While it would be a delight to completely finish each monthly goal, it’s not always possible. Some goals I don’t even touch, while for others, I make progress, but don’t quite close the loop. Such was the case with an item from my July goals: tackling the master closet. I wrote in my August goal update that John and I made great progress but weren’t quite done, and though I didn’t officially list it as an August goal, I’m thrilled to say that this month we went through every shoe, hanging item of clothing, shelf, and drawer in our closet and bedroom. We kept only what we love and made sure it all has a neat and organized home (with the help of two of these to corral our drawers). What a sense of accomplishment!!
One other thing to mention here at the top: behind the scenes, I am preparing a new series for September and October. In the last two years, we’ve tackled blogging and working part-time as a mom when the leaves start to change – it seems fall brings with it the energy to dive into some meatier topics! This next topic is one I feel passionately about discussing and also that I know needs to be addressed with great care – because when it is talked about online, it’s generally in the most tribal and discouraging way. As I’ve been prepping, I have been continually thankful that you trust me to lead conversations like this. I do not take it for granted.
Something fun: in this series you will be hearing not just from me, but from a few trusted, real-life friends, as well. For those who were around for the popular Marvelous Mama series of a few years back, I hope this gets you excited :)
Because it’s always interesting and helpful to see your guesses, feel free to take a stab in the comments as to what our fall topic is this year! I hope to publish the first post on Tuesday.
This is not a glamorous picture, but I snapped it because it’s an accurate representation of what my quick + potent planning session looks like every Sunday. PowerSheets with monthly calendar, weekly notepad, laptop, blog planning clipboard, lots of markers :)
On my calendar: — Our anniversary trip to Charleston! It will be much shorter and simpler than last year’s ten-year celebration in Mexico, but we are SO looking forward to it. — Our annual camping trip with the Rays! We are headed to a lakeside campsite in Virginia and they are bringing their boat! — The first day of fall! We’ll bake apple cider scones for our family and June’s teachers, a tradition we started seven years ago.
What I’m loving right now: — Grab your tissues – “At the Table” by Josh Garrels is a beautiful tearjerker that will get you right in the feels if you’re a parent. Hurts so good. — This podcast episode is basically the story of my life. Like everything from Morgan Housel, it packs a punch in an efficient package – here, in less than 15 minutes. — June requested more daffodils and tulips in our yard, so I ordered this mix of butterfly daffodils and this mix of tulips. I love that they ship at the right time for planting in your garden zone!
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:
New segment alert! I thought it could be fun to highlight a few items here that have been popular in the last month with fellow readers, based on my analytics. Maybe this will help you find something you’ll love!
What I read in August: — As You Wish | Even though I would classify myself as just a fan (and not a super-fan) of The Princess Bride, this book was a delight! Written by the author who played Wesley, it includes tons of behind-the-scenes details from the making of the movie as well as commentary from the all-star cast. A fun summer read! — Raising Emotionally Strong Boys | I liked but did not love this book. While I adore David and Sissy, it didn’t feel like this book pulled out much more than they talk about in the RB&G podcast. — Red Rising | I first read this book in 2014, then again in 2017, but when my sister was reading it for the first time on vacation, I couldn’t resist pulling it back out. Described as a cross between The Hunger Games and Ender’s Game, it’s also wholly its own distinct world that will grip you from the start. — The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden | June and I continue our parallel reading of this series :) Just the sweetest!
My reading list for 2023!I’m 19 / 24 so far for the year, which is officially more than I’ve ever completed in one of these challenges!!
Revisiting my August goals: Make plans for our anniversary trip to Charleston (We sadly didn’t get a reservation for FIG, but are otherwise set.) Clean out the art basket and clean off the top of my white dresser (Done! Just in time to start accumulating with the new school year :)) Buy bins for each kids’ mementos and artwork and sort items from the current joint box into them (Done! More details here.) Tackle the pantry Edit June in June, Volume 8
September goals: — Work out 3 hours each week (I just listened to this podcast episode and feel motivated to experiment this month… we’ll see how it goes!) — Tackle the garage — Film Sheptember — Make our 2015-2019 photo album — Write and design the Articles Club guide — Book a fall family photo session — Share the first half of the new blog series
As a reminder, many of these are drawn from my 2023 goals!
