{"id":95931,"date":"2025-06-17T04:25:58","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T04:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/17\/a-very-low-key-summer-checklist\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T04:25:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T04:25:58","slug":"a-very-low-key-summer-checklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/17\/a-very-low-key-summer-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"A Very Low-Key Summer Checklist"},"content":{"rendered":"


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What\u2019s on your summer checklist? Here are 10 low-key things I\u2019m thinking of doing (and I\u2019d love to hear yours)\u2026<\/p>\n

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1. Lean into drinks o\u2019clock.<\/strong> When visiting our relatives in England<\/a>, we always gather for \u2018drinks o\u2019clock\u2019 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<\/a>, but even sparkling water does the trick.<\/p>\n

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2. Lie on the sofa and read magazines<\/strong> with the fan on. Especially New Yorker short stories<\/a>, which are funny, moving, and spoooooky.<\/p>\n

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3. Play cards outside.<\/strong> Our beloved CoJ contributor Alex Ronan<\/a> has played the card game Spite & Malice with her girlfriend infinity times, she told me. \u201cI cannot express how many rounds we\u2019ve played on trips, at bars, or on Sunday mornings with coffee, but I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll ever get tired of it. The cadence of every game feels different. It\u2019s the perfect two-player game.\u201d Tonight Freddie<\/a> and I are actually meeting Alex and Grace to learn the game \u2014 we\u2019ll report back.<\/p>\n

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4. Take photos of your friends with their kids.<\/strong> Above is my friend Claire with her daughter at Toby\u2019s baseball game. Moms in the pictures<\/a>, always and forever \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

5. Watch a \u201990s movie.<\/strong> We love watching \u201990s movies on trips<\/a>. They\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n

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6. Eat potato chips from a mug.<\/strong> This is my brother\u2019s brilliant idea, so people around you won\u2019t steal your chips. Otherwise sneaky hands come in from all directions.<\/p>\n

7. Write an acrostic poem for a loved one.<\/strong> Okay, this might sound random, but hear me out, haha. My friend Liz once wrote acrostics<\/a> 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\u2019s birthday, and it was also fun to include inside jokes and nicknames. They\u2019re not supposed to be perfect, just heartfelt \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

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

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9. Treat yourself to some soft serve<\/strong>, like vanilla-chocolate twist.<\/p>\n

10. Stay inside and don\u2019t feel bad about it.<\/strong> As an anxious person who can\u2019t always turn her brain off, this one is my favorite. My friend Sharon<\/a> uses the term \u201ccatch-up days,\u201d 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\u2019t do anything productive because that\u2019s against the rules.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s on your list for summer? I\u2019d love to hear. And here\u2019s the best parenting advice I ever got<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

P.S. Low-key summer checklists from 2019<\/a>, 2022<\/a>, and 2023<\/a>. They all hold up!<\/p>\n

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