I’ve certainly not avoided difficult topics here but this little corner of blogland is still unapologetically a place I use to share the highlight reel of my family’s life. This is one of those posts — the highlights — despite everything else going on in the world.

family life

My biggest news, personally, is that I finally earned my StrongFirst SFG kettlebell certification! I worked toward this for almost three years, then went to Vegas earlier this year for the 3-day certification, but I left there with one part still left to conquer: the snatch test. It’s physically challenging and the failure rate is pretty high. But I worked and worked and FINALLY got it. There was much woo-hooing around here. Living in this era of entitlement, I’m glad my kids got to see me work so hard for something; I want them to know good things are very seldom simply handed over to us.

Beaches and vacation rentals have gradually been opening up here, which means tourists are back and our little beach town’s population has jumped like it usually does in the summer. It’s all still kinda weird. Sea turtle nest parenting will have social-distancing rules in place this year and I’m curious to see how that goes.

My birthday is coming up soon, which always gets me a little contemplative. Read my deep birthday thoughts from last year.

homeschool happenings

We’ll continue on homeschooling through the summer, but in an even more relaxed manner than usual. We’ve been enjoying unstructured nature walks, which often prompt us to look things up when we get home to identify a bird or flower, or learn more about something we saw.

We’re doing a few math lessons each week with Teaching Textbooks, doing [somewhat] daily journaling with WriteShop prompts, and often watching Travel Thru History for some geography and history. We’ll beef things up a bit in the fall.

what we’ve been reading: our faves

I’ve been doing a lot more kindle reading than anything else lately, even though I do prefer the feel of a real paper book. You’d think with all this extra time at home that I’d be reading more, but I’ve actually read less than usual the past few months.

Probably my favorite this month:
Leaving Blythe River – by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Kathryn hasn’t been reading much lately because she has been working a lot and making things when she isn’t working. Example: this amazing crochet dress. If you’re on etsy, check out her shop and give it a “like” to help her out.

The kids’ favorite audiobook this month was Anne of Green Gables, and they got a kick out the fact Ken and Kathryn and I were in the play years ago! Now that our library has re-opened, I’ve reserved them a bunch of books so I’ll have more recommendations next time.

on the blog (in case you missed ’em)

• on my fitness site: Short & Sweet at-home Workouts
• Returning to activity after hysterectomy (two years ago!)
• Tourists in our own town (Ever done anything like this?)
• What my dad taught me (in honor of Father’s Day)

Jamie

Wife, mom, J-ma. Introvert who enjoys good books, sunshine, and authentic conversation. Often seen with a steaming mug of tea in hand – unless it’s lost yet again in the microwave. Read more »