Summer Bucket List Board

The big change happens today! We hope you enjoy this more conversational episode about how to create and fulfill your summer bucket list.  Look for our lists coming soon. 

Recap

The podcast format is changing to longer episodes with a focus on personal conversations.

Summer break is a valuable time to spend with family and create lasting memories.

Creating a bucket list for the summer can help prioritize and plan fun activities.

The bucket list should be fun and not stressful, with input from the whole family. Create a personalized summer bucket list that reflects your family's interests and preferences.

Include a variety of activities such as camping, backyard bonfires, reading lists, DIY projects, and rainy day activities.

Involve children in the planning and execution of the activities to foster engagement and a sense of ownership.

Make the most of the summer by checking off items on the bucket list and creating lasting memories.

Chapters

00:00 Changing the Podcast Format

11:23 The Importance of Summer Break

23:11 Creating a Personalized Summer Bucket List

26:44 The Importance of Making Lists

30:00 Engaging Children in Summer Activities

32:44 Making the Most of Summer

Transcript

Lauren (00:05.459)

Hey guys, how you doing today? We are going to jump right into our new idea and kind of talk about it a little bit. We are going to be changing our format.

Ellyn (00:22.926)

Yes we are. 

Lauren (00:23.155)

 We're going to change the amount of time that we spend on an episode. So we're going to make it just a little bit longer than it has been. And by little bit, I mean probably about 10 or 15 minutes, change from our 25 to 30 minutes. So it's not going to be a ton longer, but a little bit. And we're also going to go down to doing one episode a week instead of two. So it'll be a little bit longer format with only one episode. And then we're also going to change what we talk about. So previously we talked mostly about just the topic that we had chosen for that day. And now we're going to add in a little section at the beginning where we talk about what's going on in our lives. Like normal people, kind of like we're having a phone conversation instead of recording an episode for people to listen to.

Ellyn (01:36.363)

we feel like that this will give us a little bit more time during the week to o a better job on Getting our episodes out and maybe doing a few more pictures. Our plan is to add in some other surprises that we will talk about in the coming weeks But by going down to one episode that does give us a little bit more time in our schedules. 

Ellyn (02:31.691)

we have a few new things that we have coming up down the pipe. And as busy moms, we have a finite amount of time to handle everything that we do for our podcasts. So we wanted to make a few changes so that we can do a little better in other places. So let us know what you think. after this episode.  come on over to the website.

Lauren (02:52.339)

yeah, we can't wait to hear about it.

Ellyn (02:59.882)

Let us know what you're thinking on our social media pages. We would love to hear about it because we do love feedback. So let us know.

Lauren (03:09.843)

All right, we have one other little bit of shop to talk about before we get into what's going on with us right now. And that is our listeners. Now I want to thank those of you who are avid listeners, never miss an episode. It is so appreciated. But if you want us to be able to keep on doing this.

Ellyn (03:31.369)

Absolutely.

Lauren (03:35.443)

Please invite your friends to listen to and also share us on your social media. That would be so helpful. You just never know who's going to enjoy a show like ours. And we just need more listeners to keep on doing what we're doing.

Ellyn (03:52.392)

Absolutely. And thank you for that. We definitely appreciate any shares that you give us. We have noticed a slight uptick recently and we appreciate those people who are sharing and keep doing it. Please. We really, really appreciate it.

Lauren (04:09.747)

Yep. And it's really nice to wake up in the morning at six because that's when I get up and see that we've already had a whole bunch of listens on an episode that just came out at five. So yeah, really appreciate it.

Ellyn (04:21.947)

100%. Very true.

Lauren (04:29.267)

So what's going on with you this week?

Ellyn (04:33.895)

Well, I'm having kind of a quiet week, to be honest. My oldest, as you may know, not my oldest, my second oldest, my oldest girl, as you probably know, is at your house. And so I only have my youngest at home. What are you doing this week?

Lauren (04:51.219)

Right.

