When I list everything that took place in July, it’s almost hard to believe it all happened in the same 31-day period. But, for posterity and sheer incredulity, here goes: We road tripped to Michigan for a week. Annie celebrated her fifth birthday with a family dinner and a friend playground party. We hosted family. We prepped June for two weeks of sleepaway camp and dropped her off and picked her up (which takes an overnight stay on each end). We hosted a kindergarten ice cream social for our neighborhood. We celebrated John’s birthday. We finished the swim team season with two final meets and a banquet. We pulled off an Amazing Race-style birthday party for Shep. We hosted our niece and nephew for a week of Cousin Camp.

And that is just the major *events* — not to mention the out-of-the-ordinary projects I also worked on this month, like prepping my message for the Island Sunday service and packing for Maine.

On this side of the calendar, I don’t really have any big takeaways. Do I wish all of those things had been crammed into one month? Not really. Was I tired and overwhelmed at points? Yes. But they are all things we chose, and I never felt alone in the action: we were accompanied along the way by friends, family, and neighbors. So mostly, I’m feeling grateful — but also ready for a bit of a quieter August :)

On my calendar:
— A week in Maine! My happiest place.
— All the back-to-school things, including a special family dinner, a TTT, and shopping + conversation dates.
— The first day of school! The last year of elementary for June and the first year for Annie, with Shep squeezed in the middle and starting second grade.

What I’m loving right now:
— While the ubiquitous Lulu was my intro to belt bags, I eventually wanted an elevated version for less-sporty adventures. Copying one of my most stylish friends, Adelyn, made the decision easy: this leopard-print Rivedroite bag. I was delighted when one of my favorite international readers commented with approving surprise that I was sporting such a niche European brand :)
— Longtime readers may remember a favorite serial audio story, On the Night Train, that my kids have now listened to several times over. We just discovered something similar — Welcome to Hope Springs — and listened to the first season on our drive to Michigan. Wanted to pass it along in case your family has a road trip in its future!
— For your own listening pleasure, I’ll offer up another episode from Tim Mackie’s Exploring My Strange Bible podcast: A Future for My Work. As always, he gave me new ideas to chew on and a fresh perspective.

As a reminder, you can find allll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!

What you’re loving right now:

This is where I highlight a few items here that have been popular in the last month with fellow readers, based on my analytics. Here’s hoping this will help you find something you’ll love!

— June’s lookalike Lake pajama set. So cute, soft, and a great price.
— Our board game of the summer that’s genuinely as enjoyable with two players as it is with four.
— The reasonably-priced taper candles I’ve ordered in so many colors for dinner party decor.
— My giant sun hat, because we all know skincare won’t go too far without physical sun protection.
— This smocked tank dress, my big purchase from the spring that’s still going strong. Even though I opted for a bolder pattern, it has seen SO much wear – the silhouette is just so easy to pull on and feels like the right choice for occasions both casual and fancy. The other versions, too! Red gingham and pale yellow

Last month on The Connected Family:
— In praise of the non-optimized vacation | Here we are, together, again.
— You don’t have to go to Europe | You can, but you don’t have to.
— The best gift you can give your siblings | On negative externalities and cousin crews
— How to be present on vacation | Technology makes it harder than it should be.

What I read in July:
— Fellowship Point | From the description, this book was right up my alley: “A story of lifelong friendship between two very different women with shared histories, divisive loyalties, hidden sorrows, and eighty years of summers on a pristine point of land on the coast of Maine.” It was a bit of a doorstop, and while I don’t mind a lengthy book, I didn’t think this one earned its girth. I didn’t love either of the main characters and the writing wasn’t my cup of tea.
— The Screwtape Letters | This was a re-read after many years; I was struck again how relevant Lewis’s writing remains 80 years later. If you haven’t read this one yet, you should — it’s short, engaging (the perspective — letters from a demon to his nephew, with advice for tempting humans away from God — keeps you on your toes), and both funny and serious. I’ve added it to the list of books I want our kids to read before they leave our home.
— Teatime Discipleship | While I picked this up hoping it would have insight into discipling one’s own kids (and it does!), I left encouraged to engage people in all sorts of relationships. Sally’s writing is like a warm, grace-filled hug, and this book is no different.

My reading list for 2026! I’m 11 / 24 so far.

Revisiting my July goals:
Hang backyard string lights and Annie’s curtains (We hung the string lights in 96 degree heat but we got it done!! Curtains still pending.)
Execute Annie and Shep’s birthday parties
Edit June in June
Tend to this month’s clutter spot: the attic
Host the neighborhood kindergarten ice cream social
Host and enjoy Cousin Camp
Finish writing my Sunday service message
Celebrate all of our July birthday folks well, both in our immediate and extended family

August goals:
— Edit June in June
— Finalize new chore charts for the new school year
— Schedule and enjoy back-to-school shopping dates with all three kids
— Tend to this month’s clutter spot: the second-floor bookshelf

As a reminder, many of these are drawn from my 2026 PowerSheets goals!

Let’s see… what does back to school look like for you this year? Do you have kids who’ve already started back, or are you the end of the month like us? Or are you just feeling that fresh-start season for yourself? I’d love to hear!

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