Take a hike – Summer Checklist Update #7

In the past, when we’ve gone on a hike as a family, it’s been a fairly easy stroll in the woods on a pretty flat surface (so flat, that a stroller could easily go on it.) Well, we went camping this summer and went on a hike – what we thought would be a pretty easy hike.

.5 mile? Yea. Totally doable!

Except that that .5 mile was on rocky terrain and straight up and then straight down – and we did this right after a lengthy cave tour.

The bigger kids did great but baby girl was the super adventurer that day. She walked the entire time! She had to hold my hand and she slipped, tripped and fell a couple times but she did it. What a trooper!

The list thus far:

• Make lemonade.
• Eat at Big Bowl.
• Go to Millennium Park.
• Go to Adler Planetarium.
• Get space ice cream.
• Go to zoo.
• Go to Shedd Aquarium.
• Go bowling.
• Make banana pudding.
• Go to the splash pads downtown.
• Play at Maggie Daley playground.
• Go to Field Museum.
• Go to Art Institute and do a JourneyMaker tour.
• Go swimming.
• Go to the Children’s Museum.
• Play at playground.
• Have a pajama day (with daddy.)
• See a movie at the movie theater.
• See a movie outside.
• Go to the library.
• Go to the Family Festival downtown Chicago.
• Make cookies.
• Read books at home.
• Ride the train at the mall.
• Go to the beach.
• Have a picnic.
• Go to American Girl Place.
• Draw pictures and cut them out.
• Play with legos.
• Make muffins.
• Make pasta salad.
• Play with toys.
• Go to a festival.
• Try to go to a water park.
• Go to the Disney store downtown Chicago.
• Eat at Rainforest Cafe.
• Eat at Labriola Cafe.
• Bake an apple pie.
• Play games on the iPad.
• Play Mario game with daddy.
• Go to the Morton Arboretum.
• Go to Mimi and Pa’s house.
• Go to Granny and Pa’s house.
• Go on a hike.
• Go to the Museum of Science and Industry.

 

Garden Update

Our peonies didn’t last very long this summer. They are just big piles of green leaves at this point, no more blooms. But, they did bloom this year and that’s a big improvement from last year. I’m excited to see what they will do next summer. Our peonies are done but many others are doing well right now.

These are all from the flower garden by the driveway that we have put the most work into. We also have a flower garden by the house. The ones by the house are some of the few that we kept in their original location that had been planted by the previous owner. I like them because we don’t really have to do much to them. They just keep coming back year after year.

What does your garden look like this summer?

Summer Checklist – Update #6

Last week, we had a busy, busy week.

We ended Fathers Day by going to Studio Movie Grill to see Cars 3. The girls loved it! And, as always, Ryan and I were glad that we could take care of dinner while watching a movie.

Then, Tuesday was “Toot Too Tuesday” at the mall so the girls were able to ride the train at the mall.

Wednesday was a free day at The Field Museum. So, of course, we took full advantage of that!

The checklist thus far:

• Make lemonade.
• Eat at Big Bowl.
• Go to Millennium Park.
• Go to Adler Planetarium.
• Get space ice cream.
• Go to zoo.
• Go to Shedd Aquarium.
• Go bowling.
• Make banana pudding.
• Go to the splash pads downtown.
• Play at Maggie Daley playground.
• Go to Field Museum.
• Go to Art Institute and do a JourneyMaker tour.
• Go swimming.
• Go to the Children’s Museum.
• Play at playground.
• Have a pajama day (with daddy.)
• See a movie at the movie theater.
• See a movie outside.
• Go to the library.
• Go to the Family Festival downtown Chicago.
• Make cookies.
• Read books at home.
• Ride the train at the mall.
• Go to the beach.
• Have a picnic.
• Go to American Girl Place.
• Draw pictures and cut them out.
• Play with legos.
• Make muffins.
• Make pasta salad.
• Play with toys.
• Go to a festival.
• Try to go to a water park.
• Go to the Disney store downtown Chicago.
• Eat at Rainforest Cafe.
• Eat at Labriola Cafe.
• Bake an apple pie.
• Play games on the iPad.
• Play Mario game with daddy.
• Go to the Morton Arboretum.
• Go to Mimi and Pa’s house.
• Go to Granny and Pa’s house.
• Go on a hike.
• Go to the Museum of Science and Industry.

 

Summer Checklist – Update #5 – A Busy Yet Low-key Day

We’ve had some busy days in the short time that school has been out but recently we had a day that was the rare busy yet also low-key kind of day. The day started with lots of Legos in the living room and then we got ready to go to storytime at Whole Foods. After storytime, the girls and I picked up some lunch at Whole Foods (since we were conveniently there) and had a picnic near our house with our purchases. That was followed by a trip to library for more Legos and a Father’s Day craft.

 

Sooooo many Legos…..

Now, playing with Legos is actually something that happens almost every day in our house. So, just like some other items on the list, I am crossing it off of the list even though it won’t be the only time that it happens this summer.