Lauren (04:56.691)

Well, I went on an epic vacation! Yeah, we, my husband travels for work sometimes and this time I tagged along with him because he was going to the beach. So I am here in a hotel that might sound a little different in the background, I'm not sure. And yeah, I'm at the beach and

Ellyn (05:10.566)

Peace.

Lauren (05:23.539)

Frankly, he goes off to work in the morning and this has been almost like a staycation. I don't know if I should call it that because I'm not at home. But I am alone completely, which isn't something that ever happens for me. So I really am appreciating it.

Ellyn (05:51.993)

And my older daughter is at home, Lauren's home, with her three kids. So, and they're having a fun week. I keep checking in with her. They are going to playground and she made them mac and cheese for dinner last night. So that was a big highlight and they're really having a good time together. So I love this cousin time for them.

Lauren (06:04.467)

my goodness. Me too.

Lauren (06:14.355)

Mm -hmm.

Lauren (06:20.883)

I know.

Lauren (06:25.011)

I know. It is really fun. I hope that they're not, or that she setting a higher standard than I can accommodate when I return. Not going to the park every day. 

Ellyn (06:37.956)

You hope that she isn't? yeah, they are spending a lot of time at the playground. She did mention this morning how much hotter you people keep it at your house than we do at ours. She said, I'm so hot.

Lauren (06:49.651)

We do. Yes.

Lauren (06:54.835)

I'm glad I got her all those summer clothes.

Ellyn (06:57.444)

Right, me too!

Lauren (07:01.075)

But yeah, it was, it's been so nice. Like, just relaxing. I'm reading a book, you know, alone without, it's actually, it's a book that takes slightly more concentration. So maybe it's a God thing that I started reading it on this vacation because I'm usually interrupted every three to five minutes when I'm trying to read at home.

Ellyn (07:12.674)

Hmm

Lauren (07:31.571)

This one I actually need to be concentrating on to keep up with the plot. It's a good book, but so far I've only read like half of it, but it's called Wic by Did You? Who's it by? We should look that up. Why don't you look that up?

Ellyn (07:48.93)

I read that. That is a good one. Yes.

Ellyn (07:55.747)

I'll look it up right now. Michael Bunker, I think, but I might be wrong.

Lauren (07:57.715)

I would, but I'm attached to the computer. yeah, I think you're right. It is Bunker. I don't know if it's Michael Bunker. Michael Bunker.

Ellyn (08:14.402)

Yes, Michael Bunker. I did come up with that. That is a good book. 

Lauren (08:18.355)

You're smart. Yeah, it's really good, but it does like it's very small writing and it's a very intricate plot. But so it takes more concentration. Usually I read at home right before I go to sleep, which isn't always the best time for concentration more a time for dozing off.

Lauren (09:35.635)

So that's the excitement that's going on in our lives. I will say we're also almost done with school. I had a little bit of school work for them to do this week and then I think we've got like another

Lauren (10:14.867)

Then, right, then we have another two weeks until the end of school. So that'll be, I can't wait until summer. And here we are talking about our big summer plans or kind of, kind of how not to make plans. That's the part I wrote.

Ellyn (10:32.45)

Yep.

Ellyn (10:38.963)

And we are, we're almost done also. my youngest will graduate pre -K mid -June. So she's going the longest.  my, older daughter this year, I, she'll be done real soon. she took her schoolwork with her to Lauren's house and she was going to try and I'm sure.

Lauren (11:04.339)

I'm sure she's accomplishing a lot.

Ellyn (11:08.606)

Well, while your kids are working, I'm hoping she is also working because she can't finish school until she's done with her books, so she better be working.

Lauren (11:18.611)

Hmph.

Ellyn (11:23.132)

So anyway, that kind of leads us into our topic for today, summer break.  I know summer break and the summer on the calendar obviously are in kind of two different places, but, and especially for us homeschoolers, we generally end a little before,

Lauren (11:32.019)

It's coming up. It's coming people. We just have to make it a few more weeks.

