Hi friend,
Last month I shared that I was having wrist surgery, and first, thank you for your prayers. Recovery has been going really well, and my physical therapist has been happy with my progress.
What's funny is that the exercises themselves don't look impressive at all. They're small. Slow. Repetitive. The kind of movements that makes you wonder if they're even doing anything.
But every week I go back, my strength and mobility are improving. And honestly, it's been such a good reminder of something I talk about all the time: Progress rarely comes from intensity.
More often, it comes from calm discipline. Small, faithful actions repeated over time. Not flashy. Not exciting. Just consistent.
As we head into summer — the summer before we start homeschooling kindergarten — that's a lesson I'm trying to carry with me. You'll probably notice a theme in the June podcast episodes: slowing down.
Slowing down does not come naturally to me, so if you're in that same boat, let's learn together.
This month, here’s what it looked like to Multiply the Five:
(Note: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I will only ever share things I genuinely use and love.)
FAITH
God's Word always has more to teach us.
I've been diving into Nehemiah lately and WOW. I'm only a few chapters in, but I've already filled pages of notes. The leadership, perseverance, prayer, and stewardship themes are incredible. And this may or may not be a tiny hint about some upcoming podcast content later this summer. 😉
Have you read Nehemiah? I'd love to know your biggest takeaway.
MARRIAGE
The little things are often the big things.
This month we celebrate 10 years of marriage. We don't have a big trip or celebration planned (three kids 5 and under will do that 😅), but it's still a milestone worth celebrating.
Lately I've been thinking about something we used to do before kids: a weekly coffee date at one of our favorite local spots where we'd read a marriage devotional together and talk through it. Somewhere between babies, bedtime routines, and the new inability to drink caffeine after 3pm, that habit disappeared.
I'd love to bring it back, even if it has to look different in this season. Do you have a favorite marriage devotional or book? Send me your recommendations!
We completed the Sacred Marriage devotional (it's free through Kindle Unlimited) and enjoyed it!
FAMILY
Simple systems create more margin for what matters.
We're still working toward our 1,000 Hours Outside goal. Transparently, it's not exactly going according to plan...🙈
But we're still tracking, still prioritizing outdoor time, and still getting more hours in than we used to — which was the whole point — so still a success in my eyes!
One thing helping tremendously has been simplifying dinner. My Instant Pot on slow cooker mode has basically become the star of the kitchen. I've been throwing together simple slow-cooker meals in the morning so we're free to spend more time outside the rest of the day. Plus I don't have to turn the oven on when it's so hot — double win!
Question for you: Would you like me to share some of these recipes?
WORK
Every season doesn't need the same level of output.
One of my biggest goals this slow summer is leaving margin to help the women inside the Sprint Planning Workshop succeed. The workshop will reopen later this fall, but for now my focus is serving the moms already inside. If you missed it and wish you'd joined, just reply with: WORKSHOP and I'll add you to the waitlist for the next round.
SELF
I think I need a vacation.
Vacation is one of the few places where I truly relax. At home, I will always find something that needs to be cleaned, organized, improved, planned, researched, or optimized. Vacation easily removes those natural tendencies, which is probably why I like it so much.
One of my personal goals is to visit all 50 states by age 50, and we're currently considering Arkansas or Virginia for a future family trip because distance-wise, it's pretty reasonable.
If you've visited either one, I'd love your honest opinion. We're nature people, not city people, so hiking trails suitable for 3 very small kids, mountain views, and fun nature spots are always at the top of our list.
A small encouragement this month
One thing physical therapy keeps reminding me is that healing isn't usually dramatic. It's slow. Repetitive. And quite frankly, little boring.
But those tiny movements add up. The same is true of our faith, our marriages, our parenting, our work, and the goals God has placed in front of us. We don't have to do everything all at once. We just have to keep showing up faithfully.
So I'm curious: What's your goal for this summer?
To slow down? Get outside more? Build a business? Read more books? Spend more intentional time with your family? Hit reply and tell me. I genuinely love hearing what's going on in your world.
Cheering you on,
P.S. If you have a friend who's hoping for a slower summer too, forward this email to her. She'll appreciate the encouragement that she's not the only one yearning for a slower pace 💛