Happy almost-fall, friends! Feel free to comment on the new series topic or anything else on your mind!
We learn, and then we learn, and then we learn some more :) That’s a bit what this summer has felt like at the intersection of my goals and family life. Thus far (two summers in!) this off-from-school season has been a learning curve each time – summers just don’t seem to be “set it and forget it” with growing kids. But that’s okay! This is when it’s really nice to be clear on the big picture – what matters and what doesn’t – instead of just clear on my goals for any one month.
So though I didn’t much make a dent in my goals for July, here are a few things that did happen:
completed projects at work a week in Connecticut and a week in Maine after-dinner pool trips watching Hijack and Never Have I Ever with John playdates a trip to the Museum with friends hosting my niece and nephew for a week of cousin camp reading dozens of board books and a chapter of the Penderwicks each night trips to the grocery store, one kid in tow each time rounds of Dutch Blitz and Cribbage lingering after piano lessons to play with friends allergy testing (and soft-serve afterward) a long weekend with my parents a trip to the Eno River caring for a succession of sick kids volunteering at neighborhood swim meets a weekly dinner with our church small group
…and more. And when you put it like that, this month does sound like a success :)
On my calendar: — A train trip to Greensboro for the day with friends. We are directly lifting Kristin’s itinerary, including visiting the children’s museum! — Visiting John’s parents for the first time at their home in Virginia. A new era in our family! — The first day of school and our back-to-school dinner.
What I’m loving right now: — I actually feel I need to apologize for not mentioning these sooner, but if you’re smaller-chested, I CANNOT recommend them enough. I had seen them recommended for years but never took the plunge because they seemed vaguely complicated, but nothing could be farther from the truth. They’ve made wearing sleeveless and skinny-strap dresses an absolute breeze this summer and are FAR better than a strapless bra, IMHO! Go for it!! — Not a strapless dress, but this striped number has been a staple this summer. The sage green color and style are perfection. Size down! — I was nodding right along with this piece in The Atlantic about the reasons so many people have stopped going to church in the last 25 years. Made me grateful to be a part of a church that’s committed to living differently – and caring for people differently – than most in modern American life.
As a reminder, you can find allll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!
What I read in July: — This Time Tomorrow | I really loved this one – it includes time travel, but really it’s a daughter’s love letter to her father (which pulled at all my heartstrings). — Little Earthquakes | The memoir of one of my sister-in-law’s best friends, who was diagnosed with stage four cancer as a young mom. Sarah has an incredible story, though knowing her personally made this an especially bittersweet read. — The Lincoln Highway | One of my favorite reads of the year! I *almost* put it on my reading list for 2023, but I’m so glad I made time for it even though I didn’t. Memorable characters, excellent writing – a true journey you won’t soon forget. (I liked this better than A Gentleman in Moscow, for those who have read both!) — Piranesi | This book is weird yet charming. A short read, it’s the story – the journal – of Piranesi, a strange fellow living in a massive stone ruin surrounded by the sea. He’s mostly alone, with the exception of his biweekly meetings with The Other, who is seeking A Great and Secret Knowledge. Though trusting, Piranesi begins to question his home and life after strange events begin happening… and the story continues from there :) — The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street | LOVE! June read this chapter book on her own and then passed it to me, insisting I must read it, too. I did, and fell just as much in love with the Vanderbeekers as she did. Heartwarming and fun, it’s an almost perfect pick for any young readers in your house who love the Penderwicks.
My reading list for 2023!Even though not one of my July books was on my list, I’m 17 / 24 so far for the year.
