One thing about me - I fall in love with almost every place we visit, imagine our life there, and jokingly try to convince Todd to move. Anyone else like this? Today we head home from our friends’ cabin which is nestled into the forest of Northern Wisconsin and it’s just been lovely. At the same time, it always feels good to come home.
What is something I can do for our home?
What is something I can do for/with our family?
What is something I can do for myself?
Today for me it’s getting everything unpacked and starting on laundry, putting all four of us to bed early, and generally going easy on myself. Summer has felt like a sprint so far and the introvert homebody in me is looking forward to a lighter schedule this week.
Did you know that July 2nd is known as “halfway day”? It’s wild to me that we are halfway through 2026. If you’re up to it, it’s a great time to reflect on how your goals for the year are going and adjust your sails if needed.
Probably like most people (?), my year has been a mixed bag of triumphs and blunders. I don’t feel like I’ve been overly focused on my word of the year, curate. Whoops. But I have been successful in crossing off/working on a good amount of my 26 for 2026 list.
I’m also experiencing a desire to be more gentle on myself. Not in an abandoning goals way, but in a gosh I’m trying hard and doing a lot but can’t expect myself to do things perfectly all the time.
Rooting for you to work towards your goals in a way that honors your need for rest, whimsy, connection, and good ol’ battery recharging.
I’ve mentioned before that I’m a points and miles newbie. I have watched others cover flights and hotels using points and miles for years but the thought of travel hacking felt overwhelming to me.
Late last year, I listened to The Reframe podcast episode 66 about travel hacking for beginners and it was the first time I could see it fitting into my life. I signed up for my first credit card in over a decade and got the bonus. I went with the AmEx Gold because it earns 4x points on groceries and restaurants, 3x points on flights, had a solid signup bonus, and the points easily transfer to Delta. (Here’s my referral link.) For the first time ever, we used points to pay for a portion of our flights for spring break. It was awesome!
Now I’m thinking ahead to 2027 travel and - especially with current flight prices - I want to accumulate as many points as possible to soften the costs.
I’ve continued to use my AmEx Gold to bank 4x points on groceries and restaurants, but am considering:
adding one more card to the mix for the signup bonus and/or
referring Todd to AmEx Gold for the referral bonus
This feels advantageous points-wise but also manageable for the limited capacity I have to manage this.
Big sister energy here - I’m begging you not to open a credit card unless you can pay off the balance in full every month.
If you have any travel hacking wisdom to share, I’m all ears.
Turkey burgers get a bad rap for being dry and flavorless. But these Juicy Turkey Burgers are delicious, promise. Don’t skip the slaw - though I recommend keeping the cabbage mixture separate from the dressing mixture until you’re ready to eat. My kids eat these but skip the slaw in favor of pickles and ketchup.
We have been making these burgers for years but last week was the first time I thought to double the recipe and eat the leftover cooked patties on top of a big bed of slaw for lunches. Yum.
I used this fabric glue to repair my Rothy’s clogs when a thread came loose and it worked perfectly. What I wasn’t expecting was that I would appreciate having fabric glue on hand for other things. I have also used it to quickly repair a hole at the seam of my son’s favorite t-shirt and to secure a Little League patch that was peeling at the corners. Sure, I should learn how to sew and would like to at some point! But in the interim, fabric glue has been a big help.
My kids are highly interested in time with their buddies. Something that has been creeping into our life with our 11 year old is sleepovers.
If you would have asked me 5 years ago, I would swear that we were a family that had never and would never do sleepovers with friends. But we actually changed our mind in the last year and he has done a few sleepovers with friends whose families we know well.
Sleepovers are thrilling for him but the day after he’s been tiiiiired. Turns out that staying up into the wee hours of the morning does have an effect on the next day.
Enter: the Late Over. He wants to hang out with his pals and we want him to be a functioning human the next day. A 10pm pick up followed by sleeping in his own bed? It’s sort of perfect for this season.
While we’ll still occasionally allow sleepovers, I’m certain Late Overs will continue for years to come.
Do Late Overs feel like a good option for your family?
see you right back here next week,
recent favorites
Skorts - my robust (and strong!) thighs make finding good shorts tricky but skorts are chef’s kiss. Find me wearing these several days a week in the summer. Salutation - 40% off, Weekender (pictured) - some colors on sale
Owala Free Sip Sway - This is a 5 star item for me. Shoutout to my friend Amy for being the pioneer of this water bottle. The lock feature and handle are supreme. They just released an 18 ounce version in cutie color combos if your kid is in need of a good water bottle.
cooling pajama set - gah so nice
finding a new 5 mile loop to walk! I’m obsessed with the trail system in our city.
Lazy Genius podcast episode: Kindly Living with Your Kids All Summer Long
Our mattress - about once a week either Todd or I say, “I didn’t realize how bad our old mattress was until we got this one”. They almost always have a sale going so don’t pay full price. Use code BEGINATHOME for extra savings. Made to order in Arizona.
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