Ellyn (11:51.58)

public school, so our summer is actually coming up really quick.

Ellyn (11:58.908)

and then we'll have that quiet time. There's usually about a week in there where we don't do anything. We just sit home and enjoy the quiet and we're really looking forward to that this year.

Lauren (12:14.387)

Last year we started our summer break, like our summer vacation, or we went on vacation the day after school ended. And that was brutal. Like no time to prepare at all. And you just did everything. You just did all the things that you have to do before school ends. 

Lauren (12:41.427)

Then we went on a two hour or two day, two day. I'm sorry. That made it sound easy. It wasn't two hours, two day road trip to our destination.

Ellyn (12:52.985)

Yep, that doesn't sound like any fun. But I do have to say taking your big summer vacation right as soon as school gets out makes the rest of your summer more relaxing. When we go out to my in -laws house, they live in the Midwest, which is about a two day trip for us to I always tried to do it right at the beginning of summer because

Lauren (13:08.019)

Mm -hmm.

Ellyn (13:20.313)

I always felt like if we did it in August, we were looking forward to that trip all summer long. And then we would come back from that trip and summer was over. And it just, it felt...

like we lived our entire summer in anticipation instead of enjoying our summer. But if we did it at the beginning of summer, then we would get through that trip and then have the rest of the summer to relax. So I actually really like doing our big vacation, big trip at the beginning of summer. But it does make it kind of hectic.

Lauren (13:58.483)

Yeah, we always do it at the beginning, but not usually the day after school ends. That was just a little much. there was something happening, like a family reunion or something like that. I can't remember that we had to be there for, I think it was a family reunion. And that dictated the time that we left. 

Ellyn (14:06.265)

Right. That's ambitious right there.

Lauren (14:28.467)

had to do it that way. I don't know what we're gonna do this year. I haven't even planned anything yet. That's yeah, that's where I'm at.

Ellyn (14:30.713)

Mm -hmm.

Ellyn (14:36.088)

That's the sort of summer you're gonna have.

Ellyn (14:41.304)

Well, that kind of takes us right into our topic for today. One of the things that I have done, especially when my big kids were little, I really haven't started it with my youngest yet, but we do bucket list boards. And if you've never heard of this, it is a board that you do with your family that lists all the things that you want to accomplish during the summer.

Lauren (14:44.403)

Indeed.

Ellyn (15:09.24)

mostly fun stuff, but maybe some, you know, stuff that must get done also. And then you place it in a prominent place in your home. And when you accomplish something on the list, you make a ceremony, or at least we always did, about marking that thing off there. We've done that with our summer so far. And the reason that we did it was because we felt like summer was so fleeting. It's eight weeks and it's gone. And then you have eight months or 10 until you get to experience it again. And of course there's fun stuff during the school year too, but summer is like the highlight of the year. So I always felt like...

Lauren (15:45.427)

Mm -hmm.

Lauren (16:03.827)

I'm going to cut in really quick. I remember a few years ago, a pastor at our church said that you get 18 summers with your kids. And boy, that really puts it in perspective. Like that's it. It was only 18, eight week periods. And especially for people with kids that go to school. This is just such a valuable and amazing time that you get to spend knowing your kids. and like maybe finding out some of the things that are happening with them that you don't get to hear when you're so busy. So it's, I love summer vacation. Just let's not go to counting how many summers we have left.

Ellyn (16:44.119)

Mm -hmm.

Ellyn (16:53.495)

Well, as somebody who's kind of on the other side of that, my oldest is 19. And yeah, well, he still lives close and he still does stuff with us. It isn't the same anymore. He works full time and he doesn't get summers off anymore. And so he still makes time to spend with us, but it will.

likely never be the same again, where he goes with us on all of our vacations and is a part of everyday activities. So those 18 summers are gone and I'm really thankful. I mean, of course, there are things that every parent wishes they could have done different or better, but I'm really thankful for the summer vacations that we had and the fun that we were able to have during those summers that he was at home. And of course, my older daughter is coming up right behind him and I've only got a couple of summers left with her. So we're trying very hard to make the most of them.

