Hey everyone! This week we are linking up with Sunflower Schoolhouse and several other great bloggers to talk about Summer Bucket Lists!

The whole idea of a summer bucket list is new to me. It’s something I’ve seen as I’ve browsed pinterest, and I’ve been intrigued. However, I honestly found some of the lists overwhelming. One more thing to feel like I wasn’t doing quite well enough. Anyone hear me? So I was conflicted about whether to participate in this week. At the same time, I want to live this year intentionally. I don’t want this summer to slip away from me like so many have. My children only have so many summers in their childhood, after all!

After thinking and praying about what I should put on our list (that would work in the over 100 degree whether we’ve been having!), and what I should share today, one idea in particular kept coming back to me. Tent Tuesday.

Tent Tuesday has been born out of three different areas that I’ve been concerned about.

We love to read here. But “just for fun” reading is typically squeezed in at bedtime, and if we are busy, even that often gets bumped out in favor of the kids getting the sleep they need. I’ve been thinking about the need to have a day where we just catch up on reading.

Then I started seeing these ideas for tents and forts on pinterest, and I loved them! I really do want to create a hideaway like this one for my munchkins. But even before I get that done, I can fashion a tent or fort out of blankets or sheets, something my kids are always asking me to do. All to often they are met with “A little later” or “Not right now.”

I’ve also been convicted that my kids need more of me. Yes, we homeschool and I stay-at-home, and we are in the same physical space almost 24/7, 365 days of the year. But I am often distracted by my cleaning, cooking, blogging, schooling, or just plain distracted! Since my girls got older and my kids play so well together, it’s been easy to stop playing with my children. We’ve also resorted to way to much tv time.

So what do all those pieces have to do with each other, and what is Tent Tuesday?

Tent Tuesday is going to start tomorrow here, and I hope to make it a regular occurrence, at least through the summer.

• Build a “tent” somewhere cozy and throw in whatever we need to make it comfy.
• Read whatever my kids want to read all day long. Playing is okay too!
• No electronics. That means no tv, no blogging or e-mail, and no chats on the cell phone.

Will the whole day be perfect magic? I’m sure it won’t! I’ll probably still get irritated. They will probably bicker. Diapers will need to be changed. But in the midst of the craziness of real life, I hope my children will get the message that they are so very important to me, and I hope that sweet memories will be made that will last a lifetime.

Check back tomorrow night to see pictures of our first Tent Tuesday and hear how it went!

Do you have a Summer Bucket List? What’s on it?

Be sure to check out the other great posts at the blogs below!

Honey @ Sunflower Schoolhouse

Joy @  My Home In The Smokies

Tonya @ The Traveling Praters

Tara @ Feels Like Home Blog

Lisa @ Creativlei

Nancy @ Proverbs 31 Jewels

Jennifer @ Teaching Boys

Kelli @ Adventurez In Child’rearing