Emily and Jeff Uelmen have solved the mystery of keeping their family busy during the summer. Each year, they create a bucket list with upward of 200 activities to take part in with their four kids, Peyton, 11, Greyson, 9, and twins Gabe and Reed, 5.
A Family Affair
The bucket list began as much as a way to get the family to spend time together as a way to keep everyone busy. “I’m very close with my siblings, and I want my kids to be close with each other, too,” Emily says.
Over pizza at a restaurant in Wayzata, the family shows off their personalities. Emily is energetic and full of life, the clear leader of the togetherness that’s stemmed from the bucket list. Jeff is calm and supportive, keeping the kids in line—as much as four bright youngsters can be kept in line during a family dinner. Peyton is the classic older sister, giving the occasional eye-roll to her three younger brothers.
“One summer, we were supposed to read 25 books,” she says in a way that only an 11-year-old can dismiss the idea of reading during the summer (needless to say, those books were never read).
The twins bounce up and down in their chairs, doubling the energy of one 5-year-old as they try to snatch an iPad from big brother Grayson’s hands. Grayson glances up a few times from his game to talk about skateboarding and the like, but is more interested in his iPad.
Sitting with them as a group, it’s easy to see why the bucket list works for the Uelmens. They’re a close-knit family, one that loves being together.
The List
The bucket list started informally, with each child coming up with things they wanted to do during the summer. Over the past few years, it has morphed into the giant, categorized list that it is today. “I can honestly say my kids have never been bored,” Emily says. “And I don’t want to be bored either.”
The first iteration of the list included things like Valleyfair and other, more expensive activities around the Twin Cities. Jeff and Emily steered the kids in other directions, trying to push them toward new experiences. “It’s partially about opening their eyes to what the Twin Cities has to offer,” Jeff says.
List Evolution
As the family came up with more ideas, Emily decided to create categories to keep the list in order. The list of categories is huge, and includes experiments, family days, food fun and much more. A “best of” category (an idea that came partially from this very magazine) has become a family favorite. They will choose one or more categories to explore the best of, like best swimming pools or ice cream shops.
Before summer begins, the family sits down and makes the list together. Most of the ideas still come from the kids, although Emily also crowdsources from Pinterest and Facebook. She will often post on her Facebook page seeking suggestions, or her friends will come to her page for ideas for their own family.
In that way, the bucket list has expanded beyond the Uelmens. The kids’ friends join in many of the activities, including a yearly shaving cream party. Every summer, Jeff and Emily buy bottles of shaving cream for the kids to play with in the backyard, complete with a giant tarp slip and slide. (Last year they had to collect 300 bottles of shaving cream, and around 50 kids showed up to the party.)
“We’ve kind of become the fun house,” Jeff says. “All the kids’ friends want to tag along.”
As the summer winds down, and the giant list begins to dwindle, the Uelmens’ competitive nature kicks in. They refuse to let the summer slip away without completing the whole list (minus, perhaps, some of the educational items the kids roll their eyes at).
“We always have a mad dash at the end of the summer to get everything done,” Emily says. “We might have to do 12 things one day to complete our list.”
Once the kids are back in school, the family still spends time together in the “off-season”—but though they work smaller bucket lists into their busier schedules, they all dream about next summer’s extravaganza.
The Uelmen Family’s All-Time Favorite Activities
Shaving cream partyHomework-burning party on the first night of summerRiding a six-person bicycle
Running 5k races as a family
Picking blueberries with Grandma
Bucket List Categories:
Best of
Silly Things
Challenges
Places to Go
Experiments
Things to Do
Family Days
Helping Others
Things to Make/Build
Let’s Be Active
Find Time to Learn
Food Fun
Animal Find
Each Family Member’s Favorite Activity:
Emily: Shaving cream party and “Best of” series
Jeff: Exploring the bays and islands on Lake Minnetonka
Peyton: Best city poolsGrayson: Best local skate parks and waterskiing, tubing and wakeboarding
Reed: Planting a garden and using the crops
Gabe: Biking to Wayzata (12.5 miles) for ice cream
