Bucket lists
Of course we’re savoring the moments over here -because as I was crying to Tom the other night, before we know it she’ll be going to prom- but a large majority of the time has been focused on necessities: eating, sleeping, growing, bathing, diapering. Livi and I get to play in short bursts in between- I’ll have her follow a rattle with her eyes, we’ll sing songs, read books and do tummy time, but Tom and I are so excited for when we’ll get to take her to the zoo, Disneyland, the park, children’s museum, and do fun activities that she’ll love.
Yesterday, I read this article on Huff Post parents, which includes bucket list ideas to do with your child before they leave for college.
Some of the ideas on the list:
-Visit the Grand Canyon
-Find a book that makes them love reading
-Research our family tree
It also included a link to the Bloggess’ Pinterest board on “Stuff I should do with my kid before she’s old”
I used Pinterest for nursery inspiration, but can’t believe how many fun activities, baking projects and arts and crafts are on there… very exciting.
Some of the things I can’t wait to share with Livi:
-Blowing bubbles for the first time
-Making a headband out of flowers- mom used to do this with me at my nana’s house on Sundays
-Licking the beaters after making cupcakes
-Mud pies – Kyle and I used to make them ALL the time, and bake them on the wall. So gross, and so fun
-Slip n’ slide in the backyard
-Camping in the living room- tent, sleeping bags, s’mores
-Disneyland, the beach, road trips
-Math 🙂
What’s one of your vivid memories from when you were little?
I remember busting out of the crib for the first time on my own. I was in there playing with the toys that were attached to the rails of the crib, and thought to myself “maybe I’ll try to get out.” I climbed over, and plopped out, then walked into the kitchen. My mom was on the phone, cooking oatmeal, and “I Love Lucy” was on the TV- needless to say, she was a little shocked to see me.
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every year around christmas time my mom would make a huge batch of butter cookies in christmas shapes and decorated with red + green frosting, sprinkles… the works! my two sisters and i would each get a gingerbread man to decorate ourselves (such a big deal!) i still remember using raisins for the buttons 🙂
Sun tanning on the weekend mornings on the deck and baking with my Mom! I can remember it like it was yesterday 🙂
Saturday morning clean-fests! My mom would get up at 6 or 7am every Saturday and go grocery shopping, and then she would come home and clean the house for several hours. My dad and I would be lazy and watch cartoons while she was cleaning. 🙂
I remember 2 things very clearly –
1. I was little enough to be in diapers, and I must have known that I needed a change, and I got up in the middle of the night, grabbed my bag and walked to my parents room. I remember very vividly walking down the hallway in the moonlight carrying that bag.
2. We lived on a farm when I was little as my dad was a wheat farmer. I would go out to the shop and spend time with him while he was working. The walk back to the house was probably only about 200 yards, but of course it took fo-re-ver. I would always ask why he could walk so much faster than me and he would tell me that his legs were longer. I just couldn’t get it. So I would run to keep up.
This post warms my heart 🙂 I remember making paper dolls out of magazines with my mom and reading with her in bed at night. She’d read one page and I’d read the next. It’s funny because we use to have fun family trips, but these little things are the most important memories to me.
I absolutely loved Christmas time – my mom would fill an advent calendar (a huge, handmade one) and hang it over my bed. Every day I got to fish a surprise out of it. 😀 Similarly, since I grew up in Germany, we had a tradition called Nikolaus – on the night before Dec 6th, children must clean and polish their boots and put one out in front of their room’s door. Over night the Nikolaus comes and fills the boot with candy and presents!
The day before Christmas, my mom would braid my hair and in the morning I’d have the most beautiful locks, then we’d go over to my grandparents’ house and have Christmas pastries & open presents…. Christmas time was always magical, the whole month. I aim to try and do the same for my 3-month old. 😀
I also really loved coloring/drawing/making window decorations & cookies with my mom and grandma and playing outside in spring. Mmm.. and snow. Snow was amazing.
Baking! With my mom and my granny!
definitely baking and doing crafts with my grandma! And at Christmas time making cookies and decorating with my mom 🙂 I LOVE that you added math on here! I thought I was the only one. I was sitting balancing our checkbook today and thought to myself, “I can’t wait to teach my baby how to manage money!” haha!
This post is a definite winner — both beautiful and practical! =)
You might want to check out Design Mom’s blog — http://www.designmom.com. She always posts about very creative things to do with kids. She has 6! 🙂
awesome- thank you!
Licking the beaters after making cupcakes and eating plenty of raw chocolate chip cookie dough are pretty vivid childhood memories for me. And I loved cooking and baking with my mom and grandma.
Fun list and trip down memory lane 🙂
Climbing trees and swimming in the little plastic pool thing in the back yard with the sprinkler on.
Definitely mud pies.
A great book is the 13 clocks by James Thurber
Oh I love this! I’m a big fan of bucket lists, it never occurred to me to make one for kids. I love that you are excited to teach Livi math, that is a subject more little girls need to learn to enjoy!
This is such a cute post!
My mom and I did everything together when I was little, and still do today!! We are super close and I love it 😀
I just remember summers that seemed like they went on FOREVER and lots of outdoors things – going to the river or the beach, riding the horses. I come from a single parent family and we had no money, but none of these things cost anything. And yet, they are my favourite childhood memories, just being out in nature, with nothing to do except enjoy the day.
Also.. I’m going to give Pinterest another go. I took one look and got that ‘have noooo idea how this is supposed to work’ feeling. But, I’m hearing good things, so I’ll try it again (had the same issue with Facebook when I first looked at it too..).
Pinterest is amazing, you will love it once you get a hang of it!