Lauren (17:59.955)

And she goes up to, she goes away all summer. That's the worst.

Ellyn (18:04.085)

she does and I didn't realize the last summer that she was home, which was the summer before last, that it was going to be the last one that she was home for all summer. So yes, you get 18 summers, but sometimes if they go and get a big summer job, you may not even get that many because they are going to go off and have a job, make money.

Lauren (18:18.419)

Kind of.

Lauren (18:22.867)

Yeah.

Lauren (18:27.571)

Which is good. It's good for them.

Ellyn (18:29.205)

It is. It really is. And I don't, I wish that she were still home, but I'm glad that she is where she is. I'm glad that she's going and doing and being a part of something. She works at the summer camp in the summertime and there isn't a better place for her during the summer, except for maybe here, but I'm willing to share.

Lauren (18:52.435)

Right, right.

this time.

Ellyn (19:34.389)

So what do you need to create a bucket list for your family? It is super, super easy. You need a poster board, some markers, and some tape to hang it up with. That would be the most simplistic bucket list board that you could come up with. You can get more creative.

Lauren (19:35.731)

Yes.

Lauren (19:39.635)

Alright. Yeah, please do.

Ellyn (20:01.62)

And if your family's into being creative, the sky's the limit about the stuff you could use. You could glue sand to it for your beach day, or you could put some pretty ribbons on it if you have some laying around, or any one of a hundred things. Yes.

Lauren (20:20.339)

And you can find ideas online too, like just, you know, have an outline of what it is that you want to do before you start the kids working on it.

Ellyn (20:31.06)

Yes, yep, definitely. And there are tons of lists online too, which we'll get into here in just a minute. But the sky's the limit. You can make this as ornate or as simple as you want to. And the most important part for me is that it should be fun, not stressful. for me personally, sometimes projects like this, I have my own vision and I can take the fun out of it by making this stressful like it has to be perfect. Let the kids take a leading role in it. And however it turns out is how it turns out. And so as long as they're happy with the end product, it is okay. Don't let it be stressful.

Lauren (21:23.443)

It's almost like your first summer project together. And it's, you know, it's supposed to be fun, like an art project.

Ellyn (21:31.699)

Yes, yep. And if it's on me not to suck the joy out of it, I think a lot of times, because I want it to be perfect and perfection isn't necessarily the end goal. It's that people should be happy with it. The kids should be happy with it. And then put it in a prominent place in your home.

Ellyn (22:00.273)

We usually choose the dining room and I usually put it at kid level so that they can mark off the things that we've done. And I honestly, I try and put something super easy on it so that we can mark something off the very first day we make it. Sometimes the easy thing I put on it is make a bucket list and then we can cross that off.

Lauren (22:25.875)

There, that's done.

Ellyn (22:29.041)

We're started.

Lauren (22:36.467)

Things to put on the list may include, but are not limited to maybe your vacation, like, exactly what you're going to be doing. You're going to the mountains. You're going to the ocean. You're going to grandparent's house, aunt and uncle's house. I don't know. I can't think of anything else. Camping. that's some good times.

Ellyn (22:36.881)

So.

Hehehe

Ellyn (23:00.624)

going camping, that's always on our list. Doing a big camping trip.

Lauren (23:06.099)

Which funnily enough is probably what we're going to do this year. The thing I couldn't remember.

Ellyn (23:11.312)

And even you can even put subcategories. So say you're going to go camping underneath that, depending on the age of your kids, little kids will be more impressed by this than bigger kids. But go and say underneath camping, say sleep in a tent, have a bonfire, eat hot dogs over the fire or, you know, just simple things so that there's more to not to.

Lauren (24:00.595)

totally. So there's more to check off on the list.

Ellyn (24:05.968)

Yes, so you have more to check off on the list. And again, I, my four year old will be super impressed if we can check off four things in one day when we get back from our camping trip. My, my teens, even my pre -teens would not have been as impressed with this. So you really do have to, you know, do it for the age of kid that you have and what they will be impressed by.

