2017 Summer Bucket List

            Hey folks! Is this unusually warm weather getting anyone else excited about summer activities? It's bad enough that it's got us wanting to plant stuff and start more seeds indoors already, but I'm getting antsy to go exploring new places this summer too!

            I guess “summer” is somewhat misleading for this post as I would like to do a lot of these things in the spring or fall when it's not too hot. I'm one of those people who doesn't really like summer all that much. There, I said it! Regardless, let's dive into my (somewhat ambitious) list!

*Visit all of our state parks. I know. A little overzealous, right? But, for the 5,000^th time, we got a state park pass for Christmas and I intend on using it! To be honest, I'll be a little disappointed if we don't make it to at least, let's say, roughly ¾ of them, but I'm not going to beat myself up too much either.

*Ride the “Mini Trains” in Johnson County. My husband somehow came across this place through his work. Myka's a big fan of trains and we think she would love this! It starts at a park and the rides run for 20 minutes! And it's only a few bucks to ride!

*Borrow an Explorer Backpack from Griffey Lake. I remember reading about these last year, but it sounded like the kind of thing that would be better suited for Myka when she was older. I have no idea what is in these things, but it sounded like a fun way to incorporate some more learning into our great outdoors experience. Plus, we didn't get to Griffey Lake (in Bloomington, IN) as much as I wanted to last year, so it's a good excuse to visit.

*Go to the pool/Teach Myka to swim. She already has the basic idea down, but I'd really like her to learn to swim for real. I feel like it's an important life skill and she loves playing in the water. I can't exactly teach her to swim in a kiddie pool at home, though, can I? We didn't get to the pool at all last year because the whole “getting out with a baby and being afraid your older kid is going to run off or drown” thing was too frightening.

*Visit the Splash Pad and Sand Playground more. We went here once or twice last year, but I'm hoping to go more this year...Just not when it's so freaking hot out! Pretty sure the baby and I were both miserable, especially the day we went just to visit the new sand playground. There is a giant canopy over the area, but that almost makes it worse and traps heat somewhat. At least we weren't getting sunburnt?

What is on your summer bucket list this year?

P.s. If you're local to the Bloomington, IN area, be sure to click on the bold links (and some of the pictures) above to learn more about the places listed!