Summer Fun Passport: The Fun Run Train

Twelve weeks of walk / run interval training! Over 750 minutes of just running. Ending with a bang: the 5K Neon Run. It was a blast finding new and interesting places to run in our city. We also really proved something to ourselves. And we learned a lot:

1. We don't like running. We do not feel like we are "running people". But now that it's over, we are wondering if we should stick with it.

2. It was gruelling at times, especially those afternoon runs in the summer heat, but we did it anyway, with minimal complaints. Spud showed some serious grit. So proud of him.

3. The gradual approach to training works!

4. We really like glow-y, blinky things with loud pumping music. And we want to do it again.

We're not finished with summer yet so we are continuing with our summer bucket list. Check out our working Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Bucket List: Growing Grapes. Making Jam.

So this hits two of our bucket list items: Grow something and Make Freezer Jam. Well it turns out we were growing a LOT of wee grapes in our front yard, to our surprise (as new owners to our house/yard). It's hard to say that "we" grew them unless turning on the watering system periodically (maybe not even often enough) counts as having grown something. But I can safely say we made jam out of the harvest. It was a lot of work; washing, de-stemming, washing again, cooking down, straining out the seeds and skins, cooking down again ... but SO worth it! Full of grape-y flavour and not too sweet. Yum.

We're not finished with summer yet so we are continuing with our summer bucket list for the month of September. Check out our working Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Fun Passport: Drawing Castles

Lazy days of drawing and learning new skills — that's what Summer days are made of. Some might think that summer is over, now that school is back. But, here, the weather has been perpetually blissful and we're not back in school yet! Most of the province is not back, due to our teacher's strike/lockout situation but the real reason we're not back in school is that we are homeschooling this year! A very big decision. But we are up for the challenge. Here's hoping there will be more days like these.

Since we are not finished with summer yet, we are continuing with our summer bucket list for the month of September. Check out our working Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Fun Passport: Play Board Games on a Rainy Day

We didn't have a lot of rainy days this summer. But there was one. And that's when we played Monopoly. Spud's choice. Totally fun. But thank goodness for the new short version.

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Fun Passport: Go Kayaking

Deep Cove is a beautiful place to rent a kayak. Aside from cute little islands to explore and beautiful scenery, the boys got right up close to some seals too!

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Fun Passport: Go to a Gelateria

EATS  |  VANCOUVER, BC

We have loads of gelaterias in our town. Loads. Good ones too. But we really wanted to take Spud to the crazy one boasting 218 flavours, aptly named La Casa Gelato. It has been so long since we've been he doesn't even remember it! One rule: when sampling the different flavours prior to making your decision ... try at least one out of your comfort zone. At least one. This is what happened:

Spud: Maple Bacon. Turned out to be a good choice. He liked it!

Me: Garlic. I'm not kidding. Very bad choice. I thought it might have a hint of garlic but oh no! It was full-on. I walked over to Hubs to tell him about my terrible mistake and he said "oh my, I can smell it". Be warned.

Hubs: Seaweed. And then vegemite. He didn't mind either but neither made the final cut.

But there was durian and wasabi and kimchi also ... to name a few. How brave would you be?

Final Gelato flavour decisions = very safe:
Spud: Ferrero Roche + Blood Orange
Me: Pear + Peanut Butter Chocolate (with an unwanted, slight hint of garlic)
Hubs: Passion Fruit Chocolate + Maple Walnut

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Fun Passport: Learning Morse Code

I found 2 fun sites that Spud used to learn some Morse code here and here. After he played around and practiced for a few days I busted out some physical Dahs and Dits — beads in dots and dashes. He wanted to make a necklace and a bracelet each with a message. He pondered over it for a few days finally landing on "Happy" and "SJTM" (his initials).

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Fun Passport: Spend a Day at the Pool

Lucky to have summer babies as friends! Happy birthday N! This year's outdoor pool day was full of games and other fun with friends AND cake! Lucky boy. Sounds like one of the highlights was playing with the dads.

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Fun Passport: Amusement Park Day

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Fun Passport: Take an After Dark Walk

After dark in the summer, in our neck of the woods, is very late for our little Spud to be up and about ... so I thought this little neighbourhood trundle would be a little treat — Potato the pup enjoyed it too. 

