Shiny Happy People: My honest thoughts (+ lots of pictures and details on life right now!)

Graduation, What I'm Reading, an unexpected surprise [image]() Hi, friend! If you are subscribed to my personal email newsletter, you may have noticed that I've not sent out a personal newsletter for three weeks. Not because I didn't have anything to share -- I had SO MUCH to hare -- but because real life was so full that sitting down to compose a long newsy email just kept not happening! I'm typing this sitting out on the back screened-in porch with a three-year-old sitting next to me telling me all about so many things in her life! How do I recap the last three weeks without writing 30,000 words?? That's the challenge! One of the Biggest Highlights: Kathrynne's Graduation One of the biggest highlights was Kathrynne graduating! We were so blessed to have so many family members fly and drive to TN to be here with us for her big day. The ceremony was a little interesting because all three little kids decided they needed to sit with Jesse and me... not any of the family members we'd planned for them to sit with. So I felt like we were a bit of a circus (gratefully the family behind us has 7 kids so I know they get it!) and I was a little concerned we were going to miss Kathrynne actually walking across the stage. But at the last minute, it all worked out and Jesse and I were able to fully soak up the special moment. If you remember, Kathrynne decided at the last minute (literally about two weeks before!) that she wanted to do a party instead of just the small family dinner we'd planned. She ended up inviting around 170 people. Since it was last-minute, I wasn't sure how it was all going to come together, but it ended up just being amazing -- and around 70 people came! You can [see pictures from the day over here on Instagram]( or [here]( (see a [video there]( of Kathrynne's boyfriend playing the bass for the graduation). [image](=) Do you use [Like It to Know It](=)? It's a site where you can curate photos/links to your favorite products. We've had a lot of people ask for me to set an account up over the years and my sister finally went and did it for me! We'll be adding to it quite a bit in the coming weeks and months. [Check it out and follow here.]() [image](=) Shiny Happy People: My Personal Experience with IBLP/ATI This may be [one of the most controversial podcast episodes I’ve ever recorded](=) – and also the most personal! Amazon recently released a 4-part docu-series called Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets. While this series focuses on the Duggar family primarily, it dives into the world and beliefs of those who were part of the IBLP/ATI program – which was the program and culture I grew up in. We got so many requests from people to share our thoughts on the docu-series, so we sat down together and recorded a very unscripted podcast on what it was like for me to grow up in this culture + our honest thoughts on the docu-series. You might not agree with ,y perspective, but I hope that this episode makes you think and/or encourages you in your journey, whether you may be. [Listen to the episode here.](=) I also answered [followup questions from the podcast episode here](=). And here are two very personal reels I shared: ["Cheerful, Immediate Obedience"]() and [Formulaic Parenting.](=) Note: I had planned for this podcast to be more of a conversation, but once I started sharing, I had so much to say that it turned more into a monologue! It was really healing for me to get the chance to share for the first time about all of this, but I want Jesse to get to share, too. His family wasn't in ATI, but he was definitely influenced by IBLP because of the church we grew up in, so we'll be sharing a podcast episode in two weeks about his experience and thoughts on IBLP. Other podcast episodes you may have missed: - [Trading Boring, Empty Prayer for Real Connection with Addison Bevere]( - [How to Help Your Kids Have an Intentional Summer]( - [Every Woman a Theologian with Phylicia Masonheimer](=) [image]() For a limited time only, [Amazon is back with their popular Book Sale! Buy two books and get another one FREE at checkout — no promo code needed.](=) This is a RARE offer and is a perfect time to grab some of your favorite books or a few to give as gifts! There are over 1000 book titles to choose from — including many of my favorites. Plus, many of these books are already on sale! You can click on “books” on the left sidebar to see just the book titles. [See some of my favorites included in the sale here.](=) By the way, we just got word that [The Time-Saving Mom]() is an ECPA bestseller! That was exciting and unexpected -- thank YOU for making it happen! It's also [part of the Buy 2, Get 1Free sale on Amazon and the price is knocked down to $16.09 right now](), so if you've not gotten a copy yet, now is a great time to do so! [image] What I'm Reading Right Now Speaking of books, here's what I'm currently reading: [Salt to the Sea](=) -- This