Happy Friday from a very rainy North Carolina. We will have a soggy Friday, possibly into Saturday, but nothing compared to what Florida has experienced. Like you, I’ve seen some of the videos begin to emerge and my heart is with the people of Florida as they begin what is sure to be a lengthy recovery. <3

We are planning on laying low, except for a TKD tournament. We have soccer planned Saturday morning that will be dependent on the speed the rain moves through. But mostly we’ll be playing a lot of games, baking bread, and watching football. As I type this, Kaitlyn has already set up Monopoly and has beaten me twice in Shut the Box.

1: Halloween Movies

Tomorrow marks the first day of October but we’ve already jumped into Halloween movies. We’ve watched Curious George Boo Fest, Hocus Pocus (the second one comes out today!), The Addam’s Family, and Halloweentown. If you’re looking for some good ones, check out this list of 26 not-too-scary Halloween movies for young kids!

2: Rental Property Reno

One of our long term rental properties is officially on the market! We’ve been renovating it for a couple months and it’s exciting to see the final product. I say “we” loosely, as my friend, Michelle, is the one who headed up the project. I took the girls to see it Tuesday before it listed and they were ready to move in, ha. I’m excited to see someone make this adorable house their home.

3: HexClad Pans

I’ve had these pans for 5 months now and have been able to put them through the ringer. I can now confidently say that I like them a lot. They combine the effectiveness of stainless steel, the durability of cast iron, and the convenience of nonstick in a single pan.

They have excellent temperature control, are oven safe, dish-washer safe, and can handle metal utensils (including my chainmail cast iron scrubber) just fine. They are pretty to look at, and don’t use any toxic nonstick coatings; they use a high-grade, non-toxic Japanese diamond dust coating. It’s not as “nonstick” as Teflon, but it’s not made with Teflon, so that’s a win in my book.

I use them multiple times daily and they hold up great. If you are looking to try one out, I recommend the HexClad 12″ frying pan– great for searing, transferring to the oven, and fitting whatever you are cooking.

4: Three Cozy Meals for Next Week

I just finished a week of kid favorite dinners and it was so nice to have the kids excited about dinner each night. I’m continuing the theme by planning dinners for next week that we’ve made a million times and all enjoy.

If you’ve never tried this Chicken Noodle Soup, you must. And don’t skimp of the lemon and dill; it’s insanely good. This Red Lentil & Carrot Curry is an easy and nutrient-dense meal that the kids like to eat like a dip on naan bread. And I’ll transfer these Paleo Meatballs in Marinara to the slow cooker to stay warm until after our long night at the soccer then serve them over spaghetti.

5: Taking it Old School

I decided next week I’m going to write old school style and just share our days. I don’t know if that blogging style still works, but as an experiment, I’m going to try it. Maybe it will be incredibly dull to read, but maybe it will be fun to peek into someone else’s life? I know I enjoy it; it’s my version of reality TV! You’ll have to let me know what you think 🙂

Also, I’ll be sending out my monthly newsletter Monday. It includes dinner favorites, articles and podcasts that inspire, things I’m loving, and more. Get on the list here!