I am just gonna go ahead and ignore all those adorable kids and their back-to-school pictures taking over my newsfeed.  It is still technically summer!  Summer is such a long time coming here in Michigan, that I’m not going to let it go just yet.  Sure, Fall is fun, but summer is soooo sweet.

There were lots of things to love this season: like catching tadpoles with my favorite four year old on my birthday, and weeknights meeting up with the Hubs at the gym with the kids for a picnic dinner and an evening of swimming til bedtime, and runs to our favorite ice cream place, and, heck, just walking outside without coats and shoes!  Plus, I work exactly one day per week in the summer, and even convenient things like Aldi grocery runs via Instacart meant we just had so much more time to play at the park and the pool!  We loved the slower pace!

So, before we go full-on Fall around here, I’m taking a minute to recap summer and what I’m loving lately!  Here’s what I’ve been into this summer…

To Read

I finally finished all 1200+ pages of The Count of Monte Cristo!  It was worth it!  It really is a great story–a classic that should not be forgotten!  However, now that it’s summer, I wanted a lighter read.  I devoured Where the Crawdads Sing in just three weeks (which is lightning fast for my rather slow reading pace).  This book has been buzzy lately, and when I saw it on the book table at Costco, I nabbed it and read it while we were back home in Colorado for 2.5 weeks in July.  I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just say it was a page turner!  Part coming-of-age novel, part murder mystery.  I liked this one a lot!

I also just finished up To Train Up a Child.  This is kind of an old-school parenting book.  It’s only about 100 pages, so it’s a very quick read.  I don’t agree with everything that the author says, but I do think he brings up a really good point about proactively training your children toward right behavior rather than just reacting to their sinful behavior with discipline.  He also brings up a really good point about the Biblical model of discipline being discipline AND instruction.  It cannot be just one or the other.  The two always go hand in hand.  I think this one’s worth reading even if you don’t agree with the author in his entirety, and I plan to read his two follow-up books as well.  (Note: I didn’t realize there was a revised and updated version of this book out now.  I’d be curious to know how it has changed! Perhaps his tone has a bit more tact!)

To Watch

I just wrapped up watching When Calls the Heart (Are you even kidding me with that ending? Will need to see Season 6 when it makes its way to Netflix!), and I’ve just wrapped upThe Crown (Excited for Season 3 later this year!).  I did watch A Star is Born when we were on vacation, and it really left an impact on me.  Not only was the acting incredible and the singing quite good, but I loved seeing the message of Ecclesiastes coming from Hollywood!  Warning: there are about a bazillion F-bombs in this movie.  If that really bothers you or gets in your head, I would probably pass on this one.  I found it realistic for the setting and was not terribly offended, but just know you’ve been warned!  (Note: I’d be really interested to watch the original or the other two remakes of this movie to see how much they changed the story line for this version.  Who knew this is the 4th version of this movie???)

To Cook

I just finished reading Salt Fat Acid Heat right before we went to Colorado.  What a fantastic cookbook for anyone who wants to learn to cook.  Samin is so down-to-earth in her writing.  It makes you feel like she’s right there cooking alongside you in your kitchen.  As soon as I finished the book I thought, “I just need to give myself cooking lessons from this book if I want to really dial in the concepts from this book.”  So, that’s just what I’m doing!  Look for some weekly videos on Facebook and Instagram Stories as I teach myself to cook.  (Spoiler alert: I’m starting with Samin’s six ways to cook vegetables…because vegetables should always be tasty and not just some sorry side dish.)

To Be Active

I still want to race for a sub-18-minute 5K, but those plans got pushed to the Fall on account of a bummed ankle.  Not quite sure exactly what happened, but I think I flared up an old injury in my foot during a 1 mile race I did in June.  It’s taken much longer than I would have liked to get better, but I’m back to running some again and hitting the track for speed work.  Still continuing on with my minimalist approach to training–less is actually more!

While we were in Colorado, I enjoyed 2.5 weeks of quality altitude training.  Since I don’t live there anymore, I am definitely not adjusted to the altitude, so it’s some quality hard work for my lungs!  I love this set of 200 stairs with an incredible view at the top.  I hit it a few times while we were back for some early morning workouts before the kids got up.

Be Crunchy

I loved this maca powder for a few months once Isla Jane was weaned.  My hormones had a little trouble getting back on track (I’m one of the lucky ones who doesn’t get her period while nursing which means I have about 2 years without a period per kid…it is glorious).  I’m a big believer in “normal” periods as an indicator of good hormonal balance–ones that come every 28 days give or take a little, don’t cause pain or PMS, and are not heavy.  Bad periods are common, but they are not normal.  I knew that, when I had a few “bad” periods starting off, I needed to get things back on track.  I took maca for a few months, and I think it really helped things level out.

I’m also loving this stuff lately!  While we were in Colorado, I was a little lax with my normal diet.  I enjoyed some gluten here and there, but mostly I just had way too much dairy.  After about two weeks, my skin was so broken out it was embarrassing!  I’m seeing some good improvements this week as I’ve upped my collagen intake.  (Bonus: my digestion is good while taking this stuff, too!)  Will continue with a glass of collagen at least three times per week for the next few weeks as well as some bone broth!

Style & Beauty

I did it.  I caved to the pressure.  I bought a pair of Birkenstocks.  They are fun.  I don’t find them quite as insanely comfortable as some people rave (maybe because I have a narrow-ish foot, and even the narrow size feels a bit wide?), but they have been fun this summer and so nice and easy to throw on right as I walk out the door.  I’m kind of a boring clothes, loud shoes sort of person, so I bought them in this color.

In other news, I am finding LOTS of good lipstick options these days.  Some that are more dramatic and others that are much more subtle for everyday use.  I’m enjoying this one from Beauty Counter in “First Date” lately for a fun pop of color.

Family Updates

It’s been a big summer for the kiddos!  Isla Jane decided she was a walking, tiny human right around the 4th of July.  She was 16 months, and I was so ready for her to walk!  So.much.easier.now.  Last week, Landon learned to ride his two-wheeler, this week he became 100% self-sufficient in the bathroom, and next week he will finish the last 3 lessons of Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, which puts him in the Green Eggs & Ham reading level these days.  How did he get so big?!?!  It’s a fun stage for both kids, and we are really loving it.

Hobbies

One of my favorite events of the summer each of the past three years has been our church’s summer jazz concert.  It is SUCH a fun outlet for performing–something I don’t get to do too often anymore.  This year we did “Jazz from the Big Screen,” and I got to perform a few favorites (i.e. Over the Rainbow) and discovered a new favorite jazz artist to enjoy on Spotify in the process (Emilie-Claire Barlow).

I’m also taking advantage of the long summer evenings to pull out my bow and do a little backyard practicing!  Sometimes I just shoot a few arrows after I put the kids to bed.  It’s just a nice, calm little way to quiet the day and recharge.

I haven’t practiced lettering a whole lot this summer, because I’ve just been totally into making my cards!  I am loving the summer Die of the Month Clubs from Spellbinders Paper Crafts for some really cute die cuts to use with my Cuttlebug.  I can get lost down in my “woman cave” making cards all night if I’m not careful to check the time.  It is so.very.relaxing and fun to be creative!

Well, that’s a wrap!  A quick little recap of our summer.  Now I want to know what YOU are into lately and what you’ve love(d) about summer!  Comment below or send me a real, true email!  🙂