five-year old obsessive…
Briana, Bricklink is the best site; it’s now officially associated with Lego.com, and since it’s a collector site it lists everything you want to know about every Lego set. Ebay, Poshmark, Mercari, etc/your general secondhand sites will have inflated prices for the most part BUT I’ve found some decent things on Poshmark from non-collectors (I always imagine it’s a parent clearing out their kid’s old sets and so less aware of pricing). Pay attention to whether sets have minifigures because minifigures can resale for higher so you’ll see a lot of sets that look like a great deal and then it won’t have everything. (On the flip side, as your kid gets older and more interested in specific minifigures, the fact that you can buy them on their own will be a good thing!) I’m US based so I personally filter for US based owners to simplify shipping but Bricklink has sellers from all over the world. Happy searching! Kari from Up North, fortunately I personally love fantasy literature, so I can get into the Star Wars world and lore (Minecraft on the other hand…..), but I agree, what a great way to show you love someone by listening to and asking questions about their interests.
hamburgers, charcoal grill splash pad, in between thunderstorms convincing 2.5 year old that naps are the best and really are not something to be dropped (pray for me, haha) reading books at the library, checking out books from the library, story hour at the library aforementioned toddler is desperate for a day at the beach, girl after my own heart, so will attempt that, even though she also hates her car seat (again, prayers, please.) homemade ice cream that is basically a bag of crushed up oreos, cool whip container and slightly thawed vanilla ice cream, mix it all together and enjoy all summer (as a southerner, there is always cool whip in my freezer as the lord intended.) throwing phone into the ocean, paring down on daily news ingestion, while upping mutual aid donations as much as possible. naps! if possible! happy summer to us all!
im from the southwest. we like reddi whip.
Specifically swimming in an old school outdoor pool. Where I live it is cold 9 months of the year (it snowed 2 weeks ago), so outdoor pools are few and far between. But nothing feels like summer to me than shocking difference between the hot sun and the cool pool. (And laying your towel on the concrete deck so it is nice and toasty to lie on when you get out of the pool).
On June 29 I’m moving from Chicago to South Bend and while I am already pre-missing all the summer festivals in Chicago, my apartment in South Bend is on the St Joseph River and has a lovely riverwalk with all kinds of sea birds, I have a balcony that I don’t have in the city, and the complex has two pools. So – even though I start a new job on July 6, I plan to spend as much time as possible on my balcony, by the pools, and walking the river walk reading or listening audio books. Like so many of us, my TBR pile is to the moon and back, so evenings and weekends – reading outdoors! Oh-and there’s a roof deck too! So I have so many outdoor options and most of them by water. And -my balcony looks out over the complex dog park – how hilarious is that?! That’s my only goal – read outdoors!
South Bend was one of my old haunts when I went to university in SW Michigan!l Make sure you go to the Creole-style Chicory Cafe and get the macaroni and cheese and the beignets. The Chocolate Cafe is also a treat (drinks are served with a chocolate-covered spoon!) and you’re only half an hour from St. Joe, which is a lovely beach town that has great art festivals in the summer.
Keeping my teen son feed (just bought the Taste of Home Summer Cookbook for a few more ideas), packing up my daughter for college, a few trips, and Daughter’s big grad party on the 20th. She is taking care of most of the event planning but my husband is a wreck, double checking everything and pitching in.
Last year, I finished a book that took me 6 years to write. After finishing, I took a breath and realized that while I learned a lot…it might be a hard sell for a few reasons. I haven’t given up on it, but I know it’s an up hill battle and it needs to sit for a bit. Instead of mourning 6 years of work, I thought, well, I have had this other idea in my head for the last two years and kept telling myself that I had to finish the first one before I start this new one. It has been the best experience of my life writing this one. I started in January and wrote the first 15K in a week. If the other book took 6 years, this one is going to take 6 months. I have about 20-30K words left to write and I’ll be done. My summer plans are to READ (actually bought Lonesome Dove a week ago, finished the new Elizabeth Strout yesterday morning, and I started the new Ann Patchett last night) and finish this draft of my second novel. I have a two night trip to my favorite area in California (the Sierra Nevada foothills, Amador County) at the end of July. I am planning to finish the draft before the trip and then go and have the most relaxing two days I can imagine.