was the book I picked for our Summer Book Club that I'm doing with the older three kids (this was their idea! We all chose a book and we're reading through it at the same time!) I'm only a little ways in, but really enjoying it so far. And the older three are raving about how much they are enjoying it! [Raised to Stay]( -- I had never heard of the author of this book until her published contacted me about possibly having her on the podcast. I did some investigating and decided to say yes -- and I'm so glad that I did because her podcast episode was fantastic (it comes out next week!) and this book has been SO good! [The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip]() -- This novel was highly recommended to me. I'm about a 1/4th of the way in and I'm still intrigued as to where the story is going, but I've enjoyed it so far. And I'm listening to [Once Upon a Wardrobe](=) -- an audiobook so many have told me they have loved! [image]() If your kids need some encouragement and motivation to get in some more reading before the summer ends, be sure to [download our FREE Kid’s Summer Reading Printable Pack!]() This printable pack includes: - FREE Summer Reading Challenge Printable — Check off different types of books you read! - FREE Reading Time Tracker — Color in a book for every 15 minutes you read! - FREE Summer Reading List — Fill in the blanks to keep track of all the books you read this summer! [Sign up here for free!](=) [image]( [image] An Unexpected Surprise! For those of you who have been following our foster care journey, you'll remember that we said yes to fostering a baby boy from the NICU in 2020. We fostered him for 8 1/2 months and then he reunified with his mom -- which was both brutal for us but beautiful for him and for her! We kept in touch and often got to babysit him while she was working until he got into daycare at the end of last year. We missed him so much, but we also were grateful his mom had that solid childcare since we couldn't always work it in our schedule to watch him 3-4 days/week. She told us that they were moving out of state this summer and we were so hopeful we'd get to spend some time with him before they moved. Well, guess what? Some things changed with his childcare and she asked if we could be available to watch him a few days a week for the next month. We were thrilled to be able to step in and say yes and have loved getting to have him with us more regularly. He's 3 years old and very, very lively, but also incredibly sweet and always telling us, "I love you!" We may not be getting a lot done around here on days when he's with us since we have 4 kids 3 and under, but we are cherishing the moments, making memories, and savoring the gift of all this time with him. We pray that he always knows how much he is loved and that as he leaves to move out-of-state soon, he will continue to thrive and be surrounded with love. Looking Ahead to This Week Monday -- I'm planning to take Kaitlynn out to the nail salon as an early birthday gift/outing (Jesse and I usually take the birthday child out individually sometime during their birthday week!) I also have two interviews and am meeting with the young woman I'm currently mentoring. Tuesday -- It's Micah's one-year-old birthday (we're keeping it simple and just doing a fun smash cake for him plus a few gifts), we're watching C, Silas has his first job interview, and my session for the [Purpose-Driven Mom Virtual Summit goes live]() (have you signed up for this event? It's free! [Sign up here]()!) Wednesday -- It's Kaitlynn's sweet 16! She decided to wait until later in the summer to do a party with friends and we're planning a family outing to Top Golf later in the month, so her actual birthday will be more low key. I was invited to attend this Influencer Summit with the Ramsey Solutions and so I'll be at that for part of the day. I'm also supposed to interview Phylicia Masonheimer on IG for my Time-Saving Strategies IG live series! Thursday -- I'll be at the Influencer Event most of the day. Kierstyn has her first dentist appointment, which she's very excited about! And we're celebrating Kaitlynn's birthday that evening. Friday -- I'll be at the Influencer event for part of the day and then we'll be packing up to leave to head to Alabama for a baseball tournament all weekend. Saturday -- Baseball tournament in Alabama! Stay tuned for all the details on how our week goes down[by following along on Instagram stories](. I'll also be sharing a day in my life on Friday, like usual, so be sure to tune in for that! Have a wonderful week! -Crystal P.S. It's your last chance to [sign up for the Purpose-Driven Mom Virtual Summit.](=) There are lots of great speakers and it's completely free to watch online (you can also pay to upgrade and get access to all the sessions to watch on your own time, but watching in real-time is free!) [Privacy Policy](=) [Unsubscribe]( Money Saving Mom, LLC 2020 Fieldstone Parkway, Ste. 900 #313 Franklin, Tennessee 37069 United States