Lauren (24:18.739)

Mm -hmm.

Lauren (24:40.659)

It could, you could also put goals on there, like only stopping twice to go to the bathroom and stuff like that. It could be a little bit of a motivation for some of the younger ones to hold on. Just hold on.

Ellyn (24:52.036)

very true. I hadn't thought about that. I know one year...

Lauren (25:00.819)

It depends on how far you're going.

Ellyn (25:04.811)

Yes, definitely. And honestly, our camping trips do tend to stay kind of close to home, but our big vacations don't. So that would be a good one for that. One year, I know that we put on there that we marked off how many times over the summer that we got ice cream. And I think we made it up to like 15 times because ice cream is huge here. Again, my little kids were impressed.

Lauren (25:26.547)

Wow, that's a lot. I know. Well, you can walk over to the ice cream place. So that's good exercise. 

Ellyn (25:40.587)

True, yes, and we did. So I guess the point of this part would be to make it personal for your family. There are a lot of lists online, but when you make your own, make it something that your family finds relevant. If there are certain things that your family always does during the summer, put it on there. And Make sure that your most favorite activities are on your list and have fun with it.

Lauren (26:16.627)

Yeah, totally. I actually am terrible about doing things like this because I... I like to make lists, but I don't ever make lists about the activities that I should be doing. It always ends up... time just gets away from me. I don't know why. I should make more lists. I obviously need more lists.

Ellyn (26:44.459)

Clearly, because you don't make enough lists. This woman is the list queen.

Lauren (26:46.739)

 I like a schedule, but I'm not very good at lists. the schedule remains. It's the same schedule that we have during the school year. It's just the times when they would normally be doing schoolwork or sports or whatever. They get to play instead.

Ellyn (27:11.115)

Mm -hmm.

Lauren (27:11.315)

So I should start chucking some things, you know, into those spaces for a little bit more, I don't know, complexity, trying to think of the right word. They do start to get bored after a while playing. So if I had a specific thing, I think that they would be more entertained.

Ellyn (27:37.193)

Mm hmm. And I really think it does keep your summer on track because again, it goes by so fast. And at the end of August, I really think it's fun to look back and say, well, we didn't waste our summer because you forget about the fun things that you did. Here is all the great.

Ellyn (28:11.401)

Okay, I think at the end of summer, a lot of times you will look back and feel like you wasted it. But if you have a list of things that you crossed off as you did them, you can look back with more fondness, I think, and think about all the fun that you had during the summer instead of the boredom or the wallowing away that you feel like you did.

Lauren (28:14.579)

Yes.

Lauren (28:40.787)

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Like, like, I always get to the end of summer and feel like I just wasted a whole bunch of time. So I feel like this would be a good way to learn that I didn't. I didn't waste time. I just, I just had a relaxing summer, but we still accomplished something, you know?

Ellyn (28:54.855)

Yeah. Yep.

Ellyn (29:02.79)

Right. Yeah, definitely. And I think simple things are really good for the list. Also, like a backyard bonfire, spending an evening catching fireflies or going to see the newest blockbuster movies, stuff like that, stuff that you would do during your summer anyway. That You may not think about as having been part of a really what made your summer great, because honestly, I love the big camping trips. I love the vacations, but what I love the most is just spending time in my own yard with my own kids, doing things that make them have wonder. I love the first time my kids are old enough to stay up late enough to catch fireflies.

Lauren (29:50.579)

Mm -hmm.

Ellyn (29:58.31)

That is so much fun. 

Lauren (30:00.403)

Or get out your astronomy equipment and go and look at the stars. We love to do that. I just drive off into the middle of nowhere in the dark and try not to be in people's yards to look up at the stars. The last time we went to a trail that's close by and there were houses close to it. So we were like out in a cornfield and looking at the stars and these people next door were probably like, what are they doing? wow.