Revisiting my July goals: Update our budget tracking (I made the tiniest dent in this, but it will be largely moving to September.) Finish organizing the second half of our 2021 photos (Nope.) Edit June in June (I chose a song and did the prep work but have not edited yet!) Tackle our master closet (John and I actually made really good progress on this! I’m not checking this off because I’d say we’re only half done, but I’m thrilled we got as far as we did.)
August goals: — Make plans for our anniversary trip to Charleston — Clean out the art bin and clean off the top of my white dresser, both of which still have clutter from the last school year (eep!) — Buy bins for each kids’ mementos and artwork and sort items from the current joint box into them — Tackle the pantry — Edit June in June, Volume 8
As a reminder, many of these are drawn from my 2023 goals!
I hope you get to enjoy some of the sweet fruits of late summer (literal and metaphorical) this month, friends! Feel free to comment on anything above or anything else that’s on your mind :)
Whew! A late-breaking monthly goals post if there ever was one, but that’s summer for you, I suppose :) It feels appropriate, because I’m keeping things super simple this month, goal-wise. I have so enjoyed having June as my buddy this summer that I want to keep my schedule as loose as possible to give us time and space for fun when I’m not working. Resisting the urge to pack in projects will hopefully give me that space, and leave me room to post here in the time I do have.
And even still, I might not get to all these goals – and that’s okay. To whit: I had planned to knock out a big chunk of budget updating after I finished work on Tuesday. But when June asked me to teach her how to play Dutch Blitz, I said yes. That “yes” felt hard for a moment – it’s always hard to reset your expectations – but I thought multiple times that evening about how happy I was that I had accepted her invitation. I can’t always say yes, but I never regret it when I do. That’s less of a huge life lesson and more of a bolstering reminder to myself to keep making the small decisions that add up to the life I’ll be thankful and happy I lived.
We stopped in DC to break up our road trip home from New England. It was a hot morning to walk the monuments and memorials, and the World War II Memorial was a welcome respite!
On my calendar: — Shep is a guy that enjoys a birthday party, and this year we’re throwing him a joint effort with his best friend for even more fun (splitting the difference of their birthdays, which are about a month apart). The forecast is for 97 degrees for our playground fete…
What I’m loving right now: — My sister wore these white linen pants in Maine and looked so very chic and comfy that I promptly ordered a pair. Size down! — Speaking of clothes, I am seriously loving the ongoing clothing swap my friend Bethany and I have orchestrated. We’re a similar size, and every month or so, we choose 3-5 items from our closet to loan the other. Think Rent the Runway, but the free friend version :) It is SO fun to have new pieces to try and I love that we can inject novelty into our wardrobes without buying anything new! — We had dinner with a dear high school and college friend while we were in Connecticut (shout out to Jackie!). She’s a devoted reader of EFM, and told me that Shep and her son have the same goggles because she bought them after reading about them here. The elastic-band style cinch makes them so easy to tighten and so unlikely to snag hair – we have (both) loved them this summer! Wanted to give them another mention in case you’re in the market.
As a reminder, you can find allll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!
