Hi friend,

The weather has been so much nicer lately, and I can’t help but start thinking ahead to summer.

And if I’m honest… I’ve always had this picture in my mind of what that would look like. Slower days. More margin. Less rushing from one thing to the next.

But as I’ve started looking ahead to our actual schedule, I had a bit of a reality check. Come August, we will have something going on every single day.

Between speech therapy, OT, a preschool program a couple days a week, and a homeschool enrichment day for my oldest (where I’ll also be serving with the younger kids)…we're booked.

All good things. All things I’m incredibly grateful for. But it's definitely not the “wide open, slow days” I once imagined when we chose homeschooling.

And it made me laugh a little. Because part of the reason I chose this path was for a simpler, slower life. And in many ways, we do have that flexibility — especially being able to support what our kids need.

But life doesn’t always look the way we pictured it would.

So instead of hoping things will just feel slower, I’ve been thinking about how to be intentional with the time we do have. Planning for a slower summer… on purpose. Not by doing nothing. But by choosing what matters, and letting that shape our days.

This month, here’s what it looked like to Multiply the Five:

FAITH

Faithfulness compounds over time.

I just started reading Women of the Word, and it’s already been so helpful. One idea that really stuck with me is thinking about Bible study less like a “debit account” (where we expect something every single time), and more like a savings account that builds over time. Not every day will feel life-changing, but over time, it compounds in a way that really matters.

MARRIAGE

Love is built in the everyday moments.

We had a really nice date night this past weekend to celebrate my husband’s birthday — lobster & crab pasta, the works — and it was so fun and special. But honestly, what’s been sticking with me more are the little things. Like him knocking out my running “honey-do” list on the weekend when I know he’d rather relax. Or me getting up at 5am to pack his lunch and prep his coffee when he accidentally oversleeps, so he’s not late for work. It’s those small, everyday things that really show “I love you.”

FAMILY

You can shift the tone of the day.

A friend and I were voice memoing the other day about one of those days where everything just felt off. Kids were grumpy, nothing was going smoothly, and it would’ve been easy to just ride it out and waive a flag of surrender. But we talked about the idea of “rallying” instead of becoming a victim to the day. For me, that looked like loading up all three kids and driving 35 minutes to a thrift store instead of the one that's only 10 minutes away — just to change the scenery. It didn’t fix everything, but it completely shifted the tone until bedtime.

WORK

Margin is created ahead of time.

Because I’m planning for a slower summer, I’m trying to work ahead now. One thing I’ve really loved about podcasting is that I’m not tied to my phone like I would be with social media. I can batch episodes and schedule them out weeks (or months) in advance. Right now I stay about a month ahead, but I’m working toward getting two months ahead so I can build in more margin this summer.

SELF

Rest often needs to be intentional.

I shared earlier this week that rest doesn’t always come naturally to me — I tend to default to “producing” something. So one thing I’m trying is actually planning what rest will look like. Even something simple like sitting outside with a book on the swing or intentionally enjoying a treat. I’ve found that when I don’t plan for rest, I usually end up filling that space instead of actually resting.

I’m curious what this season looks like for you. Are you hoping for a slower summer too? Or does life feel pretty full right now?

And more importantly — where do you feel like you need the most support?

Is it:

• getting things done
• doing less (but better)
• creating more structure
• or actually learning how to rest

Just hit reply and tell me. I really do read every email, and it helps me know what would actually be helpful to share.

If we want things to feel slower, it usually doesn’t happen by accident. It takes a little intention on the front end. But small, thoughtful choices really do add up.

Cheering you on,

P.S. If you’re hoping for a slower summer too, I wouldn’t leave it to chance. A little planning now can make a big difference later. I’ll be sharing more on this soon 🤍

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