July Favorites

Happy August, friends! It’s my birthday month, back-to-school, and we have so many things going on. Before we get into the craziness of that, let’s recap some of my favorite things from July.

Around the House

This month, I’ve been doing a lot of deep cleaning and organizing around the house. I tried out a new steam mop and I am shocked how shiny my floors look. There is something about the hot steam that just makes your house feel so clean. It even creates a fresh smell to me, even though it’s not scented.

I also cleaned under my kitchen sink. I used clear bins to organize cleaning products, sponges, trash bags, etc. and it just feels so much better.

What house projects do you plan to tackle before school starts? I still have cleaning the kid’s closets and organizing the laundry room on my to-do list.

Family Lake Day

My sister, brother-in-law, and niece came to visit for a little over a week in July, and we had a great time! One of things we all wanted to do was visit a lake because we’ve heard so much about the lakes in Texas. We ended up visiting Twin Points Park at Eagle Mountain Lake, and loved it.

Twin Points Park is perfect for families, because it has a swimming beach with picnic tables and trees for shade. It is super well-kept with trashcans, clean bathrooms, and fun music playing through loud speakers. We packed a lunch to eat in-between swimming sessions.

Also, the first few people in line when they open up get a complimentary tote bag. We paid $10 per car to park and play for the day, which I think is a great deal for a family day of fun. If you’re in the DFW area, be sure to check it out.

Currently Watching

The kids went to Oklahoma for a week to visit family, so I had a week of getting to watch anything I wanted. I watched The Summer I Turned Pretty, the new Victoria’s Secret documentary and I finally stared Virgin River. What should I watch next?

The Hens laid Eggs

I cannot tell you the amount of joy I experienced the first time I saw an egg in the nesting box. This is our first time ever having hens and so we have been waiting for them to finally start laying. The baby blue/green eggs are pretty much my favorite thing at the moment, I get so happy every time we find one.

Back to School

This is a big year for us, because Sam and Abby will both be attending school in-person this year. Last year, Sam did start when we moved, but I continued to homeschool Abby for the rest of the year. We are all excited and a little bit nervous.

I got the kid’s supply lists, and they are much simpler than our old Colorado lists. LOL. Abby and I love anything school and art supply related, so we will have fun shopping together. We also need to get a few new clothes for each of the kiddos. I usually shop at Old Navy, Target, Gap, and Walmart for the kids. Where is your favorite place to back-to-school shop?

*Creative Lunch Idea* I saw a video on Instagram using a special sandwich cutter to make homemade Uncrustables. I thought that was such a cool idea because you can make them organic, gluten free, or whatever you prefer without all the unnecessary ingredients in an Uncrustable.

Weeknight Meals

As we head into the school year, simple weeknight meals are key. Here’s a few that I turn to when I’m tired and need to get everyone fed quickly.

• Tomato and Zucchini Pasta with Shrimp
• Healthy Crispy Chicken Cutlets
• Broccoli, Potato, and Chicken Sausage Skillet
• Italian Pasta Salad

Thank you for reading!

xoxo Sara