Live List

We've been tackling our family "Live List." My sister introduced me to the concept of making a "Live List" which she read about on Kelly Jensen's blog. A Live List is kind of a bucket list of things we would like to do as a family for the season. I've become semi-obsessed with the idea. Having a visual list on the fridge is a constant reminder to make time for the fun stuff. I am a good planner, but have I always penciled in family adventures on our calendar? Our Live List ranges from activities to hikes, to parks, to new kinds of food to make/try. This list is a work in progress. No, we haven't finished everything on our Live List yet, but we've really enjoyed spending more time together doing things besides chores and housework. Below are 7 things we've done from our Live List:

LIVE LIST

• 1. Go to the Clark Planetarium in SLC.

Saturday, February 26, 2022

I'm proud to report that this year, my birthday request wasn't "alone time" which is all I wanted last year. Instead, I wanted to do something all together as a family. It seemed like many other people in Salt Lake County had the same idea to go to the Planetarium on a Saturday. It was extremely crowded. It's a free Planetarium and it seemed like the exhibits were geared more towards older kids. I'm not sure if I would go again, but we still had a nice time. The highlight was definitely the movie. James has asked a couple of times since we saw it when that movie is coming out, so we can watch it again. Andrew and I were the meanest parents ever because we didn't let the kids get something from the gift shop.

• 2. Try a new restaurant. I don't know that this should really count because Andrew and I have had this restaurant before, but the kids haven't. As part of my birthday celebration, I wanted to eat at "Crack Shack" in Salt Lake City.

Saturday, February 26, 2022

This time, I didn't get the spicy sandwich that I learned had a bit too much kick for me. Instead, I got a chicken sandwich with an egg and you better believe it will be my go-to order. Not too long after going to "Crack Shack," we learned that "Crack Shack" is opening a new location in Lehi which was music to my ears. I have plans to go there with a friend immediately when it opens.

• 3. Drop off a treat to Elder Ditto. 

The only picture I have of this is a picture of the mission office door. The first time we tried to drop off the snacks, the mission office was closed, so we came back another day. While we were at the store buying some of Elder Ditto's favorite snacks, a stranger stopped us and gave each of our kids a $1 bill to buy a treat with which they were pretty excited about.

• 4. Go swimming at the South Jordan Rec Center pool.

Saturday, March 12, 2022

Our kids love the water! They swim with floaties and cherish their independence in the pool. The lazy river, whirlpool, and slides keep them busy and wear them out. Walking to the car soaking wet in winter temperatures was shocking for the kids and me. Note to self, maybe we should bring a change of clothes next time. The kids are starting swimming lessons, and I'm hoping they'll be floatie-free soon. We have a pass to the rec center and should really utilize this excellent pool more often.

• 5. Send all the Ditto missionaries letters/cards.

March 21, 2022.

There are currently 5 missionaries serving in the Ditto family. For family home evening, we worked on cards/pictures for the missionaries. We sent mail to California, Colorado, Peru, Argentina, and Utah. We had James tell us what to write on each picture he drew and what he said to the missionaries was hilarious. Hopefully, the mail brightens their days.

• 6. Go to the Hogle Zoo.  

Friday, March 25, 2022

We've always liked and listened to the song, "Going to the Zoo." The week leading up to our zoo trip, we listened to this song on repeat and when it was finally time to go to the zoo, we had it blasting in the car. "We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo, how about you, you, you? You can come too, too, too, we're going to the zoo!" It's quite catchy and gets stuck in your head easily.

It was the perfect zoo day. The temperature was in the 70's and it was gorgeous! We arrived at the zoo right when it opened at 9:00am. Obviously, we rode the train and the carousel. There were so many animals to see! The monkeys were especially active and funny. The lions were right up close to us. The kids started roaring like lions at the exhibit (which you can kind of see in one of the pics) which cracked me up as well as some strangers nearby. The gorillas happened to be eating their breakfast and it was fascinating to watch them devour huge pieces of lettuce. The polar bear kept flipping and it felt like he was performing for us. We caught part of the Seals and Sea Lion Show and the kids got to see all sorts of tricks. We wanted our zoo day to be extra special and told the children they could pick out a stuffed animal. I thought they would pick a typical zoo animal such as a monkey, elephant, gorilla, giraffe, etc, but I was wrong. Both the kids picked snakes. James got a rattlesnake that makes noises when you shake it. You may notice the snakes in the first zoo pic above-- don't let the snakes fool you. They are not scarves. Apparently, when we looked at the snakes, they made quite an impression on the kids. This zoo day goes down as one of my favorites.

• 7. Have Grandma Langlois over for dinner. 

Sunday, March 27, 2022

We invited Grandma to join us for Sunday dinner. As per usual, Grandma brought the kids a plethora of treats. We asked Jess and Chris and my mom to join too. Grandma was able to meet baby George. Grandma didn't stay long and frantically dashed home to watch the Oscars. (Poor planning on my part. I've never watched the Oscars and checking when that aired didn't cross my mind.) Izzy got to hold George and it was the sweetest! James was heartbroken he couldn't hold George (Stupid cough). 

A lot of the activities on our Live List are free for the kids because they completed reading logs through PBS kids and in return got several free passes to museums, etc. (James got in free to the zoo, and the movie at the planetarium was also free.) I can't wait to get to more items on our Live List like the Living Room hike, the Alpine Slide, ice-skating, bowling at BYU with a necessary stop at the creamery after, and more. There is so much to live for year-round. After talking to my sister, I learned 3 upcoming things on her Live List are: Go to a daffodil festival, go to a baseball game, and start a clothesline. No matter where you are, or what season it is, making a Live List can help you realize what your area has to offer year-round, even during your least favorite season (Take that, winter). What's on your LIVE list?