Thank you for sharing! Wishing you peace.
I’m finishing the last section of Anna Karenina right now, and you sound just like Sergei Ivanovich! It took 6 years to write his book and he felt much like what you’re describing. In a liminal space, but then carried forward on the next good idea because that’s the kind of person he is. No matter what, spending 6 years writing a book is SUPER impressive and I for one celebrate you!
It took me over a decade. And then I sold the book. Please keep going. Sending good luck and light ❤
Kat, what perseverance! This is inspiring. Best of luck with your second book ❣️
Wow, as a writer this is so interesting to me that once you finished that huge book/climbed the mountain, the next one is just flowing! That is a gift and I hope you enjoy every bit of it!
I love reading these lists. I also see those approaching summer with ambivalence but not wanting to be a buzzkill about it. I’m a huge summer person, but the last couple of summers I get in a funk at the start where I feel so overwhelmed by what the calendar tells me needs to happen and it doesn’t seem very relaxing. (Reporting from Minnesota here, where I swear there is an unspoken pressure to make the most out of every summer moment. Probably like this everywhere, but MN seems to have its own flavor since the weather changes drastically practically hourly.) And on the topic of ambivalence, let’s just say that one could write much about intergenerational Minnesota family cabin expectations. Anyway, I finally came to my senses out of my sheer overriding love for summer and was like: -Yes, I may be working full-time in an hourly role where I get no PTO, -Yes, I may have kids sports on the schedule most nights of the week, -Yes, there may be a summer birthday in my extended family about every two weeks, where the wrath of God will be put on you if you don’t adequately drop everything to be available to celebrate it, -Yes, it is true that the things everyone else seems to think are fun (cabins) tend to be because of the invisible work my husband & I put into it to make it possible for 3 generations to be there together, And yet, the realization: no one is coming to save you. Fun depends on you and it doesn’t have to be big things. So this week I’m: -Bringing a cooler of popsicles to my son’s rec baseball game to celebrate my Dad’s 80th birthday, -Going on a peony appreciation walk with my teenage daughter, -Getting that new Rainbow Butterfly Boba Starbucks drink with my kids until I’m sick of it, -Watching the NBA Finals, which gets me to sit down and actually do my PT exercises, -Put a little bin of foot bath supplies in the bathroom and take foot baths with my 9yo twins to wash dirty sandal feet before bedtime, -Make a plan to go to every public pool at least once with my kids and ride all the water slides (I love waterslides), -Admire all the drop-dead gorgeous oak trees we have around here, -Wear my new Space Jam 30th anniversary baseball cap (my son and I each got one) and put on every single beaded bracelet I can find. It’s only June 3rd and I’m like, yes, this is feeling more fun already.
Love this approach, Abbe! I also feel ambivalence about balancing summer fun and summer expectations that include family plans requiring lots of coordination and as you point out, invisible work. My bittersweet balance also includes encouraging my young teens to embrace their summer freedom and independence, while also losing some of the precious younger-kid activities, like regular picnics and library story hour. Thanks for the inspiration to be creative in making and finding the fun.
I want to hear more about intergenerational Minnesota family cabin expectations!
“And on the topic of ambivalence, let’s just say that one could write much about intergenerational Minnesota family cabin expectations.” I feel this so hard. I am dreading the tension that awaits me on 4th of July weekend.
I will be having my first baby this summer (due August 2!) so my summer bucket list this year is very short: 1) Make ice cream at least once a week 2) Float in water 3) Have a popsicle every day after work (I take transit and get home very hot and sweaty) 4) Have a baby?!
congratulatons!! summer babies are a great joy! Wishing you a relaxing and smooth end of pregnancy and joyful and meaningful birth.
I, too, have never seen Star Wars. Nor has my husband. Weird! And we probably never will. My summer is beginning next week with a solo trip to Paris and ending with my parent’s 50th anniversary trip in the Ozarks, which I’m looking forward to almost as much as Paris. I grew up camping at Bennett Springs every summer, trout fishing with my dad. I haven’t been in ages and am ready for a hit of nostalgia dopamine. Fishing, go karting, river tubing, s’mores – bring it on! Although we’re staying in cabins vs. the camping. My lower back and my perimenopausal boiling body temperature will both thank me.