 

Doesn’t that look like a yummy spread? Some items were purchased after storytime. Some items we already had at home. But, all in all, it was a yummy lunch.

The summer checklist thus far:

• Make lemonade.
• Eat at Big Bowl.
• Go to Millennium Park.
• Go to Adler Planetarium.
• Get space ice cream.
• Go to zoo.
• Go to Shedd Aquarium.
• Go bowling.
• Make banana pudding.
• Go to the splash pads downtown.
• Play at Maggie Daley playground.
• Go to Field Museum.
• Go to Art Institute and do a JourneyMaker tour.
• Go swimming.
• Go to the Children’s Museum.
• Play at playground.
• Have a pajama day (with daddy.)
• See a movie at the movie theater.
• See a movie outside.
• Go to the library.
• Go to the Family Festival downtown Chicago.
• Make cookies.
• Read books at home.
• Ride the train at the mall.
• Go to the beach.
• Have a picnic.
• Go to American Girl Place.
• Draw pictures and cut them out.
• Play with legos.
• Make muffins.
• Make pasta salad.
• Play with toys.
• Go to a festival.
• Try to go to a water park.
• Go to the Disney store downtown Chicago.
• Eat at Rainforest Cafe.
• Eat at Labriola Cafe.
• Bake an apple pie.
• Play games on the iPad.
• Play Mario game with daddy.
• Go to the Morton Arboretum.
• Go to Mimi and Pa’s house.
• Go to Granny and Pa’s house.
• Go on a hike.
• Go to the Museum of Science and Industry.

 

Summer Checklist – Update #4

We had a pajama day recently. It was much needed since we had been going nonstop for several days. It was good to have a day of just lounging around. It was also a good day to cross off one of our items on the to-do list: making pasta salad.

For this batch of pasta salad, we used our last bag of fun shaped pasta.

Once it was complete, the girls liked to try to find all of the turtle pastas.

And then, as I do every time I make pasta salad, I just added whatever vegetables we had on hand. And then added a can of beans. This time, it was garbanzo beans.

Add in some Italian dressing and you’ve got kid tested and approved pasta salad.

The list thus far:

• Make lemonade.
• Eat at Big Bowl.
• Go to Millennium Park.
• Go to Adler Planetarium.
• Get space ice cream.
• Go to zoo.
• Go to Shedd Aquarium.
• Go bowling.
• Make banana pudding.
• Go to the splash pads downtown.
• Play at Maggie Daley playground.
• Go to Field Museum.
• Go to Art Institute and do a JourneyMaker tour.
• Go swimming.
• Go to the Children’s Museum.
• Play at playground.
• Have a pajama day (with daddy.)
• See a movie at the movie theater.
• See a movie outside.
• Go to the library.
• Go to the Family Festival downtown Chicago.
• Make cookies.
• Read books at home.
• Ride the train at the mall.
• Go to the beach.
• Have a picnic.
• Go to American Girl Place.
• Draw pictures and cut them out.
• Play with legos.
• Make muffins.
• Make pasta salad.
• Play with toys.
• Go to a festival.
• Try to go to a water park.
• Go to the Disney store downtown Chicago.
• Eat at Rainforest Cafe.
• Eat at Labriola Cafe.
• Bake an apple pie.
• Play games on the iPad.
• Play Mario game with daddy.
• Go to the Morton Arboretum.
• Go to Mimi and Pa’s house.
• Go to Granny and Pa’s house.
• Go on a hike.
• Go to the Museum of Science and Industry.

 

Moana Birthday

If your household is anything like ours, Moana is a big big big deal. We watch the movie. We have Moana dolls. We listen to the soundtrack in the car. The girls have Moana t-shirts. So, it made sense that baby girl was going to want  Moana themed birthday for her third birthday.

So, baby girl wore her new Moana dress. And big girl wore her new Moana t-shirt.

There aren’t a lot of Moana party accessories so the decor and food was Moana/tropical themed.

 

It worked out nicely that the Target dollar section recently had a lot of pineapple stuff. (The metal containers and pineapple straws are from the dollar section.)

It was a fun day. And do not worry. Both girls are already planning their next birthday party themes…….

Summer Checklist – Update #3

We continued our museum days last week by attending the free days at the Museum of Science and Industry and the Shedd Aquarium. These days were even more fun because we went to the museums with friends!

(Yes, I added the Museum of Science and Industry to the list just so I could cross it off. Somehow, I hadn’t remembered to add it to the original list.)

