Just like that, it’s June. I knew this would happen. As soon as the calendar said MAY I felt it slipping away, whizzing by me in a blur of moments that I tried to pull out my iPhone to capture. I’m still spinning.
Today I’m starting a new monthly series that will be a mash up of my coffee talk posts and my natural products I’m loving now posts. Just a place where I can connect with you, my readers, and chat about what’s been going on and what I’ve been loving.
Ideally it’ll come at the end of the end of the month instead of the new month. But, you know, May. May was rough.
Summer Break
This is Luke on his last day of kindergarten. He graduated from kindergarten and the beloved Montessori school where he and Meghan both went for three years. Yes, I cried. 
The good news is that Luke and Meghan will be in the same school next year. Finally! This will make life easier for sure.
And just like that, it’s summer break.
Like most years, I’m ready but not ready. Ready to have a more relaxed morning schedule, have a break from packing lunches and rushing to school.
Not ready for the inevitable “I’m bored” pleas and sibling bickering that comes with being together more.
The work-at-home gig is tough during these summer months. A big part of me wants to revert to my teaching days and take the summer off, but then there’s that part of me that never stops creating content. I can’t turn my brain off!
Gardening
Because May was so crazy, I totally neglected our outdoor space. My containers usually have flowers by now, but they are empty. The flower beds need serious work. Luke and I spent two hours pulling weeds one day, and now they’re all back. Do you have any natural weed solutions? I’ve heard of people using blow torches! That makes me laugh a little. I’d love your to hear if you have any ideas!
I had big plans to get back into vegetable gardening this year, but it didn’t happen. Is it too late? Maybe I’ll just do a few containers and make a plan for next year. (Ha! I said that last year…)
On My Bookshelf
I started out this year with a goal of reading two books per month, one fiction and one non-fiction. The non-fiction has been easier to keep up with than the fiction. I love reading fiction, but it’s almost like a luxury I feel guilty affording myself. Even as I type that it sounds ridiculous, but it’s the truth.
The books I’ve loved recently:
Essentialism: the Discipled Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
This is a good one for anyone who needs to declutter their work life. Much of it can be applied to life in general, not just work life.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
This is a memoir that will force you to ponder your own mortality. Written by a young neurosurgeon faced with a terminal cancer diagnosis, this is not a light beach read. Have your tissues ready! It’s well written and one that had me thinking long after I finished it. I actually listened to this one on Audible which I love for getting “reading” done while I’m doing things like laundry or driving.
Salt, Acid, Salt, Heat by Samin Nosrat
Normally I wouldn’t put a cookbook type book in the “what I’ve read lately” category, but this is so much more than a cookbook. This is a cooking bible. It’s reinforced much of what I’ve intuitively learned in the kitchen over the years, while helping me leap to the next level. A must read for anyone who loves cooking and wants to be a better home cook.
Home Improvements
In May we completed a project that’s been in the works for a while. Our “exercise room” was an unfinished space that we decided to finish. We drywalled and added rubber flooring. (Ok, by “we” I mean we hired a guy to do it for us…we aren’t that handy.)
Tim prefers to workout at home instead of going to the gym, so this project was more for him than me. I still go to the gym, but have been using the new space to workout 1-2 times a week. I just get a much better workout in a class setting these days. I need someone to push me! 
We also made a HUGE purchase for our exercise room…an infrared sauna! After much research, we ended up with this brand. Infrared saunas have a variety of health benefits you can read about here if you’re interested. We have been LOVING it.
Fitness
Speaking of working out, I recently started going to Orange Theory Fitness. Have you tried it? It’s a high intensity workout with treadmills, water rowers, and weights. You wear a heart rate monitor to keep track of your intensity level. It’s a great workout! I usually burn between 500-600 calories in a hour, which is awesome.
Pool Time
We belong to a pool so we spend a lot of time there in the summer. I got Meghan some fun swim stuff from the Cat and Jack line at Target. Don’t they have the cutest reasonably-priced clothes for kids? I got her this coverup, this hat, (<–on clearance right now!) and this swimsuit. So adorable!
For Luke I ordered some basic suits from Land’s End when they had a sale.
If you are in need of a natural sunscreen that does NOT go on your skin in a thick, white paste that won’t rub in, you need to get some Beautycounter sunscreen. It is light, rubs in easily, has a very light scent, and is SAFE. I can’t say enough good things about it! It’s water resistant up to 40 minutes (make sure you reapply often!) and works very well. Best of all, there are NO hormone-disrupting chemicals. By far, this is the best natural sunscreen I’ve ever tried. They do have a non-aerosol spray that I ordered, but have not tried yet. The cream is really easy to apply, but I just wanted to see what the spray was like. This is our go-to all summer long.
Happening in June: #saladeveryday Challenge!
I’m running a #saladeveryday Challenge in my private Facebook group for June! It’s a fun way to motivate you to eat more fresh vegetables every day this month. There will be fun prizes every week and one big grand prize at the end. Click here to join the Facebook group and join in the fun! Don’t you agree that eating healthy is more fun with friends? Having a group to encourage you can make all the difference in the world! (You can join anytime since each week we will start fresh with points for the weekly prizes!)
P.S.-Pictured above is the Quinoa Power Salad. YUM.
Well, I’m happy we had this chat! 🙂 I’ve missed just talking about life on here, so I hope you enjoy it as well. If you do like hearing more about everyday life, follow me on Instagram as I share a lot in my stories. Happy June!
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