Summer is Finally Here!

Hello friends and happy Monday! I am so excited that summer is finally here. With the coming of June and the hot weather I thought it would be a great time to check in with another Monday Musings post.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

Summer Reading List

First up, let’s talk about the important stuff. What books are on y’all’s summer reading list?! I love a good book and summer is my favorite time to read. Currently the only book I have on my “To Read List” is The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. I would love any recommendations you might have.

If you are looking for some summer book recommendations here are some of my favorites:

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I read this book almost ten years ago and it is still one of my favorites. It is a unique story about water horses and a deadly race. This book falls into the category of juvenile fiction, so if you have a long road trip coming up it would be a fun one to listen to in the car with your kids (ages 10+). It is told from the vantage point of two people and is a definite page-turner!!

Good on Audio? YES! They use two narrators to tell each side of the story.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

I just barely finished this book and LOVED it. It is a historical fiction about the packhorse librarians in the 1930s and it was so different than what I expected. This book has it all, love, intrigue, suspense, and is definitely a must-read for the summer.

Good on Audio? Yes

The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas

This book was a little hard for me to get into at first; but after a couple of chapters, I was hooked. Sandra Dallas is great at spinning a story that keeps you guessing. I have since read Tallgrass and The Last Midwife and liked them as well. If you are looking for something with a twist at the end, this one is for you.

Good on Audio? Yes

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

The Thirteenth Tale is one of those books that will leave you wondering. It is such a sorted tale I don’t even know how to describe it. Pretty much it is the final story of an author, where she reveals the truth about her past. It was actually from this book that I got my inspiration for Emmalene’s name (though it is spelled differently in the book). Just as a heads up, it does have a little bit of weird stuff in the beginning because the brother is a masochist and then it mellows out.

Good on Audio? Yes, it has multiple narrators

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

If you are into books that make you feel all the feels then this book is for you. It is a historical fiction set during World War II. It is about two sisters from France and their battle to survive the war. I think I pretty much told everyone I knew about this book when I finished it. It definitely left a mark on my heart.

Good on Audio? No, the story jumps around a lot which makes it confusing to follow when listening to it.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

The Forgotten Garden is the story of a girl that is abandoned on a ship headed to Australia in 1913. She is adopted by the dockmaster and his wife and on her 21st birthday, her adopted father tells her the truth. She then begins a lifelong quest to find her true identity. This story is beautiful and riveting.

Good on Audio? No, the story jumps back and forth during different time periods. It gets confusing if you are trying to listen to it.

The Latest and Greatest

Here is an update on some things going on in our neck of the woods.

Dustin finished our nightstands

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As I mentioned in my last Monday Musings post, we got some nightstands to go with our headboard. They came raw which gave us a chance to paint and finish them the way we wanted to. Dustin used chalk paint on the bottom and an oil-based stain on the top. If our headboard hadn’t been made from an old door we would have used milk paint. Have you heard of that before? It is amazing stuff and sets up with a hard enamel finish. If you are planning on doing any furniture or cupboard painting this summer I would recommend checking it out.

I love how the nightstands turned out and it has been so nice having them. Now I just have to keep Emma out of our room. She took a chunk out of Madic’s IKEA table with her teeth. Now I am paranoid she will do the same to them.

But I need some suggestions. I am not a fan of the off-center window behind our bed. I was thinking of trying to use curtains to hide the fact that it isn’t centered but we would have to get a super long curtain rod to make that work. Any ideas or recommendations on what we could do?

Last Shipment of Milk

I am officially done pumping for Tiny Treasures Milk Bank and just sent my last cooler of milk. I have to say I am SO GLAD to be done. Pumping is the worst! I am happy to have helped little premies, but with our busy summer plans it was time to be done. I just couldn’t bring myself to pump while camping and on our long road trip to Oregon.

Is there anything you are looking forward to taking a break from this summer?

I got a Camera

I decided to use some of my hard earned milk money and buy myself a real camera. Luckily my brother had a nice Nikon D3300 and I talked him into selling it to me. I am really excited to start learning how to use it and hopefully grace you all with some better pictures here on the blog.

Do you have plans to try a new hobby this summer?

