No. 6: The September Favorites

the October Bucket List + my favorite September purchases, reads and listens

Anyone else white-knuckle their way through September only to cross into October crawling, huffing and puffing only to realize you’re just 1/3 of the way to the finish line? October always reminds me the all-out sprint with the to-do list of a thousand men on my back is unsustainable—I’m gonna have to slow down. Refuel. Let some things go.

I healed from an appendectomy, spent a weekend in L.A, graded homework, taught memory verses, made new recipes, made ancient recipes, tossed out two cartons of arugula when I inevitably forgot to use it in recipes. I played soccer and catch with my big kids, shuffled them to gymnastics and football and dance and birthdays. I comforted and carried and cooked with my baby, entertaining her during their homeschool and counting down the hours til’ nap time on the big kids’ at-school days.

I threw out my back and pulled a muscle in my neck and hit that place where my brain whispers and my body shouts that I need to sleep and stretch and stop sometimes.

You know that place?

I’ve always liked to think that all of God’s creation arrives at that very same place come October.

The earth is whispering that it’s almost time to rest and in about a month, the shout will follow. In a grand, dramatic finale, things as dense as the sun and as thin as branches will let go.

So, too, will I.

1 (on sale) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

I enjoyed the Elle Cosimano book above so much that I read the second book in the series immediately after. Again, not scary, just a fun and light mystery.

I found this Glamour article fascinating. It gives an in-depth look into the lives of 9 different women in the first 28 days postpartum and what it looks like to live in America, one of only nine countries in the world that doesn’t offer national paid maternity leave.

So many of you found wardrobe staples in last week’s 10 Fall Wardrobe Staples Under $100 section—this dress was the most purchased item by far followed by these shoes in a very close second. You are wise women.

If you’re not sure what to watch this month, you’ve come to the right place. There are some incredible shows and movies coming out this month and I’m sure your feeds are filled with them. I’m not gonna go that route. We’re gonna go the rewatch direction, okay? If you’re in the mood for a cozy television series—which, if you’re solo parenting, late in pregnancy or newly postpartum, you should be—consider rewatching Gilmore Girls, Friday Night Lights, Everybody Loves Raymond, Boy Meets World, Mad About You, Fraiser or Parenthood. These always, always hit the spot this time of year. If you don’t have much time on your hands and a movie is more your speed, it’s the perfect month to rewatch Step Mom, When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, Pride & Prejudice, It’s Complicated, Little Women, Knives Out, The Breakfast Club or Father of the Bride. Thank me later, fam.

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Aside from dressing up with my babies, I loathe Halloween so my October list isn’t going to include cutting out bats and hanging skeletons. Nope. This is a bucket list for the lovely side of fall—the best of autumn. 

Most of the items on our family bucket list are pretty standard so we don’t need to dive into them. I’m a memory making mom, but I’m not a Fun Mom by nature so “standard” and “practical” suit me well, you know? The one item that might need some explaining is this: ‘Barnes and Noble Cash-In Day after chores.’ The concept is to have the kids do some special Fall chores like helping clean out the garage, washing windows, putting or removing things from storage and so on. Once the big family chore day is over, they can “cash in” at B&N.

We’re pretty obsessed with Barnes and Noble, but we are library people. Buying books can almost hurt because we love the library so much. But there is something special about letting them fall in love with a book and bring it home to keep. Plus, the reason I suggest B&N is because you can get puzzles and craft kits and allll the things as well as books. If you have a great local bookstore in your town, certainly go there instead! Maybe you get one book you plan to read aloud together (Oshiolema and I just started Harry Potter) or maybe they choose a craft kit—they can do it alone if you need to buy some time or you can do it together if you’re craving more intentional family time. The world is your oyster. If you implement this, report back!

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That’s gonna be it for this week, friends! May your weekend be filled with apple cider doughnuts, a pumpkin patch, a great football game and a Nancy Meyers movie marathon. All the October things. The most beautiful month of the year. It’s here, it’s magic, and it’ll be gone before we know it.

I’ll see you next week, same time, same place.