The crepe myrtles that line the streets of my neighborhood are in heavy bloom, their boughs laden with vibrant pink and white petals that canopy our sidewalks. Their summer beauty nearly takes my breath away each morning as we wander past them on our schooltime walks, reciting math facts as we stroll. June was an interesting month for our family as we’ve straddled two worlds, one foot firmly planted in summer and pool time and camp, and the other in back-to-school mode. Summer blooms and school lessons, all in one. I usually struggle to hold two things or seasons at once, so I have been happily surprised with how this unique pairing that is schooling in summer is turning out. There’s been a lot going on and a lot to celebrate.
|| READING LATELY ||
There were some strong (totally coincidental) themes/tropes in the five novels I read this month: four of them dealt with grief on some level, with two novels featuring widows grieving the recent loss of their husbands (this and this) and three novels involving absent mothers. There were two books (this one and this one) with a magical realism component involving vanishing pictures or books. All five of this month’s novels contained a heavy subplot involving the relationships between sisters, and all five saw a character coming home to save the family business/farm/house/friend. Though these parallel themes were total surprises, the unifying elements enhanced my reading experiences, and I had fun comparing and contrasting stories that I might not otherwise have put together. Of those five novels, this dark mystery/thriller was the most propulsive read and this romance was the most comforting/feel-good story (and totally lived up to the hype).
In nonfiction, I read a philosophical book that wasn’t a great fit for me but could be very beneficial to many readers. I LOVED this far-backlist title that gave me a new perspective on the work I do at home, and this book was a helpful guide to understanding my boys’ unique needs. I also finished the first volume of the devotional I’m using to guide my slow deep-dive into the New Testament this year. I did NOT finish this biography of Judy Blume, DNFing at 15% because the drawn-out details of her puberty and childhood sexual experimentation were tough to stomach.
As a family, we read this Fairy tale collection that joins gorgeous artwork with lovely (though sometimes shocking) tellings of some beloved stories.
I’ll be sharing reviews of each of these titles in a Quick Lit post next week.
And some notable Substack articles from the month.
The books my kids reach for again and again from Michelle @ Library Binding
Mama Maxima Culpa from Meredith @ Still Today
What It’s Like to Marry Off Your Daughter from Tsh @ The Common Place
What a Harper Collins Producer Told Me About Online Ministry from Phylicia @ Every Woman a Theologian
things i would tell you if i wasn’t afraid of hurting your feelings: how to avoid a recipe flop from Caro @ What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking
|| LISTENING LATELY ||
Podcasts that inspired and informed this month.
Focus on the Family with Jim Daly—The Good, Bad, and the Holy of Purity Culture
Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey — Ep 1360 | ‘Yesteryear’ & the Hollywood Plot to Demonize Christian Women (pair with The New York Times Book Review — Book Club: Let’s Talk About ‘Yesteryear’ by Caro Claire Burke to get a complete picture of my own thoughts on this divisive book!)
|| LOVING LATELY ||
Luke and I learned about the Explodey books through an Alisa Childers interview, and we immediately knew these books would be great for our kids. Luke bought a book for each of them for our road trip to California and they were the PERFECT car companions, offering hours of entertainment for the long car ride. And they’ve continued to bring great fun to the kids, who are reaching for these books again and again! The high-quality books come from the creators behind some of the best kids’ content out there (VeggieTales writers, Disney animators, etc.), and each 170-page volume follows a magazine-style format, with numerous short stories, installments from multi-volume “chapter” books, comics, jokes, activities, and more. The kids each have their favorite segments and characters, and they’ve been begging us to buy some of the Explodey merch. While not all of the animation is totally to my personal taste, I can confirm that it is kid-approved, and the content is very family friendly with positive themes, clever writing, and entirely “appropriate” humor. I’m impressed that this series is able to capture the attention of each of my kiddos, who all have very different interests and reading abilities. A monthly subscription would make a great Christmas gift that an elementary-aged kid would love.
I downloaded a couple of new apps this month that have been wonderful additions to our homeschool. The first is the New City Catechism app, which aligns with the catechism we are learning this year. The free app pairs each of the 52 questions and answers with a Scripture reading, a short prayer, and a devotional commentary written by a contemporary pastor. The questions also have kid-friendly songs that have been great for helping us memorize the catechism! The twins like the songs so much that we have been playing the Catechism playlist on their Sonos when they go to sleep at night; how cool that they are memorizing these Biblical truths by day and by night.
The other app is Picture Bird, which we are using to identify the birds we see on our birdwatching walks (guided by our Science Bird Unit.) With the app, we can learn the name and other facts about a bird through a picture of the bird or recording of the bird’s call. I am amazed by the wealth of information offered about each bird and at how well the IDing works (though I’ve learned that scanning a zoomed-in picture yields better results than trying to scan a bird through the app itself—a strategy that misidentified a roadrunner as an owl, and a cardinal as a hummingbird). I have complicated feelings around AI, but have to admit that apps like this one—that serve to enhance an experience rather than replace one—are pretty great.
|| MONTHLY KID-ISMS ||
CHARLIE-ISMS:
+ “It’s fun to loophole. I get to be smart while making life easier for myself.”
+ “I know what my job should be. You know how I like loopholing? I think I’ll be the guy that writes all the small print.”
+ “Not a lot of the sixth graders dress up for the camp dress-up days. But I’m glad I do, I think I’ll still be dressing up when I’m, like, a senior citizen.”
