Monthly Recap- September 2022

Grab a seat and take a minute for yourself while we catch up on September 2022.

Recent Buys

• This sweater is so cozy! I’m actually wearing it right now because the temps have really been cooling off. I can tell I will be reaching for it a lot this fall and winter.

• The older girls started dance class and this leotard is darling!

• Brinley wore an adorable striped dress for our recent family photo session. Her exact dress is out of stock, but this brand has some other great options. I’ve been pleased with the quality for the price and will definitely be buying this brand again.

• I got these food picks and skewers to send in lunch boxes and think they are so cute.

• I also found this set of silicone muffin liners. I’ve used them for baking, but I think they really shine for a condiment holder in lunch boxes. I’ve also used them to corral snacks and use them almost every day now.

• Apparently I’m on the school lunch train right now because I also got this lunch box for Brinley. While I love our Bentgo and use it most days, sometimes she wants warm food for lunch. The new one has a thermos built in to keep certain parts of your lunch warm.

• We’ve been needing a lot of bandages lately and these are too perfect to pass up.

• In my journey to organize our home, I found these zippered pouches. They are great to store games or cards and I love the different sizes. Easier than normal resealable food storage bags when the kids are responsible for cleaning.

• The recent rain and cold have brought on the need for warmer outerwear. Here is our favorite kid’s rain jacket and I love this Columbia jacket on fall days and in the car during the winter- it’s car seat friendly!

This month on the Blog…

Here are some of the recent activities from the blog this month. I hope you find inspiration and try one of these ideas this month.

Family Happenings

Does anyone else feel like September was a whirlwind? Our family had some big things going on, so let’s break it down.

• Ryan and I celebrated our 10th anniversary! We originally planned to take a weekend away without the kids, but it just wasn’t in the cards for us this year. We are taking a mini family trip soon, so I’ll report back next month. We were very unglamorous and watched our wedding video with the kids (our tradition) in our pajamas!

• We battled through a few sicknesses this month, and I’m sure more will come, but we are all healthy at this moment.

• Ellette turned ONE! This was the fastest year of my life and she has lost a lot of her baby-ness in the last few weeks. Her new feat is climbing on and standing on chairs! She also knows what a doggy says, but it actually sounds like a monkey and we crack up every single time she says “ahhhh ahhhhhhh”.

• Brinley and Vaila are loving school. We are finding a rhythm, but it still feels like choreographed chaos most mornings.

• Brinley and Vaila also started dance class. Since school started, they spend more time apart than ever before. They really like having the time together out of the house and are forward and backward rolling all over the house.

• Vaila learned how to ride a pedal bike (no training wheels)! She’s not even 3.5 years old yet, so she looks very tiny and my breath catches a little when she zooms down hills. She was so proud of herself!

• We’ve been trying to take it easy on Saturdays and I’ve really been trying to enjoy our family time instead of always looking for the next project to tackle. Sitting for too long is not in my comfort zone, so it’s definitely been a challenge for me to just hang out and watch college football for an entire afternoon.

• We discovered that Ellette has some food allergies as well. Any FPIES parents out there- you are not alone. Navigating health issues with your children is hard, but we are all doing the best we can.

• I’ve been getting back into some yoga and trying to hop on our Peloton when I can. The food allergy and sickness combo has left me with very little sleep these last few weeks, so my goal is to be more consistent in October.

• I was featured on a podcast! Check it out at Student Loan Planner, it’s the episode from September 20, 2022. We’ve had a lot of changes in the last few years with careers and financial plans. The consultants at Student Loan Planner are so helpful and the podcast was a great experience.

Make it Monday

Easy snack and dinner ideas have been saving me recently. Here is what we’ve been whipping up in the kitchen this month.

• Blueberry Yogurt Oat Muffins via Andi Anne. These are great if you have little helpers and make a great snack with some protein.

• Peanut Butter Cereal Bites via One Little Project. Yum. These are super tasty and aren’t too sticky. I pack them in the silicone muffin liners linked above and send them with Brinley as a snack during school.

• Instant Pot Bruschetta Chicken Pasta via The Recipe Well. This recipe makes so much food! This has become a staple in our house because it is quick to put together, doesn’t leave a huge mess to clean, and can be customized for your family. My sister recently made this with spinach, and we sometimes leave out the onion because our 5-year-old doesn’t care for them.

I didn’t post a recipe idea on Labor Day, so you only get 3 links this month. Check back next month for the recap of some of our go-to recipes or follow along on Instagram where I share our weekly favorite every Monday.

Looking Forward to October

I love to squeeze every bit of summer out that I can, but I am fully in the fall spirit now. Cozy sweaters, warm blankets, jackets when we take walks. All of the fall things have me feeling motivated and refreshed. I’ve been posting some great fall ideas on Instagram and I will get them here on the blog as soon as I can.

I know it can be tough to squeeze in activities or crafts with the kids, especially if you don’t have the supplies on hand. Here is a sneak peek at some items we will be using next month. Hopefully this makes it easier to follow along and less stressful for you.

• flour

• toothpicks

• pine cones

• Halloween candy

Shop the Site

I have created digital downloads for some of the projects and activities from the blog! These are available to purchase from the online store. I’ll add and update items regularly, including birthday and holiday products. If you don’t see what you are looking for, let me know by sending me a message.

Here’s what we added this month:

• Apple Crisp Recipe Printable- this makes a great sensory bin or counting game. I included a paper version in case you didn’t want to vacuum anything extra.

• Kids Fall Activity Bundle- this has been so fun for the kids! 18 pages of fall themed items you can use in multiple ways for counting, number recognition, and fine motor skills.

Here’s to a cozy and restorative month. Cheers!

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