Ellyn (30:35.213)

Probably happens all the time. I also love the backyard bonfire. It is so much fun and we live in a fairly urban area here, but our backyard is pretty private and you feel like once it gets dark outside, you feel like you're all alone back there.

Lauren (30:39.699)

Probably, I'm sure.

Lauren (30:47.027)

Me too.

Ellyn (31:04.579)

And I just love it. It makes me so happy to sit back there with the kids. And after it gets dark outside, there's not a lot else to do. They've kind of come in closer because it's dark outside and, you know, they're not afraid of the dark or anything, but you can't really play ball so well in the dark. So those are when the best conversations happen for my family, because there's what else is there to do except stare at the fire and have a conversation and I have always loved that about our summer backyard fires. It's just so much fun.

Lauren (31:41.203)

Yeah.

I've gone to your house and done that. We also have fires. But almost always we invite someone over to share it with us. So it's not just an us thing. We usually have people over too. We have, we do hot dogs and then after it gets a little darker we'll switch to marshmallows. Yeah, the food is planned.

Ellyn (31:46.689)

You have!

Ellyn (32:07.202)

Mm -hmm.

absolutely. And it's all around the fire.

Lauren (32:12.147)

Yep. Now we've got a chicken coop in the place where we did that last year, so I'm not really sure exactly. We're gonna have to move.

Ellyn (32:20.066)

Your chickens would probably not appreciate a fire as much as your kids did last summer.

Lauren (32:26.323)

I, well, in their poop area, probably not now and we wouldn't really appreciate having, having a fire so close to them either. We'll probably move to a different section of the yard.

Ellyn (32:39.33)

Probably not.

Hehehehe

Lauren (32:44.499)

to enjoy a good bonfire.

Ellyn (32:49.249)

They are the best. Another thing that we like to add to our summer bucket list is a reading list, both for the parents and the kids. Nothing is worse than the summer brain dump. So I do try and keep little minds active during the summer and sitting down with a great book in the backyard when it's 85 degrees outside in the shade with a cool drink.

Lauren (32:59.315)

yeah, brilliant.

Ellyn (33:21.44)

There's just nothing better. And if you can sit back there with your kids and your spouse, that's even better. I love just wallowing away a summer afternoon with a book. It's awesome. So.

Lauren (33:23.955)

Mm -hmm.

Lauren (33:39.251)

Yep. I, I definitely have to agree and say that I feel like this is something specifically, you feel like you don't need to pencil in anywhere. It’s not going to happen naturally.  pencil it in because if you don't, then you're going to look around and be like, well, the garden needs weeding and I probably should go ahead and plant some fall stuff around now and.

Ellyn (33:54.688)

No, it really doesn't.

Lauren (34:08.051)

I need to separate the clothes for the kids and I need to get some laundry done. What are we going to have for dinner? Yeah. Just ignore everything and sit down and do nothing for a little while. And the best way to do that is to put it on a list. Like it's, it seems silly to write something like that down, but.

Ellyn (34:17.631)

Yes.

Ellyn (34:28.288)

Yeah.

Lauren (34:36.115)

it's valuable to do so because otherwise there's there's a chance you'll never get around to it.

Ellyn (34:42.144)

Very true. Yep, I completely agree. And I almost think that for your bucket list, this should be a weekly thing with a check mark for each week because it is something that should, this isn't a one -time event for your summer. This should be something that should be recurring in my opinion.

Lauren (34:50.579)

Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.

Lauren (35:00.531)

Make sure it happens at least once. If you feel like once a week is too much, then maybe two times during the summer and make it an hour or more. Like just make it happen.

Ellyn (35:03.04)

Right.

Ellyn (35:11.359)

Right.

Yeah, definitely. And don't forget a trip to your library. That is a great thing to put on the board and everybody needs new library books. I have to give a shout out to my husband who is amazing at taking our youngest to the library. He takes her at least twice a month and it's usually once a week. It's important to him that she gets to the library, so he takes her.

Lauren (35:38.867)

Mm -hmm.

