Photo by Mets on Unsplash

The kitchen remodel is done (“done” as in, the contractors are finished with their job, now I get to clean everything and put all our kitchen stuff away)—just in time for summer! And you know what that means: Months of searing heat and stifling humidity…summer fun.

Longtime readers know Florida summer isn’t my favorite. Since summer isn’t easy for me to enjoy, it’s probably more important for me to plan summer fun than any other season. I’ve made a summer fun list every year for probably a decade—maybe more! (Here are lists from 2016 and 2022.)

What do you want the season to feel like?

When planning my summer, I thought about author Gretchen Rubin’s question, “What do you want the season to feel like?”

Mostly, I want it to feel relaxed. Summer for me, probably for most of us in the Northern Hemisphere, is not a time to make grand plans and press forward aggressively. It’s a time to slow down, savor longer days and more sunshine, retreat from the heat with cool drinks and seasonal treats (for me, that’s summer fruit and homemade ice cream).

As Rubin writes, “…it’s up to us to make the most out of summer. A little intention goes a long way: a theme, a list of things you want to read and do and try, a sense of what you want the season to feel like.”

My summer fun list isn’t very exciting and doesn’t contain much that is new and different—it’s more a return to the tried-and-true summer pleasures I typically enjoy. But it feels right for the summer of 2026.

My summer 2026 fun list

1. Host my husband’s office mates for an open house. He changed jobs about a year and half ago, and he wants to invite his lovely new coworkers over to see our home and all the remodeling work we’ve done on it.
2. Visit family and friends on the West Coast. It’s been far too long since I made the cross-continent trip. (Sounds quite adventurous when described that way!)
3. See a couple of movies at the theater—my husband and I both want to see Disclosure Day and The Odyssey. 
4. Do at least one jigsaw puzzle (I’m starting this one as soon as I get my kitchen put back together). 
5. Continue making inroads in my unread shelf (separate summer reading list to come).
6. Enjoy our community pool.
7. Make key lime pie ice cream. This keeps appearing on my summer fun lists—maybe this is the year!
8. Get together with friends as often as possible.
9. Stay at the beach for a weekend.
10. Update parts of my wardrobe—I need some new “goin’ out” clothes and new shoes.
11. Continue and expand sketching and art journaling practices.
12. See if my right arm tendinitis will allow me to play pickleball. It looks so fun, but I had to give up tennis many years ago due to tendinitis problems and I still have issues with my entire right arm—wrist, forearm, and shoulder.
13. Experiment with some new recipes in a relaxed and curious manner. I don’t love to cook, but I also don’t hate it when it’s not a daily responsibility, if you know what I mean.

Mainly I want to slow down and enjoy my newfound freedom. Remember what fun is and how to have it. To take my time over my responsibilities instead of hurrying through them to get to the next thing. With our renovations behind me, I *should* be able to settle into our new home more fully, and enjoy the freedom of less space to maintain. I want to sit in our reading room with a book and a cold drink and decompress. 

Whether you love summer or hate it, a little advance planning can make it a season to savor and remember. I hope the summer of 2026 is your best one yet!

What are you planning this summer?

If you need inspiration for your summer plans, several of my favorite online creators have shared their summer fun plans and planning tips, including:

Laura Vanderkam: “The 2026 Summer Fun List” 

Gretchen Rubin: “How to Design Your Summer” 

Sarah Hart-Unger: “Plan Your Summer With Me!”