Graduations are happening left and right, the days are getting longer (and warmer)…ah yes, summer must be around the corner.

I’ve been feeling the itch to get out and do stuff again. The last two years have been brutal for a mom like me— a mom who loved going to parks and story time and the coffee shop. But I’ll be honest, getting back into the groove of heading out of the house has been tough. I’ve got two toddlers now and am pregnant with our third baby, so it takes a bit more commitment and resolve to go be the mom I’m used to being.

Even though a lot has changed over these last two years, more than ever I’m feeling the urge to explore my city. I also asked many of you on Instagram what you were interested in seeing and so many of you said Things To Do With Kids! I was surprised!

This post and my artistic rendering of my summer bucket list is heavily inspired by one of my faves Joy The Baker. A lot of these items involve water and I’m not mad about it, especially living in a place that regularly hits 100 in the summer. All of it is family friendly (except I guess the iced lattes 😅) and that’s because I’m really planning to soak in this summer as a family of four before I deliver in September.

SACRAMENTO SUMMER BUCKET LIST

Camp at Folsom Lake — I’ve camped at Folsom Lake for almost half my life and I’m so excited to bring Luna along for the first time this year! Now to find a bigger tent and bigger cooler.

Hang At The River — one of my favorite things about Sacramento is that it’s situated right by the American River. After hunkering away to stay away from crowds during lockdown, you’ll find us hanging out there as often as we can this summer.

Make Popsicles — my cousin posted about homemade popsicles and it inspired me to get our own molds. Izzy’s always asking for paletas (popsicles) so this will be a fun activity for us to do together! This set comes with a funnel to make it less messy.

Gunther’s Ice Cream — a Sacramento icon, Gunther’s is a cool spot to enjoy some ice cream. Brandon loves the 50/50, which is a mix of slushee and ice cream. Izzy, Luna, and I are partial to their ice cream, especially the strawberry flavor.

Water Park — I haven’t been to a water park since I was a teenager but something about Izzy showing interest in going to one has given me a whole new motivation to make it happen. Plus I’ll be honest, floating down the lazy river sounds like pregnancy bliss.

Splash Pads — the free version of a water park! Just kidding. On the days where it’s too hot to play on the playground, we’ll opt for a splash pad instead.

Baseball Game — we’ve lived in Sacramento for years now and have never gone to a Rivercats game! Baseball feels like a family-friendly enough sport so we’re hoping to take the kids to their first game this summer.

Farmer’s Market — something we paused when the pandemic hit was our weekly trip to the farmers market. As we create our new rhythm that doesn’t keep us home bound or car bound, I’m hoping to make Saturday mornings at the farmers market a regular thing. I’m also starting to collect our food scraps so we can start dropping off our compost again and am looking forward to picking that eco-friendly habit back up.

Iced Lattes — I drink iced lattes almost year round these days, but there’s something about a perfect iced vanilla latte from Temple Coffee or an iced flat from Chocolate Fish that brings me extra joy in the summertime.

Watch Fireworks — I don’t even know if our kids would enjoy a firework show, but we’ll test it out this summer. Maybe for the Fourth of July, maybe not. I’m pretty sure most of the local baseball games end with fireworks so we might just knock two things off this list in one sitting!

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