I had to split up June’s monthly round up into two posts: at home & traveling. It was way too much for one post! This is the post about our delicately-balanced time away from home in June. As an overview, I spent 2 weeks in Louisville for the AP Art History Read (I was an Early Reader this year), we traveled up together as a family and Will took on “primary parent” duties while I worked. The boys left on day 5 for a quick turn around back home before Will left for his AP Biology Read in Cincinnati; our Reads overlapped a week. We knew about this overlap a year ago, so before accepting our invitations, we asked my parents if they would be willing to watch the boys for the week. They said yes, and part of the week they stayed home to do the soccer/swim lessons/tennis stuff and then they took the boys to New Smyrna Beach for 3 days. Will & I returned June 18 and 19 from our AP Reads so we are back on home duty for the rest of the month!
Read more: Travel Tips: Traveling with Little Kids
What We are Doing
The short way of putting it? A LOT. There are three (kind of four) trips outlined here:
- My AP Art History College Board Read in Louisville (13 days + 2 travel days) + Will and the boys joined me for the first 5 days
- Will’s AP Biology College Board Read in Cincinnati (7 days + 2 travel days)
- During the parts or AP Reads overlapped (6 days), my parents had the boys and they went to New Smyrna Beach for 3 days
Read more: AP Art History: 2026 Early Read Schedule
What We are Cooking Eating
There was no cooking on these trips, my body is definitely not a fan of not cooking/eating homemade food for 2 weeks! So instead of what we cooked, here are some of the meal experiences we loved while traveling this month. While on the AP Reads, College Board covers 3 meals a day + 2 snacks. I ate dinner the convention center a few times, but I also wanted to enjoy the city cuisine. Our hotel had an excellent breakfast (made-to-order omelets!) so that’s what I every morning for 13 days straight.
- The Last Refuge (I went twice) is in an old Methodist Church that is somehow connected to Bob Dylan’s bourbon
- Will enjoys his bourbon and did a distillery tour at Angel’s Envy
- Hotel smorgasbord leftovers (food from: Garage Bar & Mi Ranchito Grill Mexican Restaurant)
- My coffee rotation: Bayt al Mocha, Heine Brothers, & Sunergos Coffee
- Pearl Street Taproom (in Indiana, across the river from Louisville accessible by the pedestrian Big Four Bridge)
- Two excellent, and very pricy meals, during the AP Read (both partially reimbursed by College Board dine out nights): Lou Lou on Market & bar Vetti
What We are Reading/Watching/Listening To
The short answer is that I spent the whole time in Louisville reading essays, 8 hours a day for 13 days straight. Sounds awful? I mean yes, it’s not the top 10 most fun I’ve had in life but I swear it is not as bad as it sounds. Plus we had about 2.5 days during the Early Read with a lot of free time but I was sick of reading. Because I spent all day reading during the AP Read my eyeballs did not want to read much more than that but I did manage to finish my assigned summer reading: The Witcher: The Last Wish.
Instead I listen to an audiobook when I was alone (after the boys left) in the evenings, Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas. It is the sequel to a book I finished listening to before leaving for Louisville: Throne of Glass. The books are classified YA fantasy so I shouldn’t be too critical. I enjoyed them, and I put a hold on the third one via the Libby app. If you like fantasy romance (without X-rated scenes) and want an easy, enjoyable read – go for it!
Read more: 2026 Summer Book Swap
JMF