What I read in June: — Lessons in Chemistry | Talk about an unpopular opinion – but this book wasn’t for me. Yes, it’s gotten huge praise from just about every outlet (I think it was Amazon’s 2022 best book of the year?). Yes, I was incredibly impressed that this is the author’s debut novel. Yes, I thought the plotting and storytelling was clever. I loved the dog. But I found most of the other characters somewhat annoying rather than quirky, the novel as a whole depressing rather than uplifting, and ultimately, I found it to be mean-spirited and one-sided toward the idea of faith. Listen – I read plenty of books written by atheists or with characters who are atheist. But this was a book where faith was a theme woven throughout, and there was not one character or moment that showed faith or religion in a positive light nor one character that portrayed a genuine faith – in fact, it seemed the author went out of her way to skewer faith and religion at every turn. While that is absolutely the author’s prerogative, to me it seemed a simplistic, disappointing, and reductive narrative. For those who’ve read it, I welcome your thoughts in the comments :) — The Gospel Comes With a House Key | I have several friends who love this book… but my feelings are more complicated. Eep! The author repeats over and over that she practices “radically ordinary hospitality,” and her vision for how we are to use our time, belongings, and emotional resources truly is radical. Beautiful and God-honoring, but radical. (And frankly, it makes my goal no. 5 for this year sound embarrassing.) And that made it a hard read for me! It doesn’t mean she’s wrong, but it is hard. It also was literally not the easiest read – though it gave me a lot to chew on, I think if it had been laid out a bit more logically, and written in less of a circuitous, fluid manner, I might have had more takeaways from it. Whew! — Hello Beautiful | If you loved The Dutch House, I think you’ll love this book. The characters feel very real, and even though I sensed where the plot was going early (and resisted it, at first), the author won me over and I was satisfied with where it ended. I do think I missed some of the layers of meaning because I haven’t read Little Women (!), but I still enjoyed it.
Revisiting my June goals: Settle into our summer rhythm (Yes! Each week has been a new adventure, but I’m pleased with how it’s going so far.) Film June in June (Done!) Paint our master bath cabinets (Done! Waiting on cabinet knobs to arrive and I can’t WAIT to see them all put back together.) Clean out June’s room (She and I have made great progress and probably have one more session to go.) Plan thoughtfully for our time in Connecticut and Maine (Yes, and I do think it made a difference.) Complete final prep for and enjoy the book swap (It was a delight!) Update our budget tracking (No – moving to July)
July goals: — Update our budget tracking — Finish organizing the second half of our 2021 photos — Edit June in June — Tackle our master closet (Nervous about this one! Will be tougher than some of the other spaces.)
I hope you’re having a wonderful July so far, friends! Feel free to comment on anything I mentioned or whatever else is on your mind :)
This post is already excessively long, so I’ll keep the intro short :) Here at the midpoint of the year, it’s become customary to share an update on my PowerSheets goals. Pausing and reflecting like this really does help me to appreciate how my little efforts have added up over time, and with ten goals on the docket for 2023, there’s a lot to cover! (And plenty of ups and downs.) Without further ado…
LEARN SOMETHING NEW
Goal no. 1: Create a book for the first 10 years of EFM Progress I’ve made: Let’s just start out with a real humbling update, shall we? To put it bluntly, there is very little progress to report. I did download the Blurb software and format a past post into a sample layout… and then I got paralyzed by how long one post took and how overwhelming of a project this could be and set the whole idea aside in despair. It feels like perhaps there’s a shortcut I don’t know about (my layout skills are pretty minimal!), but I also could believe I would just have to plug away at the hundreds of posts in my archive one by one. I feel disappointed and frustrated, because I really want this to happen, but the idea of spending 100+ hours to bring it to completion feels daunting. The next six months: I think my next step will be to challenge myself to complete five or ten posts in one sitting to see if I get quicker as I go along – then I can make a plan from there!
Goal no. 2: Tend to our home trouble spots in a new way Progress I’ve made: Things are looking up :) I’ve worked steadily through each month’s area, shuffling the original list as needed based on our family’s needs. So far, I’ve tackled my desk/command center, the upstairs linen closet, our coat closet, our master bathroom cabinets, and our upstairs loft. As funny as it might sound, one thing that has helped motivate me is to take a photo or a time-lapse video of my progress. Whether you share them with anyone or not, they’re fun to see! The next six months: June’s closet, our master closet, and the downstairs linen closet are the next three on my list.
Goal no. 3: Read through the Gospels with CWM’s boxed collection Progress I’ve made: I’ve made very little progress on on this goal as originally framed, but I do feel I’ve made progress on the heart behind the goal, which is to spend time in scripture. Most notably, John and I have been working our way through The Bible Project’s 14-hour From Adam to Noah class, and it’s been really fun to do together! I take notes as we watch :) The next six months: I plan to finish the class!