Last week has really been full of items from the checklist….. I’m exhausted already. 🙂

The list thus far:

• Make lemonade.
• Eat at Big Bowl.
• Go to Millennium Park.
• Go to Adler Planetarium.
• Get space ice cream.
• Go to zoo.
• Go to Shedd Aquarium.
• Go bowling.
• Make banana pudding.
• Go to the splash pads downtown.
• Play at Maggie Daley playground.
• Go to Field Museum.
• Go to Art Institute and do a JourneyMaker tour.
• Go swimming.
• Go to the Children’s Museum.
• Play at playground.
• Have a pajama day (with daddy.)
• See a movie at the movie theater.
• See a movie outside.
• Go to the library.
• Go to the Family Festival downtown Chicago.
• Make cookies.
• Read books at home.
• Ride the train at the mall.
• Go to the beach.
• Have a picnic.
• Go to American Girl Place.
• Draw pictures and cut them out.
• Play with legos.
• Make muffins.
• Make pasta salad.
• Play with toys.
• Go to a festival.
• Try to go to a water park.
• Go to the Disney store downtown Chicago.
• Eat at Rainforest Cafe.
• Eat at Labriola Cafe.
• Bake an apple pie.
• Play games on the iPad.
• Play Mario game with daddy.
• Go to the Morton Arboretum.
• Go to Mimi and Pa’s house.
• Go to Granny and Pa’s house.
• Go on a hike.
• Go to the Museum of Science and Industry.

 

Summer Checklist – Update #2

Now these next items that I’m crossing off of the checklist are not actually complete. Big girl wanted to be sure that we did a lot of reading this summer and we will and are. We went to the library to get both girls signed up for the summer reading program and to check out some books and play with the puzzles and toys at the library. So, I am crossing off “Go to the library” and “Read books at home” because we’ve now done both, but we will definitely be doing both of these items several times throughout this summer.

The list thus far:

• Make lemonade.
• Eat at Big Bowl.
• Go to Millennium Park.
• Go to Adler Planetarium.
• Get space ice cream.
• Go to zoo.
• Go to Shedd Aquarium.
• Go bowling.
• Make banana pudding.
• Go to the splash pads downtown.
• Play at Maggie Daley playground.
• Go to Field Museum.
• Go to Art Institute and do a JourneyMaker tour.
• Go swimming.
• Go to the Children’s Museum.
• Play at playground.
• Have a pajama day (with daddy.)
• See a movie at the movie theater.
• See a movie outside.
• Go to the library.
• Go to the Family Festival downtown Chicago.
• Make cookies.
• Read books at home.
• Ride the train at the mall.
• Go to the beach.
• Have a picnic.
• Go to American Girl Place.
• Draw pictures and cut them out.
• Play with legos.
• Make muffins.
• Make pasta salad.
• Play with toys.
• Go to a festival.
• Try to go to a water park.
• Go to the Disney store downtown Chicago.
• Eat at Rainforest Cafe.
• Eat at Labriola Cafe.
• Bake an apple pie.
• Play games on the iPad.
• Play Mario game with daddy.
• Go to the Morton Arboretum.
• Go to Mimi and Pa’s house.
• Go to Granny and Pa’s house.
• Go on a hike.

 

Summer Reading List

Every summer, I say that I’m going to get some reading done. And most summers, my reading list doesn’t really get any shorter. However, now that grad school is over and I already have the spring play figured out for next school year, I actually have time to get some reading done.

 

My list is a bit varied but I’m excited to work my way through it.

What’s on your reading list for this summer?

Summer Checklist – Update #1

We’re starting off our summer by jumping into the checklist right away. Big girl has a lot of things that she wants to accomplish in the next few weeks so we started working our way through the checklist right away.

I love the free admission days at the museums. They are definitely crazy busy days to go to the museums, but, the free admission is a huge plus. Adler Planetarium had some free days last week so we were able to take two things off of the checklist:

Go to Adler Planetarium!

And……

Eat astronaut ice cream. We tried two flavors: neapolitan and mint chocolate chip. The mint chocolate chip was the favorite of the two types.

So, the list thus far:

• Make lemonade.
• Eat at Big Bowl.
• Go to Millennium Park.
• Go to Adler Planetarium.
• Get space ice cream.
• Go to zoo.
• Go to Shedd Aquarium.
• Go bowling.
• Make banana pudding.
• Go to the splash pads downtown.
• Play at Maggie Daley playground.
• Go to Field Museum.
• Go to Art Institute and do a JourneyMaker tour.
• Go swimming.
• Go to the Children’s Museum.
• Play at playground.
• Have a pajama day (with daddy.)
• See a movie at the movie theater.
• See a movie outside.
• Go to the library.
• Go to the Family Festival downtown Chicago.
• Make cookies.
• Read books at home.
• Ride the train at the mall.
• Go to the beach.
• Have a picnic.
• Go to American Girl Place.
• Draw pictures and cut them out.
• Play with legos.
• Make muffins.
• Make pasta salad.
• Play with toys.
• Go to a festival.
• Try to go to a water park.
• Go to the Disney store downtown Chicago.
• Eat at Rainforest Cafe.
• Eat at Labriola Cafe.
• Bake an apple pie.
• Play games on the iPad.
• Play Mario game with daddy.
• Go to the Morton Arboretum.
• Go to Mimi and Pa’s house.
• Go to Granny and Pa’s house.
• Go on a hike.