SULLY-ISMS:
+ “Autumn is fall, it’s just a more unique way of saying it. I wonder why they don’t have unique ways of saying the other seasons.”
+ “My book is about the Dust Bowl.” Me: “Oh, cool, like in the 1930s?” Sully: “No, it takes place in the 1935s.”
+ “What’s the most popular way to die?”
KALI-ISMS:
+ “Where do you get your drivers license? Do a lot of people die doing that or just a little bit of people?”
+ “Today was my second best day ever!” Me: “Which day was your first best day?” Kali: “I don’t know. I have a hundred of them!”
+ “How sharp is lightning?”
+ Me: “In the Bible, what did they call the people who were not Jewish?” Kali: “The Reptiles!”
+ Referring to her water bottle that is personalized with her full name, Kalinda Joy. “Where did Daddy get this?” Me: “From Yeti.” Kali: “So they sell everyone’s names?”
NICO-ISMS:
+ His favorite book is a story format of the song Jesus Loves Me, and he calls it “Bible tells me.” He’s regularly bringing it to me saying, “Mama, mama, read my Bible tells me!“
+ Sully told Nico to pretend to hit him. Me: “No, don’t do that Nico. Hands to yourself.” Nico: Begins hitting himself.
+ I was cleaning and heard Nico calling “all ready, Mama” to me from across the house: he had crawled into his stroller and attempted to strap himself in, ready for a walk.
+ During the week the kids were at Camp HCF, Nico repeatedly would say, “My Sully? My Kali? No Sully, no Kali. All gone, Sully Kali.” (He loves and missed Charlie too, of course, but is apart from him more often, whereas it was unusual for Kali and Sully to be away.)
+ Nico’s favorite song is “Happy Birthday” and he sings it all day long. He especially loves when we give him a play candle that he holds while singing and pretends to blow out when the song is finished.
|| HAPPENINGS & HIGHLIGHTS ||
Our 2026-2027 school year is under way! Because the past few weeks have been busy (see more below!), we’ve only had two solid weeks of school, but already we are all happy with our decision to shift to a year-round school schedule. The kids and I (and Luke, too) all like the rhythm that school adds to our days, and even though we are all-in with homeschool, it still FEELS like break time because our co-op and other school activities are on hold and evenings are free of extracurricular activities, making our whole school day feel less rushed. As for the new year itself, it couldn’t be going better! We all love the changes we’ve made, especially the addition of a morning Bible study and mid-day journaling.
We loved getting to celebrate Luke on Father’s Day! He was getting over a cold, which was a bummer, but I think he still had a good day. We went to church (more on that next!), did presents and cards at home, then spent the afternoon swimming and enjoying barbecue with my in-laws. The kids are so blessed to have such an amazing daddy!
On Father’s Day we had the opportunity to dedicate our children at church, committing to raise them in the love and knowledge of God. It’s an honor that we do not hold lightly, and Luke and I feel immensely grateful to our church body for coming alongside us as we raise followers of Christ who love and serve the Lord with their whole hearts.
The three big kids attended a week of Camp HCF at my father-in-law’s church. The VBS-style camp is five FULL (8:30-5:00) days of nonstop fun with teaching, worship, crafts, games, water play, train rides, learning activities, themed dress-up days, and more. This was the twins’ first year of attending, and though the days were long for them, they had an awesome time! They were in separate groups, which was harder on Sully than Kali; it was hard for me to see them apart, even though I know the separation was good for them and worked out fine, and I was proud of them for their independence. It made me so happy to hear that they each got to use their talents to earn points for their team, with Kali competing in a dance-off and Sully reciting his Bible verse on stage!
As a sixth grader, it was Charleston’s final year of Camp HCF and he got to do daily off-campus activities including trips to a zoo and a water park and time at the pool. He made some good friends and had the time of his life. He is looking forward to returning to camp as a counselor next year! The week involved almost 600 miles of driving on my part, but it was worth it to see my kids having an amazing time, and it was fun to have an only child for the week (though Nico definitely missed his siblings!).
|| ICYMI: THIS MONTH ON THE BLOG ||
Attention, everyone! “Attending keeps us from walking blindly through life and opens us up to how God is working in, around, and through us. I think this is why writing and teaching are so beneficial for me: these roles are the encouragement I need to attend to life rather than stumble my way through it.“
Bookish Considerations: Pondering Page Counts “Opening up a book that is more than 400 pages feels a little risky; settling into a 500-pager is perilous, and buckling down for anything over 600 pages would be downright reckless. What a shame to dedicate so much time to just one book, when that same time could be given to two or three shorter ones that might bring just as much enjoyment.“
This One Will Make My Dad Blush “The interest and care my earthly dad shows to those around him—though incredible and inspiring—is a mere echo of the interest and care we receive from our Heavenly Father.“
Year Seven of Homeschooling: Our Plans for First and Sixth Grade “I’m always fascinated by glimpses into the specifics of other people’s lives; I love knowing how other people parent, or homeschool, or simply spend their day, and it’s fun for me (and hopefully helpful—or at least interesting—for many of you) when I give YOU a glimpse into OUR homeschool world.“
This week we will be lying low, since my three big kids all have double ear infections. But we are looking forward to a fun month ahead, beginning with with 4th of July festivities this weekend!
How about you: how was your June, and what is ahead for you in July?