Mother-Daughter Bucket List

Inspired by this post, I wanted to create my own bucket list for Elie and I. I remember creating one back when I was in my mid-20's, though I don't know where it is anymore. Possibly still in a journal somewhere... but I'm SURE I've completed ALL the items on that list. Ha ha. Yeah.

The bucket list on Susan Merrill's blog was a great start, though we've already done a couple of the things on that list! We had a fun dance night and we got up early and watched the sunrise. 

Mother and daughter

Anyway.... Here is my Mother-Daughter bucket list for posterity. I can't lose THIS one, because it's now going to be public! I'll be able to find it and no excuses! (Many of the items on the list below will also be on a Family Bucket List.) Obviously, some of these things are better for her at younger ages, and others are better when she's older... though some of these things can be done at any time. I'll leave it up to serendipity for when we do these things.

1. Develop a signature family recipe together
2. Get in the car and drive somewhere spontaneous
3. See a play together, on or off-Broadway - don't care, as long as we dress up for it!
4. Take a mother-daughter trip abroad, or at least, off-continent 
5. Bury a time capsule
6. Be guerrilla artists for a day
7. Work together in a shelter at Christmas time 
8. Go on a hike together along part of the Appalachian Trail and also a trail in Yosemite
9. Go on a day-long shopping trip to NYC
10. Do a photography day together, somewhere beautiful
11. Bake/make a fancy, decorated cake together for someone's birthday
12. Have a spa day together, or go out for massages
13. Plant a special garden together with our favorite plants & flowers
14. Redecorate her room 
15. Play in the rain together (she loves summer rain storms)
16. Collect seashells together on a tropical beach, and build a sand castle together
17. Visit an art museum
18. Visit a natural history museum
19. Take an art class together... pottery, glass-blowing, painting... whatever we decide
20. Make a journal book together... I can teach her a coptic stitch
21. Dress up and go out for a fancy French dinner together (something my best friend and I did on our birthdays when I lived in California!)
22. Do each others' nails and give each other facials (my mom and I used to do this when I lived in California)
23. See the monarch migration at one of their resting spots (Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz, CA, is one spot)
24. Do something my daughter has always wanted to do
25. Do something I have always wanted to do
26. Spend a winter afternoon looking at old photos and drinking hot chocolate or tea
27. Have a Q&A session, where she can ask me questions about my life before her, and answer all her questions truthfully
28. Go antiquing together in a cute little town
29. Cook a nice meal for the family together
30. Make paper dolls and their clothes together, like my mom & I used to do when I was little
31. Make mud pies in the backyard in spring time (something else my mom & I did when I was very young)
32. Explore a town together for a day
33. Learn something new together... whatever we decide
34. Spend an afternoon browsing a library
35. Lay on our backs under the night sky, and look for shooting stars
36. Ride on the carousel under the Eiffel Tower together
37. Wander the streets of Venice, Paris, or London together
38. Make a scrapbook together of all the activities we do!

Have you ever made a bucket list? Did you do any or all of the items on it? If you haven't done any yet, what's stopping you? 

Last Summer's Vacation - Cape May, New Jersey

Last summer, Keith's mom Diane treated us all to a lovely vacation home in Villas, NJ. On the way to the shore, we had to stop a few times so Elie could get out of the carseat. We learned at a little deli that Elie loved pickles!

The house itself was adorable and was walking distance to Cape May Bay, which we visited pretty much every day, just to see the tide rolling in and out. Once, while Elie napped at the house, watched by her family, Keith and I ventured out into the bay at low tide. THAT was a ridiculous adventure! We were up to our knees in the sand bog, creeped out with every step that we were going to encounter something in there...

There were horseshoe crabs all up and down the beach at any time of day... mostly in the mornings, though, after the tide had left them stranded. We helped a few back into the water when we could, but it was a losing battle.

The entrance to the bay

Riding bikes to the bay

Elie loved the beach! She put her toes into the sand for the first time at the bay, and didn't freak out!

First time she put her toes into the sand...

First time at the beach!

Yes, she wanted to eat the sand. Who wouldn't?

We kept her well covered in sunscreen at all times, and had a clever way to let her play in the water without getting clobbered by the waves...

Having fun under the shade of the umbrella

Diane, Keith and Elie at Sunset Beach

Elie bonded with her family on this trip... we were so happy she had the opportunity to do so. Life always seems to go by so quickly at home, and you might want to visit Nana with Elie, but then something comes up and the plans change. So on this trip, everyone got to feed and play with Elie, and she got more comfortable with everyone! It was really lovely.

Playing in the water with Nana

Napping in her baby tent

Getting changed for the beach and people-watching 

We also took her out and about, which she enjoyed. She always got a lot of attention wherever we would go.

Having lunch near the beach in Cape May proper

Having breakfast

At a crab shack

It was wonderful to have such a relaxing week with Elie and the family. We all got lots of beach time, and had fun sharing new wonders with Elie. This year will be even MORE fun, because she's so much more aware and curious about everything! She still puts most things into her mouth, but luckily, she now spits out what doesn't taste good. Ha ha.

Watching the tide rush up to her toes (last day)

Learning to drink water out of a water bottle

On the last day there, we went to the bay in the morning, meeting up with Vicky and her dog, Maggie. It was a nice, quiet morning to say goodbye before piling back into our cars to head back to reality. It seemed like Elie really soaked in the beach that morning...

Keith & Vicky

Relaxing in her stroller at the beach

We're all very excited to go again this year! I predict that it will be at least twice as fun for Elie, since she'll get to walk on her own, and knows the family so much better already. Also, she will be such a good little swimmer! We can at least take her into the ocean for a dip... though, with all the jellies that were in the water last year, maybe not! (Two of us got stung by jellies last summer!) We'll have to play it by ear, I suppose. If not, we'll still have our shower curtain swimming hole we can make for Elie like last year!