Was hopping over to the comments to share that neither my hb nor I have seen Star Wars! The other evening our nineteen year old was headed out for a movie night w friends, and we were discussing the classics from the late 70’s and 80’s. And we were like, maybe don’t see Star Wars? It could be our family folklore! ps: have fun in Paris!
I have a hard time chilling at home if it is beautiful out and typically do better with that in the winter when it’s freezing. Anyone else?
Yes, completely!
OMG, Yes! Was it Anne Lamott who bemoaned “the tyranny of a sunny day”? If I’m not doing something outside and very “summery” (and in or near water) I get into a funk. My poor spouse!
This summer i plan to read some of the zillions of books on my shelf instead of new ones on Kindle! I’m taking 2 bookbinding classes and art journaling everyday (have been since December) Staring a new part time job as a patient advocate this summer too!
That’s a great goal!
Summer is kicking off for me today! I head to Madrid in a few hours. I’m going to see Bad Bunny Saturday night! My friends will arrive Friday morning. So tomo, I’ll be solo, wandering a new city. Oh, the thrill! I’ve gussied up my back yard with clover grass, more plants than I can count, ferns, clear window bird feeders + a cedar lattice screen to hide my HVAC… I plan on hosting several porch dinner parties and lounging in the fresh new grass! I see an indirect sun name in my future. Living in Raleigh, our states capital, we have a killer farmers market. As well as great ones in surrounding towns. Even if I don’t purchase anything, I do weekly runs there just to walk through look + take in the smells! Is there anything better than the smell of fruits + veggies at a market!? Bagel + park outings with my littles are high on the list as well. My cousin, whom my friends + I adore turns 85 in July. We’ll go to a fancy dinner, shower him with cards. A friend just offered up her mountain house in West Jefferson NC for a weekend this summer… FOR FREE! The Blueridge Mountains are magic. I plan to get in as much water as possible to beat the humid NC summer heat. My best friend + I take a trip each year together. She lives in Mississippi. We’re going to spend a week driving through Hudson Valley the week leading up to Labor Day weekend exploring small hamlets, shopping + eating local only, hitting up some farm stands + seeing Alabama Shakes at Bethel Art Center Chicago weekend is also on the list. We fly in on 9/11, once we land, we will head straight to the new Obama Presidential Center. Annie, an artist friend of mine, has drawn a handful of summer check lists for me over the years, I would love to share the generic (not specific to my littles) beautifully illustrated list with the COJ community! If you would like one, reach out!
OMG Emily have the best time watching Benito I’m so happy for you!! xx
That is an epic summer right there! Long time Chicago resident – I’m actually moving to South Bend at the end of June, but I’ve been here my whole life. This is a TERRIFIC city – have fun! Also all the heart eyes for Bad Bunny!
This summer i’m going to try to balance low-key joy with active resistance. Mocktails on the patio while reading Hood Feminism. Wearing a new sun hat and sandals while door-knocking for our district’s progressive congressional candidate. Planning out an expansion of my garden for the Fall so that we can be less dependent on our broken food systems. (I’m in a tropical location so planting happens in the fall). Beach days with sand castles and surfing, and also trash cleanup!
Good work, Alex!
Last summer I read The Love Songs of WEB DuBois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers and it took me a full month to read (I can sometimes polish off a novel in a day, depending) and I LOVED it!! What a masterpiece! I found a hardcover copy in a little free library and lugging that around to the beach was a little comical at points, but it was so delicious to sink into all almost 900 pages. Highly recommend if anyone is looking for their Big Book of Summer. For this summer I am thinking East of Eden, which I somehow have never read, despite literally growing up in Salinas, CA. It’s time! My other lowkey summer checklist items are to eat more frozen custard and enjoy my first season growing stuff in my community garden plot.
I’m a little more than halfway through this book, and wow, it is SO INTENSE. I feel the need to finish it, because I care about these characters and their story is important, but the heaviness is slowing me down. Sidenote: I also grew up in Salinas!
My girls make a list every summer of the things they want to do so we can make a basic plan for my days off. I always think it’ll be big ticket items like the water park or a vacation but this year they want to pick blueberries with friends, have a pajama day, listen to audiobooks on a picnic blanket outside, and swimming at the y as much as possible. Two more weeks before slow summer begins! I’m so excited!
