10 Things That Happened in July

Summer is officially almost over. How did that happen? I feel like just yesterday we were blasting “School’s Out” and making our first trip to the pool…and now the kids start school in just two weeks! I feel like this happens every year, and every year it still manages to surprise me how fast summer goes by.

July was a nice, (mostly) quiet month. We’ve been leaning hard into the “rest” part of summer, with long days hanging out at home, weekly ice cream dates, lots of movie nights, and very little actual work happening. It’s been pretty glorious! I’m especially trying to lean into focusing on the kids these next couple of weeks. Before I know it, they’ll be back in school and our schedule will be structured and busy and we won’t have time to lay around and have Mario Kart tournaments on a Tuesday afternoon. I’m gonna soak it up while it lasts!

Of course, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t also very much looking forward to the routine of school. The beginning of the school year kicks off my very favorite time of year. I love the fresh-start feeling of a new school year, the anticipation of fall in the air, and basically every minute between now and the end of the year. It’s the best!

10 Things That Happened in July

• Grant had his YES Day! Every year, we let each boy have a “Yes Day” during the summer, and it’s always a blast. They get to choose and plan everything about the day and we say no to very little. Grant’s is always full of chaos and fun, and this year was no exception! We hit up a local cavern, went to the mall, ate dinner at Gattitown, and were all exhausted by the end of the day. You can read more about our Yes Day rules here!
• I started shopping for Halloween decor. I know, I know. It’s still summer! But, Halloween decor is out in the stores and it’s going to sell out. I always start stocking up now, so that I’m not scrambling when the Halloween season actually arrives. Plus, half the fun is anticipating the holiday, right?! You can click here to see some of what I’ve been eyeing!
• We worked on our bucket list! We often fall away from working on our summer bucket lists in the chaos of the day to day, but we’re actually killing it this year! We’ve got two weeks left in the summer and only a couple of things left on the list. We might have to get creative with one of them – Jackson wanted to go camping but it just isn’t gonna happen. Maybe I’ll plan us a big family “camping” trip in the living room?? Still working this one out in my head.
• We took a day trip to Six Flags. Corey and I woke up on the fourth of July with no real plans and decided on a whim to take a quick road trip with the kids to hit up Six Flags. Honestly? It was a total blast! The park wasn’t very busy during the day, so we waited in very few lines and had a lot of fun doing something a little out of the ordinary for the holiday. It was also kind of fun to introduce the kids to a “regular” theme park – their only experience with theme parks is Disney, so I think going to Six Flags really helped them see how truly special our Disney World trips are!
• The boys went to theater camp. Our local high school’s theater program puts on a week-long theater camp for kids in the summer, and my boys love it. This year they did Spongebob The Musical and they has the absolute best time. We don’t do a lot of summer camps (in fact, this is the only one) because they’re so dang pricey, so it feels really special when they go off to this one! Jackson was Mr. Krabs and Grant was a rock star (so fitting, hah!) and it was just all-around so delightful. They loved it so much we signed them up for a semester-long after school program this fall for Alice in Wonderland!

• I took a ton of walks. Towards the end of the school year, I discovered the magic of a “mini walk”. On days when I had a lot of computer work, I started popping outside for a quick walk around the block in-between tasks. It was a great way to get my steps in and break up the day a bit, and this month I really got back into it. I’ve been making it my mission to hit 10K steps every single day, and it feels so good. I’ve been taking a couple of short walks every day whenever I can sneak it in, and it’s my favorite thing. I listen to an audiobook, stroll, and just enjoy the fresh air. Highly recommend this practice – I plan to keep it up as long as I can!
• I found my dream plant for $30! I definitely wouldn’t have put this on my summer Bingo card, but last week I took Grant to the grocery store near our house to pick up some lunch and as we were leaving I saw my bucket list plant. Never did I think my grocery store would just casually have some Thai Constellation Monsteras sitting in their floral department, but there they were. For $30. If you aren’t a plant person, I’ve never seen this plant in a store for less than $100 (and typically for a smaller one than what I got). It was a super exciting find, and I know several of you also ran to the store and found one, too!
• I read so many incredible books. I’ve read a lot of good books this year, but July honestly had a few of my absolute favorites! You can see every books I’ve read so far this year in my journey to read 100 books right here. A couple of highlights from July include The Things We Leave Unfinished, The Paradise Problem, and None of This is True.
• The kids and I got crafty. Summer is such a good time to tackle a few crafts with the kids! I haven’t been as consistent with this as I normally am in the summer, but we’ve still managed to make some LEGO minifigure displays and paint some plant pots together. I also have another craft coming up soon that might be my favorite of them all.
• I started a restyling project in my house! Summer is a hard time to get any projects done, and that can mean things really start to feel stale in my house. I was feeling really frustrated about it this month, so I decided to challenge myself. I chose 10 small places around my home that I wanted to restyle, and it’s been so fun! It has really helped breathe some life into my house, and I’m enjoying it so much. You can see the progress so far over on Instagram, and I’m planning a recap here when it’s all done!

Top 10 Finds This Month

1. I think it’s safe to say that these pajamas were the find of the summer. I have them in two colors now (the blue you see above and a waffle-knit tan) and they’re on constant rotation for me. I loveeee being so comfortable and yet feeling nice and put together, and so many of you have been trying and loving them too! Can’t recommend them enough.
2. These faux peonies are my new favorite faux flowers that I own. They look so (so!) realistic and they bring me so much joy.
3. My (super sensitive) skin randomly developed a reaction the deodorant I’ve used for decades this month, and I had to pivot and find something my skin could handle. After hearing about this natural brand for years I figured it was worth a shot, and honestly? I love it! It smells fantastic, it doesn’t irritate my skin, and it works. In Texas. In July. That’s saying something.
4. Corey and I needed a new weighted blanket for our bed and, after having separate ones for 5 years now we decided to get one giant one. It’s been an adjustment making the bed each morning (it’s so heavy!), but it works great and I no longer lose it in the middle of the night like I sometimes did with my smaller one. It was a great swap!
5. I’m starting to gather some art to add to my powder room and I snagged this one that makes me giggle. I can’t wait to hang it!
6. This tennis skirt is one of my favorite pieces in my closet. I love being able to look dressed up with almost zero effort, annnnnd with built-in shorts. Does it get any better?!
7. I snagged this game to tuck away for the kids! I’m considering saving it for Christmas but also I might just bust it out one afternoon when we’re feeling antsy. It looks so fun and simple, and I know a bunch of people who swear it’s a favorite in their house.
8. Speaking of gifts, Grant’s birthday is next month and I’m already done shopping for him, which feels great. I think I’m most excited to give him this toy – he’s gonna love it.
9. I’m determined to finish up the bonus room makeover this year, and official planning has begun. I even went ahead and grabbed this gorgeous rug for the room! I have to finish the shiplap and paint the ceiling before I can put it in place, though, so maybe this will be the motivation I need?!
10. And finally, this silly little kitchen gadget might be one of my new favorite things I own.

I hope your July was as wonderful as ours was – on to August, my friends!