9 Things That Are Working for Me This Summer

Summer has never been my favorite season – growing up in Las Vegas and then spending most of my adult life in Arizona and Texas, summer was the season you survived, not something to look forward to.

But now summer really IS my favorite season.

I love the more relaxed schedule, the magical Utah summer nights, outdoor pickleball, and going out to the lake.

Now that we’re more than a month into summer, here are a few of the things that are working well this summer:

#1 favorite swimsuit this year

9 Things That Are Working for Me This Summer

• Playing a LOT of pickleball. This was one of my summer goals and it has been so fun to play 4-5 times a week instead of maybe once a week. Bart and Ella and I play almost every morning at a local spot that does pick-up games and it has been delightful to get to know so many people from around the city, from teenagers to retired people to other parents. Plus, I feel like I’m definitely getting better from so much play (although it still is REALLY frustrating to me when I don’t play very well).
• Watching Castle. We’d planned to watch some shows with both of our big girls this summer, but most nights, Ani wants to go to bed early because she has swim team every morning and so we’ve been watching Castle with Ella (who is about to turn 15) and that has been so fun. I’m really enjoying this show and Bart and I are slowly watching The Rookie on the nights she is gone.
• Growing a garden. I had a banger year with my garden in 2020 but when we moved to our new house, the garden situation felt much trickier to me. This year, I decided to go with starts instead of starting from seed (which have been murdered by snails the last few years) and it has been really successful. I’m picking multiple squash and zucchini every day and our tomatoes are just about ready. Cucumbers and peppers and watermelons are also chugging along, plus our grapes and blackberries are going crazy as usual (those were already in when we bought the house and they produce an insane amount of fruit every year with no effort on my part). It’s been so fun to have this be a success this year and I love going out to water and check on things most nights.
• Working out on my own at the gym. For five plus years, I went to an early morning strength training class multiple times a week but it is SO EARLY and last summer, I decided to do lifting videos at home so I could get a little more sleep. This summer, I just pick a video, pop in my earbuds and do it at the gym in a quiet corner while my girls do swim team and it has been a great complement to all that pickleball playing. (This is the program I use – it’s $1.49 right now for a whole year).
• Linen pants. A summer or two ago, I decided it was finally time to stop wearing jeans year round and I started collecting lighter pants and shorts. This year, I ordered two pairs of these linen blend pants and I wear them constantly – they’re comfortable and breathable without looking sloppy and I absolutely love them.
• Pushing dinner back a bit. During the school year, we almost always eat right about 6:00 but during the summer, I’ve let that slip back a bit to closer to 6:30 and somehow that extra 30 minutes feels so luxurious and keeps me from feeling time crunched.
• Hiking. Last summer, we hiked Mount Timpanogos with friends and we’re doing it again this year (this time with teens in tow!). This means we’re trying to fit in some shorter hikes a few times a week to prepare. I loved hiking with Bart last summer, especially in the early morning or as the sun went down, and it has been fun to add this to our routine again this year.
• A new favorite pair of sandals. I bought these sandals about three years ago and have loved them (I’m wearing them right now, in fact!), but this summer I wanted a more casual pair of sandals and after seeing some cute teen girls wearing these thin strap Tevas, I snagged a pair. I have LOVED them and wear them constantly, including camping and hiking in Canyonlands at the beginning of summer. Worth every penny!
• Summer movies at the theater. Cinemark does summer morning movies where they show kids movies in the theater for $1.75 a ticket. We haven’t gone every week this summer, but we’ve gone a lot and my kids love it. It feels so luxurious to see a movie at 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. and I buy one big bucket of popcorn for $10 and everyone splits it. I heard from lots of my readers that their local movie theater chains do a similar program – check if yours does too!

What’s working for you this summer? I’d love to hear!

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