November Favorites

This past month was a bit of a rollercoaster.

The weight of this year has been hitting me hard and heavy these past couple weeks. I’ve been working like a madwoman, tending to two small kids full time, AND now back to doing remote learning for Kieran.

I can feel myself wearing very thin, and I’ve had to make some adjustments to my business/workload in order to ensure that I am taking better care of myself while also being able to dedicate the attention to my children that they need and deserve right now.

It was a hard decision but a necessary one. And my hope is that it is temporary. Until we can get back to life as we once knew it, I have to put the photography business on the back burner for a bit.

On a lighter note, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It was just the four of us, and we definitely missed our families a ton, but it was also SO NICE to have the pressure off. It was very relaxed. Very manageable. And it was nice to have the unexpected break.

Our house is all decked out for Christmas. We actually did it the weekend before Thanksgiving this year because we wanted to make this season last as long as possible, especially for the kids. Our normal is to decorate AFTER Thanksgiving, but we could all use the extra dose of cheer this year. It was an awesome move, too, because once Thanksgiving was over, Dan and I were able to actually relax and enjoy the weekend. Perhaps we’ll break this rule again in the future!

I’m looking forward to this month of holiday spirit, seeing the season through my kids’ eyes, and soaking up as much of the joy so I can take it into the new year with me. I have lots of goals and intentions to set forth in 2021 (don’t we all?), and I am really looking forward to the fresh start.

I have a few new favorites to tell you about from this past month.

1. First up is Native deodorant. OK, so I have been on the hunt for a good natural deodorant for about two years now. I really like the Dove and Secret aluminum-free versions, but I still wanted something more natural with fewer “hard to pronounce” ingredients. Native deodorant has been one I’ve been wanting to try for a long time. I bit the bullet this past month, and while I am only about two weeks into using it, I LOVE IT. The scents are amazing (I got a three pack to sample), and it works! Woo hoo! I’ll report back as time goes on.
2. I have been LIVING in this sweater these past couple weeks. I ordered it because I basically live in leggings and cozy tops this time of year, and I love that this is an actual sweater. I love the mock neck – it’s very classy looking – and the fit is loose and comfy. I ordered my usual size M and I probably could have gotten a S – it’s roomy! I LOVE it.
3. Speaking of sweaters, I bought this one from Old Navy recently and it’s another staple these days. Soft, cozy, and very flattering without being frumpy. Old Navy can be so hit or miss, and lately, I’ve been finding so many great things there. I bought this one in the light gray color. It’s so pretty!
4. I have been loving these Soma cool nights sleepshirts for a couple months now. I am a very hot sleeper and we have a Tempurpedic foam mattress, which retains a lot of our body heat throughout the night, and I’m constantly struggling to stay cool all night long. These sleepshirts are insanely soft and comfy and they really feel like you have nothing on at all. I’ve been sleeping in them every night for awhile now, and I absolutely love them.
5. I’ve also been living in my leggings. While I love looking for dupes, the ultimate are the lululemon align leggings (I love the 25″ length). They’re smoothing, so comfortable and soft, and go with everything. 
6. This past month, I started adding MCT oil to my coffee in the mornings. I am hoping to jumpstart my metabolism first thing in the morning. I usually have a cup of warm lemon water and then my coffee. The MCT oil, as weird as it seems to drink “oily” coffee, does add to my focus and energy throughout the day. It could totally be a placebo effect, but I have noticed a difference in my overall mental state in the mornings. I only add 1 teaspoon to a large cup of coffee, and yes, it does make it a touch oily – but it’s not enough to gross me out or anything. I’ve heard that if you blend hot coffee in the blender with the oil, it makes it creamy and frothy, but I just don’t have time for all that in the mornings.
7. Along the same lines, I have been trying to up my collagen intake lately. I don’t always want to use a powder in my coffee or smoothie, so I love the option of these bars. They taste good (definitely NOT great – but that’s not really what I’m eating them for) and add a decent amount of collagen and protein to my diet. I like the cookie dough flavor the best so far.
8. We have been loving our TV shows lately. We marathoned all of Yellowstone (OMG, the cliffhanger at the end of the last season!), The Queen’s Gambit (insanely good), and we just finished The Undoing last night (such a thriller – I don’t typically like murder mystery shows because they scare me, but this one was so well done). We’re going to move onto Cobra Kai next. What shows have you been loving lately?
9. These Amazon smart plugs are GENIUS. We have all of our inside Christmas lights plugged into them and all we do is tell Alexa to “turn on” or “turn off” the lights and it does all of our lights automatically at once. TOTAL GAMECHANGER. Dan and I both lost it when we set it up and tried them out. So great!

And that about wraps up the favorites from this past month. I hope you all enjoy this holiday season and soak up these last few weeks of the year (hah). Bring on 2021!

 

[This post is not sponsored but contains affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link and purchase the product, I receive a small kickback from the seller – at no extra cost to you! It is a small way I can earn a living doing what I love. Thank you for supporting this blog! I will always disclose this to you.]