Summer of Fun = Summer of Inspiration!

I wish I could claim this idea as my own, but the truth is that I saw it in a magazine years ago and then adapted it for my family.

At the start of every summer, my kids and I gather around the table and create our "Summer of Fun Jar" list.  We each get several scraps of paper and write on them various ideas we have for fun this summer.  In past years, the items have ranged from "Visit the Zoo" and "Find a Waterfall" to "Create a Harry Potter Themed Meal" and "Have a Camp Out".  Some new additions this year? "Visit a State Park", "Turn the House into a Museum", and "Spa at Home" (believe it or not, that wasn't one of mine!).

The idea here is to get us out of the house, or at least away from the screens for a little while, and to do so on the cheap!  Most of our items are free or take the place of money we'd spend anyway (like a themed meal).  A few of them incur a cost (the zoo, a museum, a baseball game), but we can splurge occasionally!

We draw an activity at the beginning of the summer and once we've completed it, we draw another.  We began back in 2012 by drawing just one a week, on Sunday night, but we quickly realized it was too much fun to hold off...and we really wanted to make all of our ideas happen.  Besides, everyone's excited when it's time to draw the next little slip of paper from the jar!

I believe that creativity is one of the best gifts we can give or receive, and many of our activities are just that, whether it's writing a story or going to see a free concert, baking a new treat or buying something from the farmer's market and figuring out what to do with it!  And we work our creative muscles together, as a family.  This way we try to show our kids know how important creativity is!

Last night, as part of our "Summer of Fun", my ten year old daughter made dinner all on her own, a three course meal.  Simple? Yes.  Delicious? Mostly.  The best?  Absolutely.

Let the fun commence!


It's been a bit since I've updated you on my bookshelf.  What I'm reading this week:
Queen Isabella by Alison Weir
The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo (I know, it's a crime that I haven't read it before now!)

In the meantime, I've also read: Are You There God, It's Me Margaret, by Judy Blume; Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman; and The Notorious RBG, by Irin Carmon.

I also want my readers to know that if you recommended a summer reading book for me, I've ordered it or put it on hold at the library, and I'll keep you updated on my reading!