100 Assorted Summer Resolutions

School’s out for the summer! We love this time of year, especially since it comes after a seriously long, cold, snowfall-record-breaking winter. 

It’s a great time to relax, and soak up the sun in our shorts and flip-flops, but I know myself. If I don’t write at least a few goals down, the entire summer will pass by and all I’ll have to show for it will be a farmer’s tan and regrets for all the things we didn’t do. So, why let the opportunity for nature hikes and museum strolls slip away when I can make a list and refer to it whenever the phrase ‘I’m bored’ is uttered?

I’ve seen some stuff circulating online about summer lists, so I consulted my 2013 resolutions, as well as my 2014 work-life balance notes to compile my own list of activities. Just as ice cream comes in a variety of flavors, this list contains an assortment of resolutions.

And it’s not just about the kids, either—parents get bored too! I’ve included ideas for family fun, lazy summer days, and date nights too. Go ahead and take a peek, you might find something to do when your family gets bored this summer. Repeats are okay because it's summer. If you like, share your ideas in the comments section. There are a couple months of activities for us to fill, after all. Fun ideas are appreciated.

2014 Random Summer Resolutions

1.     Play

2.     Unwind

3.     Be silly—good, clean knock, knock jokes can get the ball rolling

4.     Hit the beach

5.     Go on a picnic

6.     Ride bikes

7.     Visit the zoo

8.     Go on family walks

9.     Paddleboat/canoeing

10.   Have a special date night dinner and concert

11.   Have a special family dinner out to celebrate summer

12.   Play in the rain and splash in the puddles

13.   Hug more

14.   Kiss more

15.   Unplug more

16.   Let the kids stay up later a few nights

17.   Sleep in late a few days

18.   Have breakfast in our jammies a few times

19.   Swim

20.   Golf

21.   Read 10 books—about a book a week until school starts. This is a big task since I’m also publishing a book soon

22.   Finish and publish the book mentioned in item above

23.   Play tag with the kids

24.   Sit outside one sunny day without mowing, weeding or yard work

25.   Run through the sprinklers

26.   Make homemade ice cream with the kids

27.   Grow fruits and veggies—we’ll have to get new tomatoes, the deer ate the ones we planted

28.   Take a real family vacation

29.   Pick colors and paint a couple rooms in serious need of ‘refreshing’

30.   Can something—jam, tomatoes, just to try it

31.   Take a class—maybe a class on how to can things

32.   Make a grown-up appetizer for dinner one night, even if my husband and I are the only ones who eat it

33.   Make a list of people to call, and call them

34.   Send handwritten letters to 5 people I know

35.   Go to a movie

36.   Camping

37.   Bonfire

38.   Try a new food

39.   Try a new drink

40.   Make snow cones

41.   Learn to flip pizza dough

42.   Make something

43.   Have more game nights

44.   Go on a nature hike

45.   See fireworks

46.   Take a drive in the country

47.   Go to a ballgame

48.   Listen to more music

49.   Frisbee

50.   Tennis

51.   Go to an arcade

52.   Drive at a track day event

53.   Plan a dream kitchen

54.   Teach the kids something fun

55.   Learn something fun

56.   Roast marshmallows

57.   Barbecue

58.   Have a party

59.   Light some sparklers (being careful not to burn holes in the tablecloth, like last time)

60.   Watch the fireflies when the sparklers go out

61.   Enjoy a starry night

62.   Find a constellation

63.   Relax and unwind

64.   Try a new slow cooker recipe. Found this post on how to make almost any recipe work in a slow cooker

65.   Water balloon toss

66.   Sing

67.   Dance

68.   Train ride

69.   Write a story for my kids

70.   Play hopscotch

71.   Sleepover

72.   All night movie fest

73.   Binge watch a new TV show

74.   Sleep outside

75.   Practice my Finn McMissile voice (right now it sounds a lot like Johnny Depp in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, seriously)

76.   Play euchre

77.   Create a family friendly outdoor obstacle course

78.   Early morning run/jog/walk

79.   Spin around until we get dizzy

80.   Head north

81.   Head south

82.   Head nowhere in particular

83.   Have a relaxing day at home

84.   Spa visit

85.   Be brave enough to find out what’s been growing in our compost bin the past five years

86.   Learn a card trick, maybe share it with the kids

87.   Clear out closets and donate stuff we don’t use

88.   Visit family and friends

89.   Show more love

90.   Practice patience

91.   Be goofy

92.   Watch a movie from our childhood with our kids

93.   Sketch a tree house or a garden

94.   Cider mill late summer

95.   Take photos, print and send some to the grandparents

96.   Watch a sunrise

97.   Watch a sunset

98.   Snuggle

99.   Smile

100. Relax

What’s on your list?

