Now, more than ever, I feel like every single thing that happens in W’s life is being saved up in his memory bank. He is able to recall moments from last summer in a hazy sort of way, but enough to make me realize THIS summer is going to be one that really counts. This is the season to begin the traditions.
When I was growing up summer meant day camp at the YMCA or hanging out in my Grandfather’s office reading. For my friends it meant elaborate trips and plans. I don’t recall being envious at the time. It probably wasn’t until I went off to university when I realized that I felt like I had missed out. I didn’t really have a tradition.
“Oh my family always goes to ______ during the summer!”
I want to start the first always for W. It’s time.
Here is our Summer Bucket List:
• Go to an aquarium (can be Baltimore, can be NJ – just as long as we go)
• Go to a movie (we went to see Wall-E when it was rereleased a month ago, I want to make going a “thing”)
• Go on a picnic (they do this all the time in Word World so it is on his mind)
• Eat watermelon outside (we did this last year and he still remembers it)
• Accept every invitation to go swimming (need to figure out when he can start lessons and where)
• Go to the ocean
• Go to a boardwalk
• Spend the night in a hotel and wake up and immediately put on swimsuit
• Pick a place with a funny name on a map and drive there
• Camp out in the living room
• Take a train trip
• Airplane trip? (not sure about this one)
• Water ice
I am really focused on trying to make the aquarium and a beach vacation happen. Logistics (timing, money, WHERE?!!) are my hurdles. I just need to pick a beach place and make it work. So far I am looking at the Cape May or Ocean City area. It’s not like it’s easy to find by searching, “awesome and safe and fun place for a single mom to go with her toddler son to be joined later by Grandmother”.
So let’s talk summer traditions, because I don’t want to skip over anything. Did you have trips or activities that you always did with your family growing up? Are you doing those same things with your family now?
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Sometimes it’s the simplest things that stick with you, especially if they are a little quirky. I don’t really remember anything big that we did during the summer (except my birthday), but every Christmas Day we would go and see a movie. My family was small (we only celebrated as a foursome, not the whole extended thing), and my Dad’s birthday is on Xmas day, so we had out big meal on Xmas eve. The next day, we would get up, do the Santa/present thing, eat a big breakfast of leftovers, and go to a movie. We would end the day trying to find an open restaurant to grab dinner at. Now a lot of people do that, but when I was young it was always just us and finding an open restaurant was an adventure. We still do it, to some extent. It may sound silly, but it was treasured because it was ours, you know?
From ages 7-12, we went up to Montana and spent two weeks at a dude ranch. Always around the 4th of July, because up there one can legally purchase and set off fireworks, which my pyromaniac father loved to do. I’ve always watched fireworks with my parents (even the day after I had my wisdom teeth removed), except for the year I was at boot camp and this year–and July 4th just wasn’t the same last week.
We’ll be back in the same city as they are next year, although with twin babies and my brother’s wedding on July 5th I don’t know what we’ll do.
My mom would ship us off to my aunt’s farm for a couple weeks during the summer. Other than that, we’d go to Bible school for the week or two they had it, but we spent most of our time in the pool. Or fighting with each other.
I don’t think we had a summer “always” but I don’t feel at all deprived from not having a lake house…
I went to girl scout camp, sometimes we took trips, but not fancy ones, then once I turned 13 I started going to Connecticut to work all summer.
I think this sounds like a good list, but you know what is cheaper than a beach vacation? A vacation to Indianapolis. True story! And almost as good as the beach! …Kind of. …Ok, not at all. But it was worth a try.
Go to Ocean City NJ, which means you can visit Cape May as a day trip, Lucy the Elephant in Margate, Cape May county zoo (free), bike rides on the boardwalk in the mornings. It is very, very family-friendly. We had one of our best vacations ever there.
Camping is cheaper than a hotel. In Europe there are campsites where they provide the tents already pitched. A campsite with a pool and other children’s activities could be good. Dinner in the garden and camping in our back garden was also a treat and free. We had cousins who lived in Cardiff, Wales and they’d stay with us for a few days to ‘do’ London. The we’d go to Cardiff and spend a few days on the beach. You may not have cousins but you couldmaybe cultivate such a tradition with friends. Have a lovely summer whatever you do. xxx
I wasn’t suggesting you go to Europe, I was just wondering if they had the same thing in the US.
My family didn’t have an always, and I felt the lack. We have traditions for the kids in part bc I still want them for myself.
I have some Cape May info,.email if you wish.
Open invite to swim with me!!
Baseball games. When we lived in Georgia, my parents would take us to see the Braves play, and we especially loved the double-headers.
And again, when we lived in Georgia, we would go to Stone Mountain, climb up to the top, climb back down, and then go tour the beautiful old plantations there.
Singing songs on road trip, like “Found a Peanut” and The Spinning Song, which even now instantly transport me to the back seat of an unairconditioned green Plymouth Valiant.
I don’t have kids of my own with which to carry on summer traditions, but we have created traditions with our best friends and their kids, but not so much summer things.
We were really broke for most of my summers growing up, but those were actually my favorites. My single mom would load us three kids in the car with a cooler of peanut butter, crackers, and milk and we would go anywhere free. We camped all over the country where you could stay for a couple bucks and visited free historical sites and state parks. I could set up a tent by the time I was five, while my mom started dinner on the camp stove and my brother collected sticks for a camp fire. Those are my best memories.
Those kinds of memories were important to me too which is why we bought the trailer. If you and W want to drive for 10 hours you’re more than welcome to spent a week up there with us in August. There is a pool, a park, swimming in the lake, boat rides and s’mores around the camp fire. All with a flush toilet, shower, fridge full of beer and wine and DVD player for morning cartoons so mommy can snooze a bit longer.
Seriously….
The thing I liked about summers was just always being able to do whatever. I think we always took a trip, but really I remember the playing outside and then being so hot that we came inside to lie on the cold entryway floor at my house.
“Pick a place with a funny name” – You are going to Amish country!
I agree with the “other” Robin. Ocean City is a GREAT place with a little kid alone. Boardwalk is great, lots of little kid rides there. Plus, good bathrooms on the boards. We have done the beach there several times, including one day this past winter when it was unseasonably warm. We wore sweaters and dug in the sand for hours.
Spring for the Baltimore aquarium. You will spend the same as Camden, but get way more. It’s a more robust joint.
We swim all the time and you are always welcome to join. We can even buy discounted guest passes if you want.
Lessons at the Y. We did it with The Who from 10 months old. He is taking lessons at our pool now.
FYI: Cheap charter flights from Trenton airport to a random little airport near Boston. Could be a fun weekend trip if you can swing it. I would go with you and show you around!
Love this.
We don’t exactly have a summer tradition, either. But we do have a GIANT to do list on the fridge, mostly created by my 8-year-old. A lot of it involves ice cream and swimming. Just did a one-night hotel stay, which was good fun. After the worst road trip ever a couple years ago, we’ve learned NOT to pick random places on a map by name.
The outer banks, NC are far for you, but they are so wonderful and safe for kids.
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