I just looked at the temperatures and we are solidly in the 90’s all next week. Whew! I’m mentally preparing myself to garden early, hide in the afternoon, and splash in the evenings; summer is here. And the lack of structure has been really enjoyable.
I’m usually someone who appreciates a good rhythm, but summer has a way of making me loosen my grip a little. The girls are older, the days feel longer, dinner can be something simple, and there is more room for spontaneous projects, movie nights, garden experimenting, and sitting around chatting in pajamas past bedtime.
It’s been a mix of all kinds of things, highlighted below. Here’s a peek into what I’m loving lately, June edition!
Girls Nights
David is traveling for work and while we miss him mucho when he isn’t here, we also lean hard into girl time. At ages 14 and 12, this is SO much fun. It usually kicks off with everyone getting clean and cozy, then morphs into a simple supper, nail painting or crafting, dance parties in the kitchen, and ending the night with ice cream and a movie.
On night one the feature film was one of their favorites, National Treasure, and night two was one of my old school favorites, The Lizzie McGuire movie. The dance party song of the night? Hey now, hey nowww this is what dreams are made of! IYKYK 😉
SI Belt
I’ve been dealing with some SI joint irritation, so I’m starting to do some internet prescribed stretches, giving heavy squats and lunges a rest for a bit, and using a heating pad twice a day. Yesterday the SI belt I ordered showed up and it is a GAME CHANGER. The extra support makes a night and day difference. I plan to wear it under my dress today- ha.
I realized I don’t have a picture of me sporting this belt, but I do have a picture of the workout shorts I’m loving – wide, comfy waist band and not too long for my shorter legs.
Dazzle Dry
Consider this my official unpaid-but-wish-it-was-sponsored love letter to Dazzle Dry.
I realized why I love it so much. I’ve never been opposed to the process of doing my own nails but it always had two major deterrents: the time to dry and how quickly it chipped. Dazzle Dry solves both of those and I just can’t seem to shut up about it. Now I’m the mom that does the girls’ nails while we watch a movie and I’m the woman who has her nails looking pulled together and polished. It feels really good and I have all but completely stopped picking at my cuticles. If you haven’t tried it yet, begin with this starter kit!
4th of July Prep
You still have time to snag this festive body glitter stick! I usually detest glitter but this is cute, stays where it is applied, and washes off easily.
I’ve put up my American decor, including rustic stars and stripes pennants, mini flags stuck into planters, and a giant flag waving outside. I got the red version of my favorite Quince dress, we watched The Patriot (whew, there are some tough scenes in that one), saw Revolutionary America in the theater, have enjoyed cheering on USA in the World Cup, and we’ve been watching the videos on social media of people visiting the USA and the hilarious culture shock (people going in a Costco, visiting a Buckee’s, discovering free refills, etc).
Search “World Cup visitors discovering America” if you want some heartwarming and hilarious content.
Dish Drying Stone
I ordered this collapsible stone drying mat on the first day of the prime sale and it showed up that evening. It holds up to its reputation of being aesthetically pleasing while also drying dishes much faster. As someone who does a LOT of dishes, this really does speed things up. It’s made of diatomaceous earth so it’s super absorbent and encased in food grade silicone.
I know it’s early to say this, but this is exactly the kind of practical thing I’d happily give as a hostess gift… or tuck away as a Christmas idea.
Googling Italy
Perhaps inspired by our Lizzie McGuire watching? 😉
We are thinking about 2027 and would love to take a family trip to Italy for spring break. Being that it won’t be summer time, I’m trying to narrow in on the best spots weather wise for that time of year. If you’ve been to Italy, I’d love your input! Right now I’m leaning towards a combo of historic Rome paired with a countryside (Tuscany?) experience. I love the idea of bike rides and cooking classes!
Rome + Tuscany? Rome + Amalfi? Florence instead? Tell me what you loved, especially if you’ve been in spring!
Home Organization Projects
While the girls were at camp I tackled several cabinets. We cleaned out the office. On Father’s Day we all tackled David’s workshop. Next up? Our closet. But I have to wait until I’m in the right mindset to be ruthless. Less is more. I want solid staples that fit me well and will be abstaining from all impulse Amazon “must have” items until further notice.
Gardening
I couldn’t not include any garden talk because this grandma habit is continuing to bring so much joy to my life. I have cucumbers coming out my ears and have pickled over 15 jars at this point (experimenting with different recipes). My tomatoes are starting to blush. I’ve kept the squash bugs at bay enough to have some thriving zucchini. It’s pretty exciting.
The real garden story of the week though is… POTATOES! Last fall K sprouted a potato as a fun science experiment and stuck it in the garden. I thought we have removed all remnants of that experiment but apparently we did not because it self seeded. I let it go and it took up a third of the garden bed, but curiosity had me stay the course. About 10 days after the leaves died off I went to see what I could dig up yesterday and… SO MANY POTATOES!!