Work-life balance: The Impossible Dream?

Work-life balance. What do you think when you hear it, or read it?

Whenever I hear someone talk about work-life balance, I nod politely agreeing yes, it’s hard to come by—like finding a unicorn, under a double rainbow, with a pot of gold waiting beside it.

As Nigel Marsh says in this Ted Talk, it doesn’t have to be impossible if we take some personal control instead of letting others/employers do it for us. Discussions of things like flex time, casual Fridays and paternity leave, “only serve to mask the core issue, which is certain job and career choices are fundamentally incompatible with being meaningfully engaged on a day-to-day basis with a young family,” he says.

Wow, so we choose to work in order to pay rent or a mortgage, to put food on our table, and to hopefully, help put our kids through school. And buy cars, clothes and electronic gadgets. Yet, this work actually takes enjoyment away from some of those very things. Doesn’t it feel like we should be able to have it all—without the stress?

Marsh thinks we need to recalibrate our lives in order to strike a work-life balance that works. “We have to be responsible for setting and enforcing the boundaries that we want in our life,” Marsh says.

If you watch the video, you’ll see he makes a great point about realizing what to balance (intellectual, emotional and spiritual), and what we can actually accomplish over a certain time period—say, a day.

What’s your ideal day? If you’re not sure, make a list of your ideal day, as Marsh recommends and see what matters most. Did you put work at the top of your list? Then why spend so much time doing it? It’s time to get real about what you want and when you can accomplish your goals.

“We need to be realistic, you can’t do it all in one day,” Marsh says. It’s such a simple statement, yet so very wise. I often find myself, and others, anxious to cross off every single last thing on their To-Do list in one day. Maybe I need a To-Do List Manager. 

Marsh suggests creating a more realistic time period for reaching our ideal work-life balance. “We need to elongate the time period for which we judge the balance in our life,” he says. “But we need to elongate it without falling into the trap of I’ll have a life when I retire.” By then there may not be kids, a spouse or interests left to enjoy.

Okay, I get it. So, where do I go from here? I suggest thinking about your ideal day, or maybe a couple different ideal days. Why more than one day? Because, maybe you’re a parent craving some time to do your own thing occasionally, not every day. Plus, if you have expensive taste, but not a ton of cash, driving a Ferrari to lunch at the yacht club every day may not be realistic right now. Make a list of what you can do now, and a list of what you’d like to do, over time.

You’ve got a list, or two. What next? Do what you can, when you can. If work stresses you out, and miss family time, schedule a day, or an hour and take your kid to a museum, or the park. Marsh says even the small things matter.

What is your ideal day? Mine would involve a lot of family time, playing outdoors, reading, writing, music and food. Maybe even a ride in a Ferrari, someday.

Cloaked by K. Gibson

Being thankful

The holidays can be a time of joy and celebration. This year ours will be tempered by some sadness because we lost a dear member of the family.  But, struggles sometimes force us to reflect and remember happier times.

While the pain is fresh, we still have so many things to be thankful for this year. I wanted to make sure to put them out there in case another friend or family member wants to see, or need a reminder too.

So, as we head into the crush of holiday travel, shopping and celebrating remember to be thankful. Today’s top fifty includes important people, and some fun items too! Why not try making your own list? Happy Thanksgiving!

