A Very Low-Key Summer Checklist

What’s on your summer checklist? Here are 10 low-key things I’m thinking of doing (and I’d love to hear yours)…

1. Lean into drinks o’clock. When visiting our relatives in England, we always gather for ‘drinks o’clock’ at 6 p.m. with friends, neighbors, and anyone else walking by. Back in Brooklyn, my kids and I often head to our stoop at that time, as a way to transition from workday to chill summer evening. These days, we like sipping Sprite and lingonberry, but even sparkling water does the trick.

2. Lie on the sofa and read magazines with the fan on. Especially New Yorker short stories, which are funny, moving, and spoooooky.

3. Play cards outside. Our beloved CoJ contributor Alex Ronan has played the card game Spite & Malice with her girlfriend infinity times, she told me. “I cannot express how many rounds we’ve played on trips, at bars, or on Sunday mornings with coffee, but I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it. The cadence of every game feels different. It’s the perfect two-player game.” Tonight Freddie and I are actually meeting Alex and Grace to learn the game — we’ll report back.

4. Take photos of your friends with their kids. Above is my friend Claire with her daughter at Toby’s baseball game. Moms in the pictures, always and forever 🙂

5. Watch a ’90s movie. We love watching ’90s movies on trips. They’re fun and familiar so you can chat and eat snacks while watching. A few to get you started: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Clueless, Fargo, Boyz n the Hood, The Firm, The Fugitive and Goodfellas.

6. Eat potato chips from a mug. This is my brother’s brilliant idea, so people around you won’t steal your chips. Otherwise sneaky hands come in from all directions.

7. Write an acrostic poem for a loved one. Okay, this might sound random, but hear me out, haha. My friend Liz once wrote acrostics for us when we went over for dinner, and I have never forgotten how beautiful it felt. Such a simple and personal gesture. I wrote one this year for Freddie’s birthday, and it was also fun to include inside jokes and nicknames. They’re not supposed to be perfect, just heartfelt 🙂

8. See some art in real life, if you feel so moved, like Amy Sherald at the Whitney (coming to D.C. in September) or the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The colors go well.

9. Treat yourself to some soft serve, like vanilla-chocolate twist.

10. Stay inside and don’t feel bad about it. As an anxious person who can’t always turn her brain off, this one is my favorite. My friend Sharon uses the term “catch-up days,” where everyone in the family needs a break, so you stay inside and do nothing at all. Maybe eat a bowl of cereal? Take a cold shower and see how many seconds you last? Just don’t do anything productive because that’s against the rules.

What’s on your list for summer? I’d love to hear. And here’s the best parenting advice I ever got.

P.S. Low-key summer checklists from 2019, 2022, and 2023. They all hold up!

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