(Thank you all for leaving only kindness on yesterday’s post — I was a little nervous to hit publish. Today’s post is a total pivot into lighter territory even though world events are still on my mind every day.)
I mentioned feeling like I didn’t do much over the past ~30 days. But this morning I got a bit more objective, and feel . . . pretty good about how I spent the month! I wrote in my Hobonichi: “generally vibe is CHILL + FUN this July”, and I feel like I did indeed have a chill + fun month overall.
THINGS I SET OUT TO DO THAT HAPPENED
4th of July trip with family
Camp sendoff
College friends reunion (happening NOW, we met up for dinner last night and I am back at home because I have Josh’s great aunt’s funeral to attend today, but the festivities will continue after that)
Other social things: book club, dinner with run club friends, walk with a run club friend who just had a baby, and dinner our with my Miami Beach friend. ALLLLL THIS MONTH!
Saw one movie (Elio with the kids), watched some good TV (finished all of Ginny + Georgia, watched Stick with Josh though fell asleep for some of it at the end, and finished up Murderbot) + finished 4 books (2 NF, 2 F).
Had some great date nights with Josh
Requested book endorsements (got some wonderful wins here and some disappointment, but overall it’s all good things)
Stayed on top of recording schedules
Made progress on workbooks for 2026/end of 2025 courses (Planning 2026, Planning by Season, BLP Live).
Helped a kid navigate activity choices (some tough decisions but I think now things are good)
Ordered uniforms + new sneakers for each kid for school. (Plus I’m already done with C’s sports onboarding!!)
Got a call weekend out of the way helping out a colleague (and also helping my future self!)
Signed up for Pilates!! (Well — in the process of doing so today; I left a message at the studio since they are having a deal that ends tomorrow. I’m ready to pull the trigger!)
Did ~3 weeks of Rebecca Kennedy’s 5-day split (almost done week 3)
Started planning for Hawaii 2026 (!) — a trip I’ve been dreaming about for many years now and it’s actually . . . not that far away!
Other random things: I progressed to tray #10 in my Invisalign and was good about taking my beta blocker. I also took G to ortho twice to have her arm checked and her cast replaced. Giving myself gold stars for these things because they have taken effort!
THINGS THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN
Zero reddit (sigh)
Decluttering — except this is a partial win, because our nanny had a fire lit and in one day made more progress than I had made in . . . well, a long time. And I have, over the course of the year, decluttered my desk/stationery and my closet (well, the clothes in there anyway). So — making some progress here even if it wasn’t the blitz I was hoping for.
I feel like July was a month focused more on ME whereas most months are focused on the kids (and August definitely will be)!
(And, don’t get me wrong – the kids had a lovely time).
Anyway, I really do feel pretty good having done this recap! I know Kae does them every month; maybe I will start.
11 Comments
It does sound like it turned out to be a good month. Maybe a post it reminder in next year’s planner that July is supposed to be a bit chill. We are on holiday – returning just before school starts – and I’m in that slightly antsy mode thinking about all I need to do at home.
But I’m trying to remind myself to chill – I got all the uniforms sorted before we left, and I’ll order grocery delivery for when we get back. Today, I woke up with a head cold, and it’s raining, and honestly, my husband and son walking into town to buy groceries, with a stop at the cafe to play chess and eat cinnamon buns, while I read under a blanket on the couch isn’t going to ruin the holiday. My son is playing our house swap host’s PlayStation, a rare treat as we don’t have a console at home, and I’m starting one of Laura’s favourite books.
It sounds like a wonderful month!
This July we had a TWO WEEK vacation which seemed really long, and I even didn’t think about my job for days at a time. I came back very refreshed, and so far, 2 weeks since returning, I still feel pretty good, so yay for self care! Heading into a very busy fall, but rn it feels doable. Maybe.
Random, but could you share the name of the app you’re using to track your Invisalign progress? I think I heard you mention it on a podcast episode. Also, did you buy any kind of special device to clean the trays? I’ll be starting my Invisalign journey soon, so I’m here for any and all tips!
TrayMinder, and I use the pul tablets to clean them daily!
Sounds like a great month. I was excited to see the paperback of your book is now available for preorder from Amazon Australia (it wasn’t to start- only kindle version). So I’ll preorder this week! I put my first appointment in my planner yesterday for 2026 and it made me realise indeed it’s not so far away. Hawaii will be amazing! My July was also a little more fun and chill, with some days off, family visiting from interstate, and a slower work vibe. Just what I needed 🙂
I love the recap! I also find the process of reviewing everything to be very soothing. Usually it is pretty eye opening, like wow, yeah, I did a lot of good stuff! (even if sometimes in the moment it doesn’t “feel” like it). I vote you continue the practice! 🙂 Nice to look back on, too.
Gold stars!!! Sounds like the perfect combination of productivity and fun in July
Would you ever bite the bullet and hire a professional organizer? Feels like this has been on your list in some capacity for years now!
it is definitely possible. I would need my husband to be on board 🙂 Also, some of the clutter is not really ‘mine’ to mess with so I think that’s a big barrier! I do need to delve into why I seem to be stuck on this one. I am confident that I can move past that as I have with other things eventually!
I do a monthly review in my hemlock and oak planner and always find it to be helpful before planning the new month. I don’t always like pre-made templates but I love these prompts (e.g. What gave you energy this month? What drained you?). You can download the whole planner for free to see the layout and questions.
Ahhhh! We are also planning/hoping for a 2026 Hawaii trip. My husband and I have been but we want to take our kids. We definitely want to go back to Kauai and at least one other island (last time combined with Maui but not sure for this time).
I would love to hear your thoughts as you plan. It’s so expensive and the time change is hard so I really want to get it “right”.