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Fun Passport: Go Geocaching

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Fun Passport: Take the Pup on a Hike

BURNABY MOUNTAIN  |   NEAR VANCOUVER, BC

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Fun Passport: Make a Kiwi Crate Project

It's always so exciting to see what surprises are inside the Kiwi Crate. For example, a star hole punch! That's a keeper! And a free (adorable) deck of cards. Not to mention the cool projects inside. Spud had a great time making this lantern yesterday. The star stickers glow in the dark. The tea light shimmers through the coloured vellum nicely. And we learned a bit about constellations.

We've posted about Kiwi Crate before ... here and here.

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Fun Passport: Watch the Sunset

This year's sunset viewing got paired up with seeing/hearing Stanley Park's 9 o'clock gun go off. Not only did we get to see the sunset and the cannon boom into the evening, but we also saw a blue heron (or 2) and a few harbour seals, including a babe with its mom. I love my city.

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Fun Passport: Camping with Friends

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Fun Passport: Go to an Outdoor Concert

This has been on my wish list for years! Finally, we got to see the VSO outside, in the park, and free! It was a treat building summer time memories on a lovely evening, with good people, on an exceptionally warm evening, in the park. Love my city.

And a little Vine video that sums it up in 6 seconds.

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Fun Passport: Make Banana Splits

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Fun Passport: Reading Club

Summer Reading Club at our library is something we look forward to each year — this is our 5th year running. I love how each year a new illustrator is featured. And a new theme is explored with games and activities at the local branches. And weekly contests! Spud has won something every year. Lucky bum. 

At the end of the summer, when you've got 50 days of reading done, you have a little booklet with all the books you've read, as a keepsake ... then they present you with a medal (so cute!) AND you get to go "shopping" at a shelving truck stocked full of a wide range of new books.

I'm not sure what the future holds for libraries. I worry about them. It makes me particularly happy when I see them finding clever, well put together ways to connect with the community. I heart our library. 

I would love to know what sort of summer reading programs other libraries do!

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Our Passport to Summer Fun 2014

Finally, this year's Summer Fun Passport is made and ready to record all our summer fun activities this year!

See previous years' Summer Fun Passport entries here

Summer Fun Passport List 2014

Here we go again ... our 3rd annual Summer Fun Passport List. Summertime is just around the corner, and I can't wait. What's on your summer bucket list?

1. GO OUTSIDE

• Watch the Sunset
• Make Art, en plein air (with portable sketchbox)
• Fly a Kite
• Take a Neighbourhood Walk, After Dark
• Bike the Seawall
• Go Camping with Friends
• Go on a New Hike with Puppy (avoid burrs!)
• Have a Water Fight
• Make a Sprinkler Play Area in the Yard
• Host a Beach Potluck
• Swim in the Ocean
• Go Kayaking
• Go Sailing
• Spend a Hot Afternoon at an Outdoor Pool
• Go to at least one of the local Summer Night Markets
• Go to an Outdoor Concert. The VSO!
• Go Nature Journaling
• Go Canoe Camping
• Go Geocaching
• Go Berry Picking
• Spend a Day at the Amusement Park
• Plant a Tree Somewhere
• Grow Something in the Garden
• Train for a 5K fun run

2. READ + WRITE

• Join the library's Summer Reading Club
• Write Letters to Family (using our letter writing kit)
• Write a Book Review (like this)
• Write a Fan Letter
• Start a Journal

3. DO

• Run a Lemonade Stand
• Choose a Science Experiment to do with Daddy (from this book)
• Learn some Morse Code
• Work on Stamp Collection
• Wash the Car
• Play Board Games on a Rainy Day
• Take a Cooking Class
• Learn about an Unfamiliar Country and Try its Cuisine (we did Ethiopia last year)
• Go to a Gelateria

4. MAKE

• Do a Soapstone Carving
• Make a Kiwi Crate Project (like this)
• Draw Castles
• Make another Heart Map
• Create Cityscape with Block Printing
• Make a Klimt-inspired Art Piece (inspired by our trip to Vienna. See here + here.)
• Make a Weaving
• Decorate Mugs with Porcelain Pens (tutorial here)
• Decorate a T-Shirt
• Sew Your Own Zipper Bag
• Make Sprinkle Milkshakes (like this)
• Make a Solar Powered Lunch (Pizza + Tea)
• Make the Parents Lunch
• Make a Spring-form Cake
• Make Freezer Jam
• Make Banana Splits
• Make a New Zoku (popsicle) Recipe

Here's our 2013 list and our 2012 list and here are all our "ticks" so far.
And I'm pinning all kinds of summer fun here all the time.