profile

πŸ‘‹ Hi! I'm Kara and I can't help being myself.

πŸ€ͺ Did you survive?!?!?!

Published 11 months agoΒ β€’Β 3 min read

Hey Reader!

Omg, every year I completely forget (or willfully forget?) how totally, completely crazy pants May is. Like the Holderness Family says: It's December, but without the cookies to get you through. πŸ˜‚

I mean I'm not going to go into all of the things I accomplished last month, but if I did you'd be totally blown away.

We're talking things like selling a house and getting ready for a month long trip while doing all of the graduations, end of year events, birthday parties (3, thank you very much!) and wraps ups that May brings.

FINE.

I will accept your crown for Queen of Accomplishments. πŸ‘‘ πŸ˜‚

And in the past, I would have been ticked, if I'm being honest.

The soundtrack in my head would have been all about how I do so much, I'm on my own, I'm the only one who can do it all, and without me to run it, the world will probably combust, or at the very least, fall into a state of khaki pants at backyard BBQs and we all know there's no recovering from that.

But, this year, I just got into it because I knew it was going to end.

I could clearly see that as soon as the kids were out of school, it would all settle again, as it always does, and I'd remind myself of that fact every time I felt start myself getting worked up.

And it ended up being, dare I say, fun!

I connected with a lot of people I haven't seen in awhile, we celebrated important life milestones, we wrapped up some big things that were hanging out there.

We could have said no to things, but I just leaned into the idea that some months are busy.

It doesn't say anything about who we are, or if we're living life correctly, or if this is how it will always be.

Do I want every month to be like May? OMG, no.

Is it fantastic that we have so many people that we want to share our lives with, that we have events to celebrate, big things we're executing on? YES.

Am I ready to head into several quieter months where we can fill ourselves back up and rest? I can't wait.

I have no doubt that I will be dying for school and a return to structure in August, but, for now, I'm going to relish the slower pace, having the kids around, and not having to bribe, steal, and beg to get people to school on time.

I know the summer will end so I'm going to do my best to enjoy it.

What about you? How can you really lean into summer vibes and enjoy it, knowing it will end?

Do you need to take some things off the list? Sit down as a family and plan a few fun excursions? Get some dates with friends on the calendar? Join the pool you've been thinking about? Outsource the big house project that's looming over you?

This is your summer and you get to do how you want, k?

I would love to hear how you're going to summer it up - email me back with one idea you have and let's go, Summertime!

xx. Kara

πŸ‘† YOUR "FEEL BETTER" OF THE WEEK!

Remember how a month or two ago, I ran that 5 Day Challenge and was all up in your inbox? (See: Aftermath of my office.)

It felt amazing, I was riding high, and so excited to be doing THE WORK.

And then May hit, it all came to a grinding halt, and I didn't even manage to get out my follow up survey. 😬

But, I did it! Very imperfectly, but I did it, and this next time will be easier and tighter, right?

IT'S SUMMERTIME!

πŸŽ‰ It's time for 5! Fun! Things!

πŸ’– This book! I think this may be the best book I've read in years (Amazon | Bookshop). It's an update on "Little Women" and is beautiful, life-affirming, and an ode to the power of sisterhood. Let's just say my flight into SF was not a pretty one with all the ugly crying.

πŸ‘œ I reallllly don't want summer to be all about screentime, ya know? I started following Better Screen Time and I feel like she has really actionable, easy tips for how to moderate screen usage. We are not going to be perfect, but I feel like she's moving us in the right direction.

🩱 Every summer my work completely stops because, well, kids. This year, I'm trying something new and signed up for an accountability coach so I can make at least some progress. And... it's working! It's working! It's working! (Let me know if you want me to do a whole post on this because it's working!)

🎿 Every time we go to my parents we play this game and I am so terrible at it and also totally obsessed. πŸ˜‚ (Amazon | Play Goods) It's so fun to have a quick, outdoor game that everyone can play for half hour after dinner. Can't recommend enough!

πŸ’¦ There are two staples I think you need for your closet this summer, both from Target - the camisole (so easy with shorts or skirts and flip flops) and the bodysuit (which makes everything look chic, pinkie swear). Let me know if you want me to do a quick video on how to wear them!

You into this new newsletter format?

Let me know below!

πŸ‘‹ Hi! I'm Kara and I can't help being myself.

And, let me tell you I've tried... 😬

Walking through the world as yourself is no joke. It takes courage, self-awareness, and lots of practice. Inbox Shindig is here to guide you and make you feel less alone with relatable stories, small shifts, and ideas + inspiration so you can start showing up as your most true self.

Read more from πŸ‘‹ Hi! I'm Kara and I can't help being myself.

Hey Reader! In a twist of events, for the first time in maybe ever, I actually had an email scheduled ahead of time to go out. πŸ€ͺ And then the past week and a half happened. Suddenly, talking about how much my joy levels have increased because of my recent digital organization spree felt trite, irrelevant, and grossly inappropriate. There’s been so much pain, grief, terror, and heartache to process that it has felt irresponsible to do anything other than bear witness, mourn, and try to...

7 months agoΒ β€’Β 5 min read

Hey Reader! This past weekend, Chris and I went to a farm dinner with a couple of our besties, which was ridiculously fun and over-the-top. Basically, you show up to a farm where they serve you (literal) farm-fresh drinks while the farmer gives you a tour of where your dinner is coming from. Then a chef makes a ridiculously delish dinner while you sit at a table, chatting with 40 other guests. It's totally bougie-y and kind of ridiculous (what do you wear to dinner in a field?), but was a...

8 months agoΒ β€’Β 4 min read

Hey Reader! I feel like all I’ve been doing is walking around and saying how fast this summer has gone by. But, it has!⁣ And I’ve been feeling guilty because we β€œhaven’t done enough”, never mind the various trips, pool days, Uno matches and play dates with friends. ⁣ My brain keeps going back to the fact we haven’t checked off everything on our Summer List.⁣ ⁣What’s that? ⁣ ⁣Well, every season, the kids and I make a list of what we want to be sure to fit in. Some of them are bigger - see...

9 months agoΒ β€’Β 2 min read
Share this post