Ellyn (35:43.967)

Usually on Tuesday morning when she doesn't have school, they are heading to the library. And I just, I love that. And I can't imagine that he'll stop for the summer. He likes to go, he likes to take her, so they go together. So it's something that's super, super important. Get your kids fresh books. Put it on your bucket list.

Lauren (36:04.019)

Yep. And you know, you can find a lot of books at the library that are historical fiction for kids. So it's really engaging and fun to read, but they're also learning something. My kids love those. The little short readers. Now, my oldest is, is really too old for them, but she still reads them. My son gets them for his own reading level and she just reads them too. Any books we bring home she's gonna go ahead and read. Even my youngest's books get read by my oldest, although she usually reads them out loud.

She does like to read that one.

Lauren (36:49.619)

She doesn't allow reading material to go to waste.

Ellyn (36:54.366)

Hmm

Ellyn (36:58.365)

Another thing for your bucket list is to add a summer project that you were already planning to do, that you can do with your kids during the summer. For us, two summers ago, we built ourselves a new chicken coop. The kids helped and it was a super fun project. It's one that I will remember forever because we didn't start with a plan and we kind of all added our thoughts to it as it went along. And for me, it was one of those things where I'm like, wow, my kids are really growing up. They've got ideas of their own and they're good. These are some smart kids. This is pretty cool. You know, the things that we did, you know, that we didn't really even think about. They were able to come up with a few ideas because they had experience with our chickens from years past. And so it was just a really neat project to do together. We had fun with it. And I'm, I'm glad that we did it. I easily could have been something that my husband or my husband and I had done it by ourselves, but we decided to all do it together. And honestly, if I'm being perfectly honest, at the beginning we did kind of have to make the big kids help us, but they ended up having fun with it too. It was something that was kind of drudgery right at the beginning because they thought it was going to be hard, but it ended up being a really fun project after we got through the initial angst about it.

Lauren (38:36.467)

 I feel like every summer can have at least one DIY project and, you know, it's fun to build bird feeders together and stuff like that. But if you look around your house, there's something that actually really needs to be done that your kids can help with. Like a few years ago we decided to paint all of our walls and ceilings in the main living area of our house. And admittedly, the kids were not actually at all helpful with it, but we let them help anyway, because they were there and they wanted to help. So why wouldn't we let them? It was a project that we really needed to get done and we wanted to do it in the warmer months so that we could have the windows open. And they were there. So, yep, look around your house, pencil in some DIY project that you've been putting off and figure out some way to let the kids help you with it.

Ellyn (39:39.64)

Yep. And that DIY project could even be something like your garden goals for the summer. Like maybe you want to put in a new vegetable garden plot or you want to put in a new flower bed or Lauren won't get on board with that, but I am.

Lauren (39:51.411)

Yeah, totally.

Lauren (39:57.619)

You should.

Lauren (40:05.235)

No, I mean, I was just saying you should. If you're thinking about putting in a vegetable garden, you should. Because you should.

Ellyn (40:11.608)

yes, everybody should have one. But it can be something like that also that quite a few years ago, actually, my big kids helped mulch one of my flower beds. And my husband drove back and forth getting us mulch for it felt like days and days and days. It probably was two days.

Lauren (40:16.947)

At least a little.

Ellyn (40:41.191)

But the kids helped get all that off and spread it out. They helped me plant the plants. It was so much fun. And it wouldn't have been fun without them. But because they helped and they brought their good attitude and they brought their tiny shovels and it was fun. We had such a good time. And I look back at those pictures and how little they were. And I think now, wow.

They couldn't have been any help at all. And they weren't, but we still had a really good time.

Lauren (41:16.083)

Yep. We do the same with ours. Like they're at an age right now where they want to help. And I am not ashamed to say I want to take advantage of that. Not just because they're getting to an age also where their help is actually useful, but also because it's time that we're together and that they want to be there.

Ellyn (41:31.063)

Heh heh.

