The Catch Up, Vol 6
My monthly note, June✿ A warm little check-in and inspiration for your family rhythms this July
Welcome back to “The Catch Up”! I thought it would be fun once a month to do a post with all-the-things we would talk about over Marco Polo or coffee if we were IRL! Books I’d beg you to read, tech tips I’ve learned, show's I’ve watched, new obsessions, and something to love about the current season.
June could probably best be described for us as “camp” and “clean out.”
It was a looooot of fun… and also a looooot of work. If you’re a mama of school-aged kids, then you feel me here. School let out, and it was straight to the races—with three kids heading off to overnight camp (one of them for the first time!).
I spent hours washing, packing, shopping, list-making, note-writing—doing all the things to help them have the best week ever. And let me tell you: it was so worth it. Our family places a really high value on summer camp. Both my husband and I grew up going to camp every summer, so we know the impact it makes.
It builds character, shapes leaders, strengthens their faith, stretches their comfort zones, and gives them a chance to try new things and meet new people. Plus… camp is just really, really FUN. The memories, friendships, songs, and stories they make will stay with them forever.
Our daughters both spent a week at Pine Cove Christian Camps, and our son attended the most amazing Christian camp for kids with special needs. It’s called Beloved and Beyond, and it’s just an hour down the road from us here in Central Texas. This was his third summer, and every year we fall more in love with their mission and vision.
This summer, Rivers (our 8-year-old daughter) got to attend as a “sibling” during Sibling Week. She stayed in a cabin with other girls ages 7–12 who all have siblings with special needs. She’s already in love with the people and the purpose of camp, and it was so special to watch those kids truly bond.
I’ve gotten more involved with the mission of Beloved and Beyond and am now serving in a fun and unique way. I love getting to encourage, share ideas, equip, and create content alongside their team for social media. It’s been such a joy to use my gifts to tell stories and help spread the message of camp.
Make sure you’re following along on Instagram ! Ever Joy and I got to spend the evening at camp this week, and our hearts are just so on fire for the way B+B creates space for people of all abilities to worship God and have the time of their lives.
WE LOVE CAMP!!!
It’s also been the summer of CLEANING OUT.
One thing I love about summer is that there’s more space, margin, and flow to do things that just aren’t possible during the school year. It’s a lot easier to pull everything out of a closet and let it sit there for a bit in the summer than it is on a busy school morning. That’s why, over the past few summers, I’ve been intentional about auditing and editing various spaces in our home.
Last summer it was all my kitchen cabinets; the summer before that, it was switching the kids' rooms around. I’ve also created a game closet and a little book nook. Usually, as summer approaches, I’m already thinking ahead—and itching to get started!
This summer, it’s been our storage situation.
We don’t have a carport or a usable attic, so it can be a little tricky. We do have one small room off the laundry room that we lovingly call “the shed”—and it’s great—but since we don’t have a garage, that’s where all the bikes and scooters live (when they aren’t scattered across the living room, that is!).
We also pay for a climate-controlled storage unit, but I’m determined to either cut that space (and bill) in half or move everything back home. So it’s been a fun challenge—shuffling things around, donating what we no longer need, and creating space to photograph and organize items to sell on Facebook Marketplace.
I now have a “hand-me-down closet” with all three girls’ outgrown clothes organized by size. I also turned another interior closet into a storage space for our “life tubs,” out-of-season bins, winter gear, and some cherished photos and journals.
It’s wild what happens when we actually look at what we’re holding onto—and ask ourselves why. For example, in our storage unit, I’d been keeping a few favorite items from our baby season: the infant car seat and base, my favorite maternity overalls, a ring sling, and a few accessories. The thing is, I had a hysterectomy—and we’re officially out of the baby season. So as bittersweet as it is, it’s time to release those items and make space for this next chapter.
I actually listened to a really great podcast episode about this idea, and it helped put into words why I love cleaning out so much. It’s not just about the end result—it’s about the process of making room for something new.
So if you’ve never thought about using summer to tackle a specific area of your home that’s not serving you anymore, let this be your little nudge to go for it!
That was fun to share my heart, thanks for reading! Now it’s time to get down to this months catch-up!
✿Books I Read and Loved this Month
I am out of my book slump!! Almost every book I read this month was a 5 star, and that is rare! I don’t give out my stars willie nillie. I am in my summer rom com book days and here for it all!!!!!
✿Obsessed with ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚 + 🎧 One Golden Summer by Carly Fortune - OMG—I loved this one so, so, so much! A happy, flirty, easy summer read full of family dynamics, slow-burn romance, and a journey of self-discovery. Totally here for the summer lake vibes!!
📚 + 🎧It’s a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan - Annabel can do no wrong. I love every single one of her books, and this was no exception! I wanted to be sitting on the porch with the Finnegan family, eating breakfast and joking around. Definitely a rom-com, but I always walk away from her books knowing more about myself. I really connected with the theme of growing up in a close-knit, stay-in-your-hometown family—while Dan just wants to forge his own path. I relate!
📚 + 🎧 The Voice We Find by Nicole Deese - I’ve loved every book in the Fog Harbor series, and this one did not disappoint. Any book about creatives/authors/writers has my heart. Learning about the world of audiobook narration was so fun, and as always, Nicole incorporates faith in a genuine, non-cheesy way that leaves me encouraged. I really love this series!
