The recent cool front has me back to my drinking-hot-tea-all-day-long habits. Earl grey in the mornings, then usually switching to ginger or turmeric tea in the afternoons. I’ve also almost burned through all my candles and am on the lookout for new ones. In other words, the cozy season is creeping in and I find myself going through spurts of crazy productivity followed by deep yearnings to step away and slow everything down. I realize by now that this is pretty typical for me in fall. I want to do ALL THE THINGS and NONE OF THINGS at the same time.

On the “all the things” side… we’ve been spending a lot of time at the soccer field, seizing every pumpkin patch photo opp, and working our way through our list of must-watch Halloween movies (which you can find here).

Homeschooling is going well, though I’m at a bit of a crossroads with curriculum. Kaitlyn finished her The Good and the Beautiful pre-K course book. I’m torn on what to do now because I don’t really want to focus on workbook activities for her, but she begs to be included in the table work. I think I will move onto the Primer book for The Good and The Beautiful for her for when she wants “work” to do, but I’m considering doing theme weeks for all of us as we lighten the academic load through the holidays.

It’s really amazed me how quickly we move through stuff, so from mid-November through New Year, our plan is to keep math and reading consistent, but to increase our flexibility with other subjects to allow for more field trips, thematic learning, and just plain holiday fun.

I bought Hailey a Spelling You See curriculum to focus in more on her spelling, and we’ll probably continue with The Good and the Beautiful for her language arts through December, then we might make the switch back to Brave Writer. We are all still loving Singapore math, our monthly poetry tea time with friends, field trips (most recently we went to Historic Latta Plantation for their homeschool day), monthly lunch bunch out (this time we tried the new MOD pizza and it was delish!) and read alouds. We fill out this journal each time we finish a book together and the girls share and illustrate their favorite part of the story.

I know the homeschool curriculum talk isn’t for everyone, but I hope it’s at least interesting to see what the process is like and maybe offer some supplementary resources for those looking for things to do at home!

We’ve been on a few excursions lately, including a family Sunday matinee performance of Matilda put on by The Children’s Theater in Charlotte. It was fantastic (though a bit shocking if you haven’t read the book and know that Roald Dahl writes with a hint of darkness).

The girls and I also took a quick trip down to my mom and dad’s house last week. We made homemade pizza which was excellent, especially when paired with a vat of marinara for dipping. Anyone else? I got it from my dad and Kaitlyn picked it up for me and between the three of us, I’m pretty sure we could devour a quart of marinara in a single meal.

In personal development news, I am yet again working on stepping up my closet. I realized my big hurdle was constantly referring to dressing myself as fashion. Fashion sounds intimidating to me, but I’m realizing that looking like I walked off a runway isn’t my goal; I just want to have clothes that fit well and make me feel pulled together. I call my look: clothes for real people; not fashion. Here are a few of my favs:

Camo Tee (I’m wearing a medium)
Gold Pendant Necklace (goes with everything)
Birkinstocks (if you don’t have a pair of these yet, run and buy them now; they are incredible)

Barefoot Dreams Cardigan (hands down the softest thing I have ever owned; so cozy!)
Seamless layering tank
Leopard flats (because I must have this staple, but wanted to be comfy while walking too)

Raw Hem Black Skinny Jeans
Black and White Striped Tee
Suede Moto Jacket (the piece I’m most proud of because I it’s bold for me, but I love that color!)

And last, but certainly not least: these gray jeans are my new go-to pair. A great price and just the right amount of stretch (size down). I’ve gotten so many compliments on them already!

Maybe I need to write catch up posts more often because I just seem to keep going on and on today. Here are a few final thoughts to wrap things up:

Links worth sharing:

It’s Lonely Being the Mom that Says No (Been there, and know I’ll be there a lot in the future, too.)

13 Must-Try Pumpkin Recipes for Fall (I can vouch for the pumpkin walnut chili!)

Go For a Run Driveway Workout (I LOVED this workout!)

5 Ways to Get Babies to Eat More Vegetables (yes to all of these, especially add spice!)

Instagram accounts I’m loving lately:
(you can follow me here)

MyHeartsHomestead: Hannah makes homeschooling look so cozy that I just want to crawl into her feed and set up shop.

TheBatchMaker: Cristina will have you drooling over her decadent creations! And good news for Charlotte locals; you can buy her treats and enjoy them yourself- perfect for holidays (or just for any manic Monday).

HeatherKMcMahan: Do y’all follow people that are total opposites of yourself? I certainly do! I just recently came across Heather and her Instagram cracks. me. up! Don’t follow her if you’re offended by language or take life too seriously.

Organic_Blondie: Courtney is a health coach and passionate about natural health and fitness. She shares so many great tips on healthy eating and overall wellness and is always teaching me about the latest and greatest in foods and supplements!

One thing to put on your menu for next week:

This salad: mixed baby greens, orange bell peppers, carrots, apples, blue cheese, and roasted pumpkin seeds. Add a sprinkle of fresh pepper.
Dressing: Olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt. Shake and drizzle.

Is it terrible that I feel I could keep typing? I blame it on that second cup of Earl Gray I treated myself to after Kaitlyn woke up twice last night. But I’ll stop typing and ask you to pitch in instead…

What’s up with you?

Any clothing staples I need to consider?

Who do you love to follow on Insta?

What fall food have you devoured lately?