What I’m thankful for…

1.  Family

2.  Friends

3.  A warm, loving home

4.  Getting through the school feast without any food fights

5.  Our oldest saying she’s thankful for her family

6.  Listening to our kids reading books together

7.  Family get-togethers

8.  Getting through dinner without any food fights (Hey, it could happen.)

9.  Green bean casserole (Nearly any kind. If you ever invite us for Turkey Day, have extra on hand.)

10. Music (It’s okay to listen to holiday music now, right?)

11. Chocolate (A contributor to positive mental health any season J)

12. Holiday photos (Especially, when they’re finished. Let the signing and sending begin!)

13. Silly stuff

14. Pumpkin pie with a serious pile of whipped cream on top

15. Football

16. Really good coffee

17. Lights aglow

18. Clear skies and clear roads for all the travelers out there!

19. Nav systems and alternate routes for when the travel isn’t so nice

20. Shopping (Except for the crazy days.)

21. Hand-holding

22. Quiet moments, usually at the end of the day, when the kids are tucked in bed

23. Free shipping

24. Family fun and games

25. When cousins reunite

26. Movie nights

27. Takeout

28. Cookie making

29. Snuggling by the fire

30. Hot Cocoa (see also #11 Chocolate)

31. Dressing up

32. Dressing down

33. Downtime

34. Writing time

35. Vacation!

36. Reminiscing

37. Gluhwein

38. Snow covered trees

39. Playing in the snow

40. Hearing my grandma and her sisters sing (Will miss it so much.)

41. Holiday cards from family and friends

42. Fresh baked bread

43. Great books

44. Sharing stories

45. Great book covers

46. Great mysteries

47. Great comedies

48. Seeing my breath outside on days we can stay home and play

49. Holidays
50. Faith, hope and love

Lil' Pumpkin by K. Gibson

Twenty Twelve: More than Poo and Patty-Cake

Okay, this year, just this past week in fact, I’ve been thinking about resolutions. Normally, I don’t make a big deal out of them. If you read last year’s list, you might remember I outlined a plan to enjoy more family time and cupcakes in 2011, and I did just that. We even (sort of) met our goal for prepping the house for baby #2. What counts is that we made it to the hospital, just in time.

Now that we’ve got two kids it seems important to do something, well, more. I want to show them the importance of personal goal setting. Sure, they’re babies, but it’s a Tiger-Mom kinda world and they need to know mommy thinks about more than just poo and patty-cake.

I know, I know, motherhood is about so much more than that, but let’s be real; sometimes that’s what it feels like.

So I sat and thought. And thought some more, but then got bored and hungry. After a break, it hit me. It was time to search the web to see if anybody else had some resolutions that might inspire me.

While laughing, crying and shaking my head ‘yes, yes’ many times, I realized it would take some time, but I had to make some resolutions. Some goals I’d really enjoy.

I thought about writing goals, family goals and life lists for ‘The Twelve’ (it’s growing on me) and beyond. This work-in-progress is in no particular order, but at least it’s a start, right? :)

1.    Take our girl ice skating

2.    Enjoy a hike with our kids

3.    Date nights, plural

4.    Learn to ski cross country

5.    Get new bikes, then bike

6.    Picnic and beach fun with family

7.    Romantic Getaway with Hubby

8.    Start my veggie garden again

9.    Handwrite one letter a month

10. Finish novel

11. Publish novel

12. See more movies in the theater

13. Let the kids get dirty more

14. Get dirty with the kids, maybe make mud pies

15. Take more bubble baths (see 14)

16. Eat more ice cream

17. Eat more veggies

18. Exercise more (see 16 and 17)

19. Drive the California Coast in a convertible on sunny day

20. Plant a tree with our kids

21. Concert with Hubby

22. Take Grandma to a baseball game

23. See ALMS race with Hubby

24. See F1 race with Hubby

25. Myrtle Beach Family Style

26. Take our girl to see Mamma Mia

27. Take executive driving course and learn to do a J-turn

28. Tour Wine Country

29. Visit Vancouver

30. Visit friends in Germany

31. Tour Italy

32. Landmarks and Places to visit once or again:

·      Mackinac

·      Grand Hotel

·      Pebble Beach

·      Redwood Forest

·      Golden Gate

·      Pearl Harbor

·      Mount Vernon

·      The Capitol

·      Cumberland

·      Grand Canyon

·      Yellowstone

·      Yosemite

·      Mammoth Cave

·      Mount Rainier

·      St. Augustine

·      St. Andrews

·      Louvre

·      Stonehenge

·      Pyramids

33. Visit these restaurants once or again:

·      Citronelle, Michel Richard, Washington, D.C.

·      Del Posto, New York, Bastianich and Batali

·      Publican, Chicago

·      Everest, Chicago

·      Ad Hoc, Napa

·      Cut, Beverly Hills, Puck

·      Old Ebbitt Grill, Washington, D.C.

·      Restaurant August, New Orleans, Besh

Wow, that got longer than I expected. I better get moving! Happy January!

What's on your list?