Lauren (41:44.884)

You know, I'm not forcing them to help. They want to. And I, yeah, I'm just going to take it. Take it. I'm going to take it as much as I can right now, because it probably won't last that they want to be in my company and that they want to actually do something that's helpful.

Ellyn (41:54.807)

Mm -hmm.

Ellyn (42:05.91)

Right. And as someone who is on the other side of it, there are a few grumpy teenage years where they don't really want to help. But if you can get them engaged in a project, they do become willing participants like the Chicken Coop project. They were definitely in an age where they did not want to be there at the start. But when we were able to allow them to have input,

that was when they started to want to be there. They thought that the project was going to be drudgery, but when we were able to give them the time and the space to think about ideas of their own, that became more fun for them because they felt valued. They felt like they weren't just there to pound nails and pick up stuff and put stuff down. They were there to help. And that made a big difference for them that the attitude that we brought to the table changed the attitude that they brought to the table. So I do think that that's part for teenagers getting them to want to help is to value the help that they can bring.

Lauren (43:18.787)

And it implies particularly in gardening because I've never come across a single kid that doesn't love to grow something. To put a seed in the ground and watch what happens and then reap the harvest. Boy, do they love that part. So, I mean, I know with their smaller garden, they're allowed to eat anything that they grow.

Ellyn (43:38.581)

Mm -hmm.

Lauren (43:46.259)

And when they're helping me in the big garden, they always get paid in vegetables. And there's nothing that they love more than eating a vegetable straight off the plant. It's different somehow. I don't know what they do to the grocery store vegetables, but they do something. Something bad.

Ellyn (44:06.325)

And they're not the same. No, they're not. If you can't get a vegetable garden of your own, just a quick aside, go to your farmer's market because those vegetables still taste good.

Lauren (44:30.291)

Sometimes you can get a plot locally in the garden and just throw a couple of things in there that you like. Yep. There's a, there's a couple of different options. Yep. Yeah. Like, or sometimes they're at church. Churches have them like around here anyway. Every church has a community garden.

Ellyn (44:38.581)

A community garden. Is that what you mean?

Ellyn (44:45.012)

Okay.

Ellyn (44:50.293)

Really? That's interesting.

Lauren (44:52.531)

It is, I really like it. I've always lamented the loss of the giant amount of acres that every church seems to have and do nothing with, but mow the grass and sometimes put down poison. It's like, okay, let's stop with the poison and the mowing and put in some gardens.

Ellyn (45:04.116)

Mm -hmm. Yep.

Ellyn (45:11.763)

Yes.

And lastly for your bucket list, add a few rainy day activities. Into every summer a little rain must fall, especially if you have a garden, you want it to rain. So add a few rainy day activities and let one of your rainy day activities be playing in the rain. Seriously, kids love it.

Lauren (45:16.019)

Alright.

Lauren (45:29.779)

Right.

Lauren (45:38.547)

Totally.

Ellyn (45:43.09)

I just can't talk highly enough about letting them go out and play in the rain. It is so much fun for them and for you if you allow yourself to go and get wet too. But also some indoor, because if it's thundering, you can't let them go out and play in the rain, but play in some indoor rainy activities. A game day or a middle of the day movie day or if it happens to be a cool rainy day. Anything. They'll love it. And it makes rainy days less tiresome if they know that they're going to get to do something fun when it rains. So highly recommend adding a couple of good rainy day activities to your bucket list. And I can't wait to start on our bucket list. I hadn't really thought about doing one this year, but now I can't wait. I...

Ellyn (46:39.409)

Look for Ellen's family's bucket list on our social media in a few weeks because I can't wait to get started on one. How about you guys?

Lauren (46:49.555)

Yep. And now I'm inspired. I feel like I should have to do one too.

Ellyn (46:53.681)

You do!

Lauren (46:55.219)

Well guys, thanks so much for listening today and please let us know what you think about our new format and if you have any ideas that you'd like us to talk about especially in our little beginning piece we'd love that. Until next time!