Goal no. 4: Secret goal Progress I’ve made: My initial plan was to spent 2-3 hours each week chipping away at this with some of my additional time away from work. I very much did not do this in the first half of the year – something else always seemed to be a higher priority – but I did continuously add thoughts and ideas to a doc. The next six months: A few weeks ago I actually did set a timer and spend one hour of focused work on this, and it was amazing how much I got done. With a looser summer schedule I’m giving myself grace until June is back in school, but at that point, John has agreed to hold me accountable to “pay myself first” and commit to this project for one hour twice a week.
DO SOMETHING KIND
Goal no. 5: Invite one family (or friend) over for dinner each month Progress I’ve made: Between COVID and a newish baby, we had gotten completely out of the habit of inviting other families into our home. I set this goal as accountability to change that, and it’s been very successful! So far we’ve had two families from church over, some old friends, a really old friend, and some newer friends. And one month we went out to dinner with friends, which was not exactly the letter of the goal, but very much the spirit. The next six months: More of the same! I will say that though this goal has helped me flex the hospitality muscle and having people over doesn’t feel so foreign anymore, it also doesn’t necessarily feel easier – it can still feel like a lot of work to find a date, choose a menu, and prep our space. But it has been worth it.
Goal no. 6: Reach 5,000 minutes on Peloton Progress I’ve made: This is going very well! Thus far I’ve reached 4,324 minutes, which paces me well ahead of my goal. I’ve been helped along by the fact that Peloton added outdoor walking and cycling to their tracking system; all of our lunchtime spins around the block and biking to school have added up. The next six months: My new goal for the year is 8,000 minutes!
Goal no. 7: Update our legacy box Progress I’ve made: This was inspired by PFC’s “dead box” (but legacy box sounds much nicer, ha!). I planned for most of the progress here to happen in the second half of the year, so it’s no surprise that there’s not much progress to report. We did meet with an estate planning attorney to update our documents in the spring. The next six months: I’m intrigued by the Big Book of Everything, which Brooke recommended on my original 2023 goals post – I think that will be my starting point when I’m ready to dig into this goal!
SEE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL
Goal no. 8: Complete our family photo album for 2015-2019 Progress I’ve made: No progress to report :) The next six months: Complete the album, ha! Since the photos are organized and I’ve already made two of my five-year albums, I don’t anticipate this being too hard.
Goal no. 9: Tend to our family culture Progress I’ve made: Lots of little-by-little progress! We’ve instituted our new slimmed-down but more frequent parent-kiddo dates. They were met with some confusion and even disappointment at first, but overall have been a joy. We’re working through our summer fun list and weathering a summer schedule with LOTS of variation. We’re thoughtfully pursuing and evaluating activities, including piano lessons and neighborhood swim team. We’ve traveled, played a lot more tennis as a family, tried out sleepaway camp at a Mother-Daughter weekend, and made lots of memories. And I read Habits of the Household and have implemented MANY new practices because of it, which has easily been one of the biggest wins. The next six months: I’d still love to take the Birds & Bees course!
Goal no. 10: Have fun with my friends Progress I’ve made: Lots of fun has been had! :) I started the year with a bang with the first Articles Club weekend retreat (such a delight!) and followed it up with many monthly meetings since. I co-hosted a book swap with a dear friend. I took tennis lessons with a friend this spring. I had a two-person book club with another friend and got together multiple times to discuss chapters (including biking the American Tobacco Trail together twice!) And I’ve generally seen more friends more often thanks to our hospitality goal. The next six months: In the near term, I’d like to use our Museum of Life and Science passes with friends several more times this summer. I’m also still hoping to host a potluck party this fall!
And there you have it! A very robust update on my 2023 goals. If you set your own goals for the year, or even if you didn’t, I’d love for you to share a win in the comments from the first six months! I can’t wait to cheer you on :)