Hooray for No. 10!!! Laying down in the cool of my house on those oppressively hot days. I’m in a season of my life where grief and loss have reared their heads too many times in too close a window to each other. So, I rest. I lay down. I let it wash over me.
My newly minted 7yo *loves* making graphs, so she declared we’re making two to compare: how many watermelons and how many ice cream cones we eat, and we’ll see which wins. Best summer project ever.
Wow this is so fun. My 2.5 year old might be down, these are her two favorite food groups
I’m 55 and I may graph those two things too! What a great summer project!
Reading in the backyard in my hammock is one of my favorite summer things, as well napping in the hammock, listening to birds and pretty much anything in my hammock as often as possible. Midwest humidity means I have limited days to do so because my body has grown to hate big temperature differences by way of skin rashes, so I find outside joy when and where I can.
I had a big book summer a few years ago: Project Hail Mary, Covenant of Water, The Bee Sting, The Power Broker, but Lonesome Dove was hands down the one I enjoyed the most. One of my top five books of all time.
My family has decided to master cold beverages. We bought a slushi machine and I’m motivated to learn how to make decent boba tea. We’ll ramp up our family movie nights as well. For myself, I’m going to wear as much linen as I can stand, and read every night. And hopefully there willl be many evening walks and visits to the park thrown in there as well. And that’s pretty much it. I’m also into slowing down in the summer.
Please don’t link to Amazon. I enjoy your ideas but linking to Amazon is a big turn off.
Cheerfully, I get to turn another year older in a few days and my partner thoughtfully had me put my stamp of approval on a few of the presents that will be used every day, to make sure they were exactly what I’m after- and one of those is a neighborhood project that needed a bit of a facelift (community connecting on a lawn chair adjacent!) and another is putting the final touches on a biiiig, dreamy garden addition- so I’m blissfully looking forward to spending the next few months pouring myself into both of those vessels that really, really keep me present and fill my cup! But I’m eyeing those galettes, a well-loved book that smells like a beloved store that’s no longer sound, and our upcoming solstice block party haaaard!
Take a sofa nap with the fan on, is so summer. :) love it
Orange nail polish here. Long walks. Find an outside pool, possibly in Hampstead. Catch up with friends and have long, lazy summer meals. Morning coffee on a balcony. Growing tomatoes. All on my list (moveable feast).
I love a good orange polish! I have Any-fin Goes, the perfect koi fish shade, on my toes right now.
Wait, you only watched Dirty Dancing for the FIRST time a few years ago????
Seriously that was also my first thought! I was obsessed with this movie in middle and high school , and still turn it on for a good comfort watch. I’ve seen it so many times, I’ve lost count. It’s such a classic!
I wasn’t allowed to see it when it was popular – and by the time I did, I really didn’t care for it at all. Though the soundtrack still rocks.
I absolutely love Dirty Dancing. I saw the original Star Wars when it premiered May 1977 in theaters. I still remember sitting in the theater with my date who I’m glad never made it out of dating territory.
Though I don’t have kids of my own (yet!), I take my role as Auntie Anna very seriously and threw my 37th birthday at the playground behind my house so all the little ones who invite me to their big days had the chance to celebrate with me (and their parents didn’t have to find babysitters, etc.)! At first I panicked after sending out the invite for fear that it would look so strange to throw my 37th bday at a playground, but a few friends pulled me aside and thanked me for including their whole family! It was a joyous day and I was in bed by 9pm and no hangover the next day! Viva la picnic bdays!
That’s SO thoughtful of you, sounds like a wonderful celebration!
This summer will be packed to the gills (we’re buying a house, moving, and getting ready for a baby!) but I’m still hoping for lots of pool / lake time and frozen Mars bars after dinner 👌 (do you guys have these in the US? they’re the best!)
Just finished summer here in the south of India. Dread it. So glad it’s over. My system overheats and then I have meltdowns left and right. Made the mistake of trying to do a lot of work. Lesson learned. Time to look for a plan B to survive next summer.
This summer I’ll hopefully, finally be divorced, and I will celebrate! Otherwise, you’ll find me at the river watching my kids play “wobble board” on their paddleboards and enjoying my 42-year-old body in a swimsuit.