It was super cool. I’ll definitely grow potatoes again, but probably in a grow bag, not a raised bed 😉
And that’s life lately around here: a little sweaty, a little slower, full of the simple stuff that I love the most, random projects, garden surprises, and the kind of summer days that feel both loose and somehow very full at the same time.
How’s summer treating you?
Sj says
This might sound silly with where you’re at in life, but try looking up “pregnancy and postpartum tv” on YouTube. I’m pregnant with my third and have dealt with SI joint dysfunction since breaking my tailbone giving birth to my first. Heavy lifting really, really helped to the point that I never had issues in day to day life, but pregnancy has put a damper on my ability to do that. She has specific videos just for SI joint issues and they’ve helped a ton. A lacrosse ball for deep tissue massage gives me some relief, too. You might also try looking into piriformis syndrome because the two issues can often go hand in hand (I saw a PT initially to help so I’ve done way too much research into it all, ha!).
Brittany Dixon says
Oh I will do this- thank you! But when I read “broke my tailbone giving birth to my first” I cringed. You are super woman! Thanks for the helpful info 🙂
Marie says
Rome, Florence, Tuscany = all great. A day trip to Assisi is worth it! Florence is crowded, fyi.
Brittany Dixon says
Any specific Tuscany or Rome recs? Best area to stay in? Most worth it/not worth it sites or experiences?
Andria says
Highly recommend Puglia area of Italy. Amalfi coast is beautiful, but crowded and expensive. Puglia much more laid back and feels authentic. We flew into Naples then drove over from there (stopping in Matera, which was fun for a night). You can train to Rome from there. We were there early October. If you do go to amalfi coast, check out Nerano. Quiet and beautiful town with amazing houses on the water.
Brittany Dixon says
I keep hearing about Puglia and definitely like the idea of an authentic fee;/experience. My main concern is weather in March so being more southern might be a benefit. Thanks for the tip!
Sarah says
We did Venice, Florence, and Tuscany and felt like we got a great bit of history and natural beauty that way. Venice and Florence are crowded but also really unique and the art/history are so cool. Highly recommend this place in Tuscany for your stay: it is family owned and just lovely. https://www.fontebertusi.it/
Can’t wait to bring my kids there someday.
Brittany Dixon says
Thank you for the Tuscany rec! What month did y’all go? I feel like March might be too cold for Venice? I also think we want to incorporate Rome.
Brittany Dixon says
Also, I’m looking through the place you shared and it looks amazing!! How did you find it? Those are the kind of places I’ve been searching for. Thank you!
Sarah says
We went in 2019 (just David and me). We went in October and the weather was perfect. I don’t think I’d want to do Italy in the summer; it’s already crowded in the big cities (Tuscany not at all) and I feel like I’d just get sensory overload with adding heat on top of that. So to me, March sounds great. 🙂 We found that B&B through a Rick Steves Guide to Italy! He highly recommended it and so do we! We loved the surrounding small towns — great food, hiking, winery/vineyard tours, some beautiful chapels and towns to check out. Our next Italy trip (currently unscheduled so this is just my dream :)) will touch on the coast and Lake Como region and we are decided that we have to include Tuscany again too!! But first: Ireland this summer!
Anne says
I have not finished reading the post but wanted to comment on Italy. We did Florence, with a day trip to Pisa (5 days, honeymoon) and Rome (5 days) over two separate trips, both in August! There is so much to see! Have you watched Stanley Tucci’s food show filmed in Italy? Perhaps you might be able to draw some inspiration from there, or Michael Portillo’s railways journey in Italy (it’s on YouTube). His shows are great.
Good luck! X
Brittany Dixon says
Oh I haven’t but I love that idea!! I’ll be pulling up Tucci’s show on one of the insanely hot afternoons this week. Thank you for the suggestion!
Kelley Greif says
I really enjoy your posts. Thank you for all if tge great suggestions and content.
Italy, we really loved Cinque Terre as a newly married couple and talk often about bringing our kids. Its worth a look. Florence was amazing, San Michele was overwhelmingly beautiful.
Enjoy the travel planning
Jess Mathias says
We went to the Amalfi coast during April and it was perfect. We used Sorrento as our home base and did day trips/excursions. We also visited Lo Scoglio restaurant – Stanley Tucci visited there and had the same zucchini pasta dish that he and his wife raved about. It was divine. Highly recommend the Amalfi Coast.
Joe and I plan to go back to Italy at some point in the future to explore Rome, Venice, etc….
Grateful Kae says
We did Rome in March 2022! Only Rome though, as it was paired with a longer Ireland trip. We had some pretty cold evenings but overall weather was good! Sunny days etc. I have posts on my Travel page of what we did. We just had 3 nights in Rome. My boys LOVED Rome!!! Definitely recommend that.
Brittany Dixon says
Oh yay thanks for telling me! I’ll hop over to your archives. I always love reading your travel posts. Your recent trip to Zion had me reminiscing – such a cool spot!!
Taryn Lewis McLean says
The went to the Dolamites early June and we WILL be back!!!!
Brittany Dixon says
Ohh… I’d love to go!! Early June sounds so ideal.