July 2025 goals

We are settling into a nice little summer rhythm over here. The kids get up when they’d like, make their own breakfast, consult the day’s plan, then play outside for (at least) an hour. They come inside and are usually happy to scamper upstairs and work on something together: crafting a tiny lemonade stand for Mouse Town, playing school, constructing a fort, building with LEGOs, messing around in the kitchen. Around noon John and I break from work and we eat lunch together, then I read a chapter or two from our current readaloud. We’ll take a zip around the block if it’s not too hot.

After lunch it’s quiet time for an hour and a half in their rooms (they usually read or listen to the Yoto, while Shep sometimes draws or plays with LEGOs and June sometimes plays with her American Girl). Once they’re released, June practices piano and they do any clean-up that needs doing, then they can watch a show or movie for 30 minutes to an hour as I finish out my work day.

After that there’s time for a bit more play before the kids change into their suits and I pack dinner into our cooler. We eat in shifts poolside for two hours or so while the kids cycle through swim team practice, then it’s back home for quick showers and another chapter or two of our readaloud before a little solo reading in bed.

Of course, not every day proceeds exactly like this — or as smoothly as this short litany makes it sound (especially now that, as of yesterday, Annie’s co-op has ended and she’s in the mix at home). But these are good days, and I’m grateful for them.

More of this in July!

(Most of) the completed watercolor landscape collection before I shipped it off!

On my calendar:
— Our town’s Independence Day bike parade! We haven’t been home for the Fourth of July in a few years and this is one thing I’m looking forward to about staying put. The kids have been in a flurry crafting decorations for their wheels the last few days.
— Annie, John, and Shep’s birthdays! Lots of number balloons, special dinners, and celebrations over here.
— A planning meeting for our Acadia trip! The countdown is on.

What I’m loving right now:
— For those following my salad plate saga, I finally settled on these pretty green ones! They weren’t cheap, but then again neither was our original wedding china – and I hope to get 10+ years of delightful daily use out of this pattern, too. (The size is a little smaller than our old salad plates, but they still work well for plating dinner!)
— Thanks to a generous birthday gift card from my in-laws, I recently made my first-ever purchase from Lululemon! After ordering a tank + skirt combo that was wayyyy too small, I ventured to the mall to find a replacement. I settled on this tennis skirt and this top in the color lavender frost. I’m obsessed and have worn this combo at least once a week ever since. The mesh and volume of the skirt is really unique and fun, and the top is so lightweight – perfect for summer humidity. I’m so glad I went into the store to try things on, because I don’t think I ever would have chosen this combo from the website!
— Good news and bad news: Beauty Counter is back (now known simply as Counter), but they are only selling three makeup products at the moment. One is my beloved Skin Twin foundation (hooray!) but my equally-beloved concealer seems to have been discontinued (argh!). I’m scraping the bottom of my last tube so must begin the search for a replacement…

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!

— This preschool version of a paint-by-sticker book. Our family has long loved the kid version, but this simpler version was perfect for Annie (age 3). She carefully completed every page on our HHI road trip; we’ll definitely be stocking up for summer travel. (There are so many to choose from!)
— Our favorite summer swim goggles for kids. No hair pulling (praise!).
— The underbed boxes we use to store our kids’ artwork and school memorabilia. More about that system here!
— The Shibumi shade, the pride of North Carolina. So lightweight, so easy to set up – it makes beach days a breeze.
— Annie’s lavender tie-dye pool sandals. She and June have matching pairs!

Last month on The Connected Family:
— 10 things to do when you’re bored instead of reaching for your phone | Waiting is not a problem to be solved.
— Three ways John builds our connected family | In honor of Father’s Day
— How to encourage sibling play | A few things that have worked in our home
— Six more ways to encourage sibling play | Including a gem from my Dad and another from a 15-minute podcast episode

What I read in June:
— World Without End | Thus completes my re-read of the first three books in Ken Follett’s sweeping Kingsbridge series! (I’m counting “first three” as prologue + book 1 + book 2.) If you love a historical fiction novel that keeps you on the edge of your seat, this one’s for you. And World Without End was again confirmed as my favorite in the series!
— Seabiscuit | Though I am so late to the party with this book (it was published in 2002!), I am so glad I finally read it! Seabiscuit’s underdog story is compelling enough on its own, but Laura Hillenbrand’s writing takes it to the next level – even throwaway sentences feel so carefully crafted. This is also a near perfect read-alike for one of my favorites from last year, The Boys in the Boat, so if you enjoyed that one, this should be your next pick!

My reading list for 2025! I’m 8 / 24 so far.

Revisiting my June goals:
Film June in June
End the school year and begin summer well
Clear out the art bin
Paint three more watercolor postcards and send them off for the auction
Plan for Annie’s July birthday
Complete June’s baby book
Make a PCP appointment (Not only did I make an appointment, I had an appointment!! I thought it might take weeks or months to be seen. I really liked my provider but was dismayed by some of the bloodwork results – and have a few changes brewing as a result.)
Order supplies for sleepaway camp
Host the reunion + have fun! (This weekend surpassed my expectations in the sweetest way. So, so grateful. More to come!)

July goals:
— Visit a Maine gallery and buy an original piece of artwork (if something strikes my fancy!)
— Tweak the TCF course outline
— Review the TCF course outline with John
— Clean out pantry
— Complete June’s baby book
— Plan Annie + Shep’s joint birthday excursion
— Prep for and enjoy our Maine/Acadia trip
— Edit June in June

In terms of daily goals, I’m continuing to memorize the Gettysburg Address (I have 5 of the 10 sentences down!) and work through my phone screenshots. I’m also adding a morning walk before the kids get up and – surprise! – diving into The Bible Recap’s daily reading plan once again! I loved doing it last year and have missed it ever since, so back I go. I don’t know if I’ll finish it by the end of the year or just get halfway through, but am excited either way.

As a reminder, many of these are drawn from my 2025 PowerSheets goals!

Let’s see… any Acadia advice? Are you a longtime Lulu fan? Happy to see Counter back? Are you also starting a goal on an “off” time? I’d love to hear whatever’s on your mind as we move into the second half of the year!

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