We are halfway through August, friends! For the first time (perhaps ever?) I’m not yet counting down the days to college football. I mean, fall. Don’t get me wrong, Labor Day might be my favorite non-major holiday of the year for its perfect blend of summer and autumn, but I’m really enjoying summer right now. The humidity can go, of course, but I think so much of our early summer was monopolized by packing/cleaning/moving stuff that I’m really enjoying these more relaxed days of summer and am not quite ready to let them go. But enough about weather, let’s jump into this week’s Five on Friday 8.16!

Five on Friday 8.16

Top 5 Reader Favorites This Week

1. Inflatable Twin Sized Air Mattress with Built In Pump – I have four and they were a life saver when we were moving. They are easy to use, comfortable, durable to pet claws and toddlers. I love having them on hand for when my nieces visit!
2. Easy Spanish Phrase Book – a simple, well-laid-out book of useful vocabulary and phrases to help us keep our Spanish skills fresh.
3. Mouth Tape – I shared my restock of this mouth tape and how I’ve been taping my mouth shut for more than a year now with benefits of more restful sleep and other benefits of increased nasal breathing.
4. Famous Paintings Cards – the easiest way to introduce art study to kids. These cards are sturdy, oversized, and have just enough fun facts on the back to encourage engagement.
5. Striped Oversized Sweatshirt – I first saw this on Julie and ordered it immediately. It’s so cute and rather light, perfect for that summer into fall timeframe. I bought Hailey the blue striped version and she rocks it. So cute; so many combos.

ONE: First Week of Charlotte Mason Style School

Paired with the giant stress relief of closing on our old home and officially being moved out and temporarily settled into mom’s house, the start of our homeschool year has added to our theoretical exhale. It’s more focus and work for me than our loose summer schedule for sure, but it’s how I want to be spending my time- plugged in with my kids. Overall, we are thriving with the shorter lessons and more varied subjects. See our curriculum and daily schedule.

Successes: The kids LOVE embroidery; I bought this embroidery kit for beginners and it’s great- everything you need! They love nature study. Our days feel more peaceful. Shortened math lessons: 30 minutes versus the hour they were doing daily last year. Having dedicated family read aloud time so it doesn’t get pushed aside.

Challenges: Language arts in the same slot may have to be changed so I can better serve both and not bounce back and forth so much. Figuring out the balance between going down rabbit trails and sticking to our new routine.

TWO: Summer Lake Life

We are all quite thrilled at the fact that Nana has two jet skis and our afternoons have been filled with scooting around a fairly empty lake, hitting wakes and turning circles. Without any activities or sports during this in-between moving time, we’ve been thriving with that beautiful gift of time. Lessons in the morning, lake play in the afternoon, cooking dinner together followed by movies and family walks in the evenings. It’s been a wonderful respite between the chaos of moving out and the eventual moving in.

THREE: Summer Dinner Wins

Can I tell you how nice it’s been to be cooking again? While I have to wait a bit longer for my sourdough starter and gadgets in storage, cooking in mom’s beautiful kitchen has been a treat. We often make dinner together and I’m going to get fully spoiled having helping hands. Here are a few dinners this week that we’ve all really enjoyed!

• Creamy Cherry Tomato and Summer Squash Pasta with the Best Dang Steak
• Peel and Eat Shrimp with Easy Green Beans and Smashed Potatoes
• Crispy Pan-fried Chicken, Cucumber Salad, and Roasted Golden Potatoes
• Lemongrass Chicken with Rice

FOUR: Skincare MVPs

In May I treated myself to a facial when we stayed at The Montage Palmetto Bluff in hopes of getting some help with a gnarly case of dermatitis that had broken out on my forehead. I figured it was stress-related but the aesthetician recommended I revisit my skin care products. She said oils (like I had been using) can get to be too much for some skin as it ages. I took her advice and started following skin guru Emily Morrow.

Fast forward three months and my skin feels like a completely different face! I use CLEARstem (AHEALTHYSLICE for 15% off) gentle cleanser, bounce back serum, vitamin C serum (alternate those two), and their moisturizer. Game changer! I’m seriously so happy with my skin now and can verify that the cleanser really does remove makeup; I haven’t used my makeup remover since switching to it. It’s a fairly simple routine but it’s crazy effective. I even just bought some for Hailey as she tiptoes into early teen skin care, as a lot of their products are designed for clear skin/acne. I just want to sing its praises from the rooftops because it’s that good. I just snapped the picture below so yes I have make up on, but it does show my dermatitis-free forehead! 😉

FIVE: Visiting the new house today!

David has been traveling for work all week and the girls and I are looking forward to meeting him at the new house today! We are making a quick trip up to see the progress made and talk about landscaping. My main focus for landscaping is figuring out where to put my garden! I’ll share a build update next week. What do you want to see/ask about our new space??

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! <3