My mom and I used to have photoshoots when I was little! She would set up her camera with the self-timer and we would sit on the couch together and make all sorts of funny faces. I loved it! When I got older she would let me dress up and try on her make-up for our photoshoots.
Blowing bubbles is so fun! The best bubbles are from gymboree- I’m not even kidding. They rock. They are easy for the toddlers to blow without getting a mouthful, and soon any area will be flooded with small, wonderful, hardy bubbles. We were first introduced to them at a free library story time- And the $7 they are are SO worth it! We would have spilled/wasted about 14 of the $.99 ones by now, but are still going strong with the gymboree bubbles!
ohhh good to know!
I too was going to recommend gymboree bubbles. Be sure to take lots of bubble pictures too. One of my favorite pics is of my son when he was a tot (14 months) sitting on a blanket outside with bubbles all around 🙂
Yes to the math! So so so important.
A few more Qs: are you planning to raise her bilingual? and i’m curious…does she have a middle name?
yes,
and yes 🙂
do you speak spanish fluently?
yes
¿De donde eres? Mi familia es de España.
Disneyland and family vacations are a huge positive memory I have of my childhood! It will be so special to do those things with your baby girl.
I remember baking with my Mom. The smells are the most vivid parts of the memory!
I love the idea of bucket lists for kids! I think being in the military makes for some fun and exotic ideas for things to put on our kids’ bucket lists. 🙂
I think my favorite memories as a little kid involve my grandparents and their house in Hawaii. i loved staying over there as a little girl. 🙂
Such sweet ideas – I love it!
I had a wonderful childhood and have so many amazing memories. One of my favorite ones is making mudpies in the backyard and waiting patiently while my mom sampled each of my varieties (after much convincing from me about how I tried everything she made for me). 🙂 She’s always been an amazing mom!
My mom and I would sing together with the radio while driving down the road…I have an especially vivid memory of singing the Beatles song, “When I’m Sixty-four”!
Also, right now my daughter and I are enjoying a bottle of bubbles in the bath. I will blow a whole bunch as quick as I can and she will yell/sing, “bubble party, bubble party, bubble party!” as they float down over her.
That’s such a sweet idea to make a bucket list to do with Livi!
I remember having tea parties with my grandma using her mini tea sets. The best part was always her freshly baked cookies. 😀
I think this is adorable—that you’re already planning this stuff!
I loved going to the beach with my family. Some of my earliest memories are of taking naps behind my mom’s beach chair—she would create a little tent for me, lay down a blanket, and I would snooze in the shade!
love it! I remember sitting on the counter watching Sesame Street on our little black and white tv-while my mom made spaghetti. 🙂
Indoor picnics! Put a big blanket or beach towel on the living room floor, order pizza and watch a movie. Such a fun, easy activity and something my mom, sister and I do with my little cousins. They love it!
I love your list.
While I obviously remember trips and big events from my childhood, my favorite and most vivid memories are the little things. I remember game nights, helping cook and bake ( definitely licked lots of spoons and bowls) It’s those things I really cherish and miss.
You guys have so much to look forward to!
Haha I love how you kept it real by including “Math” on there!
Honestly the things that make me happiest to remember as a kid is how much my mom and dad were around my sister and I. They were both teachers so got decent vacation time so we were always travelling and hanging out together and I am forever grateful for the fact that they were both just so present, not my mom more than my dad or vice versa – it makes a big difference to not have a 90/10 parent but as close to 50/50 as is possible!
Going on our boat every summer with our family of 6! Good times!!! Water skiing, tubing, sandcastles, BBQing in a little self made pit, ahhhhh longing for those days again!! Can’t wait to do it with my future kids!!
fitfashlife.blogspot.com
I vividly remember running away to a park/playground when I was around 4 years old. I remember the playground equipment and all, and when my parents found me, I was grounded and not allowed to leave the front porch. Well my mom says to this day it never happened. lol.
My fondest memories are of our family camping trips to the beach and mountains.
The best thing I did with my kids was “finger painting.” We did it outside on a warm summer day. I have never laughed so much and had so much fun in my life. We finger painted paper and then it ended up on our faces and it just escalated into a fun time.
My favorite childhood memory was visiting my grandparents. They had a two story home. I was using my new slinky to walk it down the stairs. It fell under the stairs and landed into a kitchen cupboard with no doors. Every year I would beg my grandparents to retrieve my slinky and they would said they could not. I would then find a new slinky under my pillow.
Memories are the best!!!
Have you read any of http://www.sweet-juniper.com/ ? Talk about loving your kids and making childhood memorable. Beautiful stories and amazing photography from an attorney turned stay at home dad. Doesn’t post often, but scroll through the archives!
Great ideas! Some of my fave memories include my birthday parties- my parents used to throw me some of the best themed parties when I was younger… My friends and I will talk about them even now when we’re 22+!
Those are some great ideas for interacting with your little one!
I can remember many evenings spent in the garage with my dad – ‘helping’ him work on his race car. Far too often it was in the cute little white or pink dresses my mom loved putting me in…they were accented nicely with grease and oil after I was done 😉 Oops!
My mom always read the Cordoroy books to me and my brother (Livi would LOVE them. You should read them to her. You will love them too!!). So one day we took one of the books (there are three) and we set up our video camera on a tripod and we acted out the story. That is one of the best memories that I have of my childhood.
My brother and I also used to take the chairs from the dinning room and set them up in either side of the coffee table and build a fort. We have a picture of the two of us under the fort and we have our heads sticking out. My mom has it hanging up in our house.
1. Making breakfast with my dad on weekends. I have lots of cooking-related childhood memories, but this is my favorite. I would stand on a chair next to the counter and “help” him make mickey mouse and heart shaped pancakes.
2. My Wizard of Oz birthday cake that my mom made for my 3rd birthday. So awesome.