5 Things on my Summer Bucket List + What I am Packing With Me

We are already in our second week of summer and I feel like it has just flown by. As soon as the sun FINALLY got warmer here I found myself really starting to add to my summer bucket list for the kids (and myself)! Are we all just giving a huge sigh of relief that summer actually arrived or what!?

I find that writing down those bucket list items with the kids makes me feel more confident we won’t all of a sudden wake up and realize summer passed us by without going out and doing those top things on our list.

We also have to be prepared so I’m going to include my top items that I pack with me and where to find them if you may be in need.

What I Always Have in My Summer Bag & Where to Buy Them

1. First and foremost. My prescription sunglasses. When going out to do any water activity I refrain from wearing my contacts and always bring along my prescription sunglasses. I also find that my eyes dry out way quicker during long hot days with contacts and pack both my prescription sunglasses and everyday glasses.
   
   The ones featured in these images I have owned for over 5 years, they are such great quality. It’s one of those things that you really do get what you pay for. My prescription is unique in that each eye has a different prescription so I love making sure to go to an eye care professional I can trust that also has high quality frames. If you are looking for somewhere like this as well, make sure to check out iris.ca (you can make appointments online here).
   
2. Snacks. This should go without saying but also the number of times I forget them and then am kicking myself for forgetting I now write it down. I try to do a costco shop at the start of summer to get some of our fave for easy snack packing. Usually we will have; granola bars, trail mix, cheese strings, fresh fruit and gold fish crackers are our usual go to’s.
   
3. A water bottle that keeps your water cold! This is key especially when not packing a cooler around. It makes such a big different spending that bit more money on one that is designed for keeping your water cool in the hot weather. I love my Corkcicle that I bought from BC clothing boutique, JJ’s Fashions, you can also find other one’s similar here and here.
   
4. Kid’s hooded towels and large beach towel for me. Depending on where we go and how far we are hiking in I will pack in either a large beach towel and the Gathre mat for myself and the kids or I may also pack the kids hooded towels that are great for when they want to dry off and have a break from the sun. Gathre mat here (we have had ours for years, definitely worth the price point). Find my fave large beach towels here and hooded towels here.
   
5. One of my last essentials and one that I can easily forget is my hat. Don’t forget your hat!! If you are walking through trails you want to protect your head from any possible ticks falling as well as protect your scalp from direct sunlight. Get yourself some good hats that stay on your head and your kids heads well. I tend to grab my Herschel hat first when choosing what to wear, but also love Adidas + Carhatt hats, you can find them here.

Alright now we are all set for our adventures, where are we headed? I will share 5 places around Vancouver, BC that are on our summer bucket list and I would love to hear some of yours as well, make sure to comment below and let me know where you are headed.

5 Vancouver, BC based Things to Do this Summer on Our Bucket List

1. Big Splash Water Park: We checked this one off the summer bucket list already and it was such a joy! I find this waterpark to be the perfect size for my kids aged six and eight. The older one went on all of the rides, my younger would have gone on more but was recovering from an injury so did as many as she could as well. You can see a fun reel I created from one of their bigger rides called the Boomerang here.
   
2. Semaphore Lake: In August we are planning a trip to Whistler with some friends and one of my friends mapped out a few trails that she wanted to do. The hike to Semaphone Lake stood out to me as something that I wanted to add to our summer bucket list as well. It’s close to Pemberton and we will take a day to drive out, hike and spend time lounging by the lake. Some of my favourite adventures are ones we have to work for to get the resting reward.
   
3. Paddle Board at Chilliwack Lake: I’ve been up to Chilliwack Lake a few times, both in summer and winter and it’s always incredibly beautiful. We got a paddle board earlier in the year and one of my first thoughts was to bring it up to Chilliwack Lake to be able to explore around the lake more.
   
4. Visit and Explore Robert’s Creek with the Kids: My sister and her family are moving to Robert’s Creek this summer so we knew we had to include this on our bucket list. It’s high on the priority list to be able to get over there to see their new home and share the experience of exploring Robert’s Creek with them after their move.
   
5. Make sure to Take Down Time: Funny enough I have to schedule in down time. I often find I plan my days very go go go and not wanting to miss anything.. but over the last couple years of spending more time at home I realized that I also have to schedule down time into my schedule. Planning home days to just run around in the sprinkler, play in the garden, invite friends over and go to their houses. During those everyday moments of finding yourself with not much to do I’ve been able to embrace and soak in so much more without feeling like the days are racing away.
   

Hope you all have so much fun on all your summer adventures… and when out with your dog don’t forget your poop bags too 😉 Enjoy!