✿L-O-V-E-D⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚 Such a fun age by Kiley Reid - This was a Libby read I’d put off for a bit (I had just finished another book about a nanny in NYC), but I’m so glad I read it. It was important, thought-provoking, and made me reflect a lot—especially as I raise a daughter of color.
🎧 Dolly Parton, Songteller - Checked this out on audio from Libby—and hearing it in her voice made it extra special. I'm obsessed with country music and lyrics, so this one really drew me in. I even have a dream of writing a country song one day. Loved hearing Dolly’s stories, her writing process, and the behind-the-scenes on so many of her songs. Pure joy.
✿Liked⭐️⭐️⭐️
✿Learned something / from someone 🤍
I have started several non fiction books this summer, and I just can’t get into them yet. Or I’ll read a few pages here and there, but not enough to track my progress.
✿Didn’t finish 😜
See above, lol.
✿Shows I Watched and Loved this Month
Summer summer summer time…..
📺 America’s Sweethearts (Netflix)
My mom, sisters, and I have loved the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders forever. We’ve been watching them since the Making the Team days on CMT. So of course, when any of us asked, “Have you watched it yet?”—the answer was already, “Finished it!”I really liked this new season. It felt like a throwback to the CMT days, with that same docu-style vibe we all love.
📺 Sirens (Netflix)
I went into this one blind, but Stephen and I ended up watching most of it together over a weekend. It totally kept us hitting “next episode.” A good mix of drama and intrigue!🎬 Twilight (Movie Marathon)
Not a TV show, but… while the big kids were all at camp and Ever Joy was at my mom’s—you better believe I binged all four Twilight movies. Total throwback, and I loved every single minute. It had been so long since I’d seen them, I honestly forgot what happened half the time. Peak cozy nostalgia.✿ Shows I Started But Haven’t Gotten Into (Yet)
I dipped into a few things on Netflix and Prime, but nothing really stuck this month:
Ginny & Georgia (Season 3 – Netflix)
The Waterfront (Netflix)
Love Is Blind (Season 8 – Netflix)
The Better Sister (Amazon Prime)
I might circle back to these at some point—but they didn’t pull me in right away.
✿ Seasonal Family Rhythm List: July
If you read my Family Binder post, you saw the idea to create a Google Doc for monthly to-do’s that are specific to each month. This has helped soooo much with my mental load! It’s what The Lazy Genius would call a “decide once” principle—and it brings so much peace to our family rhythms.
Each month, I’ll give you a peek into what’s on my seasonal to-do list. I hope it inspires you to think about your own rhythms and maybe start building your own version!
🎒 This Month’s Theme: Back to School Prep!
(Psst—I might have something coming soon to help talk through these even more! Comment if this would be helpful for you!)
Clean out + restock the pantry
Order teacher gifts for back to school
Buy new shoes, water bottles, and labels for school gear
Add all fall school dates to the calendar
(This is super easy with the Skylight calendar! Use code WYNNE for 15% off!)Start planning for fall break
Make sure the command center is fully stocked and updated
Delete, sort, and organize monthly photos in Google Photos
Order monthly Chatbook
✿ Little Life Hack: Schedule a Text!
My friend Andrea shared this at my Family Rhythms workshop night and we all LOVED it—so I had to pass it along!
Did you know you can schedule a text on your iPhone??
Let’s say you’re a night owl and want to respond to messages at 11 p.m.—but it’s not really appropriate to text your kid’s teacher that late. Or maybe your BFF goes to bed early and won’t see your message until morning. You can schedule it to send exactly when you want it to!
Here’s how:
Open your text message
Tap the plus (+) button on the left side
Scroll to “Send Later”
Choose your time, write your message, and hit send!
I just tested it out, and honestly, I should do this more often as a way to encourage family and friends—on their time, not mine!
✿ Phone Note to Start: Back to School Prep
If you read above about the seasonal rhythm of back to school and thought, YES! I need to do that, then this is definitely for you.
If you’ve already created a “2025” folder on your phone or note app, great! Now, go inside that folder and create a new folder called “Kids School.”
Inside that, make an individual note titled “Back to School 2025.” Start jotting down everything you need to do, buy, or order to get ready for the school year.
I know, it feels way early to be thinking about this, but honestly—it’s never too early! Plus, when you get emails or reminders about school stuff, you’ll know exactly where to save them.
Here’s a screenshot of my list to inspire you to start your own!
✿ Newly Obsessed With…
Lately, I’ve been listening to Forrest Frank with my kids (and sometimes by myself). I’m definitely late to the party, but his lyrics are so uplifting, and I love the beats. It’s been really positive and powerful to keep good, true, and beautiful things in my ears.
We’ve been in a season of learning to be content and not buying or spending like we usually do—which has been really good. That also means I don’t have a lot of new stuff I’m obsessed with, since I haven’t been buying much for myself lately!
✿ Things to Love About JULY!!!
I’m totally obsessed with the seasons, and I thought it would be encouraging to share some things to love about wherever we are in the year. There are things to love about every season—even those “in-between” ones!
Late nights, slow mornings
Playing games with the family
Space for margin without all the regular scheduled stuff
Time to vision cast and dream about the next season of life
Evening walks after dinner while the sun sets
Getting to hang out with people I don’t normally get to see during the school year
Being outside, in the water
July 4th is my absolute favorite holiday—so I cannot waittttttt! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
