summer survival, and thrivable, part 3

We don't vacation much. Not for lack of desire, but more for lack of funds. unfortunately though, we happen to live in an area where vacationing happens and it happens big time. I think every one of Jonas' school buddies have been to Hawaii. Some multiple times. This causes problems for us in the Swanson household. Jonas and Hailey are always complaining the we don't do anything in the summer because we don't go to the fancy places.
Last year I put a stop to the insanity by making the "Swanson Family Things to do this summer" list.
It worked.
So we are repeating it this year.
(This year I found a cute idea to display it instead of the plain old poster board we used last year.)
the first day of summer we gathered together and everyone voiced their to do's.
Some this year are:

Play with the Batemans (best friends)
Make homemade ice cream
Go swimming
See Toy Story 3
Go to a water park
Go camping
Do happy hour at Sonic
See fireworks
Play at Ikea
Go to Thanksgiving Point
Go to the Zoo
Go to a splash park
Go hiking
Eat Rock Creek Pizza
Go to the BYU creamery
Visit church museum
Sign up for Library's summer reading program
Go to the skate park
Go to pet store
Get cooking lessons from mom
Play at a bounce house
Go to Wheeler Farm
Go to a farmers market

This works for us. When the kids go back to school and hear about the amazing vacations some of their friends went on, we can look to this list and say, "Well didn't we have fun at the splash park, and wasn't that homemade ice cream tasty, and didn't you just love Toy Story 3?
And they will slowly cease the complaints and smile at our memories.

At least that's how it went last year.

And there is always a small chance that my children will turn into ungrateful, spoiled rotten, little monsters.

But the chance is really small. Like 40% or something like that.

So we're good.