I learned a very important life lesson this week: YOUR MORNING ROUTINE MATTERS. A lot. 

I abandoned it this week because I had such a busy week at work and it completely backfired. The morning routine truly is that important. 

Find out why inside today’s post and grab a fun summer writing prompt and LOTS of fantastic finds from the Internet, too. 

What I'm Reading:

My morning routine typically consists of coffee and books. After that comes exercise and breakfast. Then, notebooking. But this week was different. This week was a BUSY week at work and instead of sticking with my joyful morning routine, I skipped it so I could get more work done. 

In the words of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman: Big mistake. Big. Huge.

Why? Because while I did get more work done, I did not find the time to read or notebook later on. I was so mentally exhausted from reading and writing and grading papers that I simply faded out by scrolling my phone. 

Yes, that’s why you’ll see MANY links to share in this post, but only ONE book.

Next week, I’m heading back to my morning routine with gusto. And I’m keeping it, too. 

Where the Children Take Us by Zain E. Asher

This is an absolutely beautiful, brilliantly written account of one family’s triumph through loss to an extraordinary life. Asher starts her family’s story with the heart-breaking loss of her father, shares her mother’s incredible strength and desire to see her children succeed while grappling with that loss and ends with her own story and the story still left to tell. I felt like I was reading this as multiple versions of myself: my younger self working so hard to be good at something, my current self trying to learn how to be a better parent and my future self hopefully looking back with pride on what my daughter would say about what I taught her, too. This is a parenting manifesto just as much as it is a memoir and I am absolutely taken with this book. 

What I'm Writing:

​Recently on Twitter, Gretchen Rubin asked, “If you could create a summer camp for grown-ups, what activities would you plan?” 

I just love this prompt and spent some time making a list in my notebook. Here are some things I’d include in my own personal summer camp:

  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Hand Lettering
  • Cake Decorating
  • Cricut Crafting
  • Chocolate Making
  • Coffee Tasting

And now, I’d like to figure out how to go about creating a summer camp for myself. Jen Hatmaker creates a Me Camp for herself each year and I think I’m going to declare her as my mentor for this.

What I'm Learning:

Well, I’m learning a new platform again: Patreon. 

Patreon is this pretty amazing private community site where bloggers and podcasters can post bonus episodes, resources and invitations to live events for members. 

I’ve had to make a big decision this week to get my hands off the computer with more regularity. That means saying no to writing as much as I have….but it also means saying YES to podcasting and other forms of sharing ideas.

So, I’ve jumped headfirst into my new Get Lit(erate) podcast and shifted my entire Get Lit(erate) community to Patreon. And I couldn’t be happier. 

Not only will this platform make creating the content easier, but it INSTANTLY delivers it to the Patreon website, the Patreon app AND on a private RSS feed in your favorite podcast platform. You can listen on your phone every week for easy inspiration.

Interested? Click here to learn more!

What I'm Loving:

Did you know that FUN is the secret to a healthier life? Learn more in Catherine Price’s new TED Talk.

There’s a new video game based on the poems of Emly Dickinson as mentioned in Gabrelle Zevin’s new book Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow. I need to move this book to the top of my stack.

Now THIS is home library organization dedication. You MUST look.

Tombow is having a back-to-school sale! Head online and use the code SCHOOL2022 for 25% off EVERYTHING! Yes, please. 

Look at these 100 Journals from 1canoe2! They are adorable and I want them all. 

There you have it! I hope this inspires you to make space for more reading and writing in your own life. What are the highlights from your literate life this week?