The summer goes by so quickly - and it’s our favorite season of the year so every year, we make sure and jam pack everything that we want to do into the summer months. We use a ‘bucket list’ to make sure that we get everything done that we wanted to and get all of the things that we wanted to see and do, done.

It’s a great way to sit down together and talk with the kids about some of the things that they want to do this year. You can fill with simple things like discovering new parks, or if your kids have been hit with the road trip bug it might look a little like ours and include weekends spent in the mountains and a trip to North Dakota. Olivia wanted to have a lemonade stand, and I took the opportunity to teach her about giving back, once again, and using the money earned from the Lemonade stand to help someone. She was interested in the fact that she could pick anyone that she wanted to help. I gave her a few options, and she is still talking about ‘who she is going to help’.

Plus, the summer bucket list can remind you to do things like check passports and make sure that everyone is ready for a road trip across the border.

Since last year and the adventures we had during the summer months, Olivia has been quite vocal about the things that she wants to do this summer. From going to a concert outdoors to going camping three times, she’s got a few things that she wants to do - and we’ve got a few of our own ideas, that we’ve added to the summer bucket list for 2014.

Getting everything on the list done though, can be expensive. Finding ways to cut the cost like taking advantage of free activities like Discovery Canyon (or low cost for tube rental if you don’t bring your own) and using points like Aeroplan Canada to book hotels and tickets while on the road can help to cut the costs and bringing your own snacks on road trips helps to keep the experience high, and the cost low while you’re getting the most from your summer.