Capitol Reef

This summer we have loads of camping trips planned. Our first trip was to Capitol Reef National Park. We went Mother’s Day weekend and it was a blast. I am planning on writing a more detailed post about our trip soon, but I have written about two hikes we did. You can check those posts out here:

Cassidy Arch Trail

Sulphur Creek Trail

Our trip to Capitol Reef was a lot of fun but it was also a lot of work. Here are some behind the scenes pictures from our trip.

Truth be told we ran our kids ragged. We probably won’t be doing any more national parks until our kids are a little bit older (or at least not napping anymore).

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Have you been to Capitol Reef? What was your favorite thing you did there?

Our camping trip this month will be McCall, Idaho. If you have been there and have any recommendations on what we should see or do please let me know.

Summer Gear We are Loving

With the coming of summer we picked up some additional gear. Here are a few items we recently got that we love! I will be doing more detailed reviews of these items on IGTV, so you can check there if you want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly on these products (@adventures.after.kids).

JAN & JUL GRO-with-Me Floppy Sun-Hat

If you aren’t familiar with the brand JAN & JUL you are missing out! They make awesome outdoor clothes for kids and are one of my most favorite companies. They have a store on Amazon so you can use your free Prime shipping and their stuff is quality! We got this hat for Emma and now I want to get one for Madic. My favorite feature is it stays in place! She can’t pull it off, the wind doesn’t pull it off. It seriously is the best! Plus this hat adjusts so she can wear it for at least another year (size: 6 months-24 months). It was $20 and worth every penny. I hate fighting with my kids to keep their hats on. Have I convinced you yet?! If not you can check out my review of this hat HERE.

Merrell Trail Chaser Hiking Shoes

With how much hiking we do I decided it was time to invest in some good footwear for Madic. In talking with fellow outdoor moms everyone swears by Merrell and Keen as the go-to brands for kid’s hiking shoes. We chose to go with the Trail Chaser because frankly, it was the cheapest option of the two brands. I got them from Sportsman’s Warehouse because I wanted Madic to be able to try them on. They cost $40.

I know that is a bit pricy for shoes he will only be able to wear for one season but they have been totally worth the money. Madic has already put a lot of miles on them and they have held up great. He hasn’t complained of foot pain. He has stomped through water and mud without his feet getting wet and gross. They have great traction making it easy for him to scramble up rocks (he calls them his mountain goat shoes) and they fit well so his feet don’t get rubbed.

If you are looking for a more affordable route to pick these up you can always try looking for some on Poshmark.

INFANZIA Travel Neck Pillow

We have been on the hunt for a travel pillow for Madic. He still takes an afternoon nap and with our long road trip to Oregon in July we knew we needed something to help him sleep in the car. His chin usually ends up on his chest so we wanted something that would keep his head upright. We ended up getting the INFANZIA travel neck pillow. We have gotten him to sleep with it twice and it has worked like a charm. The hard part has been getting him to let us put it on. The first time I had to trick him into wearing it. I asked him to wear it for 5 minutes and told him if he didn’t like it I would take it off. He agreed. I put it on and within 2 minutes he was a sleep. The second time I had to put it on while he was asleep. But that is how it goes with toddlers, right?!

Summer Pop N’ Sit Infant Portable Booster

With all the camping trips we have planned we knew we needed a travel high chair. A friend recommended the Summer Pop N’ Sit Booster. It was about $27 and so far it has worked great. It has definitely been easier than feeding her on my lap and it folds down to a nice compact size so it is easy to fit in the car.

Deuter Kid Comfort Child Carrier

This bad boy was one of our stimulus check splurges. Since I do so much hiking we decided to upgrade our pack. This thing feels like the Mercedes-Benz of child carriers. There are loads of reasons why I love this pack. 1) It has a spot for a water bladder making it so you can drink without taking off the pack. 2) It folds down nice and flat making it easy to pack in the car. 3) It has hip belt pockets that are large enough to hold my phone and keys. 4) The buckling system makes it easy to get your kid secured quickly and correctly. 5) It distributes the weight making hauling a kid and all their stuff a breeze. 6) It has a mesh back so your back can breathe. And 7) it is adjustable so it fits Dustin’s 6’3″ frame and my 5’6″ frame. Honestly, I could go on and on. This pack is perfection!!

What summer gear are you loving or looking at getting?

Let the Fun begin

Well friends, I hope you have a great week and get out and do something fun with your family. Hopefully, this summer is better for you than last summer with things beginning to open back up. Until next time, happy adventuring!

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