September Favorites

What a wonderful whirlwind the month of September was!

It’s generally a big month for our family. We have my birthday, Kieran’s birthday, our wedding anniversary, and the full swing of school and all the fall things happening.

We started the month off strong with warm weather, cool nights, and lots of baseball games.

We had some of our favorite people visit us, including our new niece, Pia (short for Olympia), who is the most beautiful, precious little angel baby.

The boys are obsessed with her. Cue all the hearts melting.

Uncle Joey is the BEST.

School is in full swing now, and I feel like we’re finally getting the hang of the new schedule. We love walking to/from the corner bus stop when it’s warm enough. Soaking up these last few weeks of fall sunny days.

We also celebrated the start of football season, which we all love. The kids are so into it this year, too, which is really fun.

The Eagles are off to an amazing start this year, so we’ve had lots of happy Sundays in our house lately.

And then it was time to celebrate this amazing boy, who turned EIGHT in late September.

He is simply the best kid. So sweet and kind, hilariously goofy, and smart as a whip. I’m so lucky to be his mom.

When he turned two, we started the tradition of getting pumpkin donuts for a fun birthday breakfast treat. Six years later, this tradition is still going strong. He may be sleepy but he is VERY happy.

He loves this tradition so much.

Then it was time to celebrate with all our friends in the form of an epic all-sports party where a bunch of kids basically ran around for two hours, playing a variety of sports games, and finished things off with pizza and ice cream cake.

So much fun.

And then I got to attend a Buddy Pancake Breakfast for Finn’s class, and it was basically the sweetest thing ever. His little face lit up when I walked in, and he was so excited to share all his school experiences with me.

Beyond grateful that this normalcy is starting to return this school year. I stepped foot in both my kids schools for the very first time this year. Crazy.

He watches TV like this almost exclusively. Cracks me up.

But also, look how long his legs are!!!! What.

It was a wonderful month full of family and fun celebrations. The kids are thriving in school, and Dan and I are just so happy and proud.

It was a really good month.

On that note, I have some fun new discoveries to tell you about from the past few weeks! I have been loving all of this stuff.

1. First up, the books I read this month. I finished up the Briar Hockey series, and I absolutely loved the last two books. The first was the The Goal, followed up by The Legacy, which sums up all the characters’ stories. Each book/story gets better than the last, and the whole series really took me by surprise. I thought it was just going to be a steamy fluff sports romance, but the stories and characters were so good (and there was still PLENTY of steam, if that’s your thing). I also started The Do-Over from the Miles High Series, and it’s good. I am on the fence with the series as a whole (I find the characters somewhat unlikeable), but I still find it worth reading. I’ll report back with my next books soon!
2. I started going to an actual gym at the beginning of the month. I’m still in shock. When Dan and I bought our house 10 years ago, I quit all my gym memberships and vowed to never go to one again. We built up our own home gym instead. In recent months, my motivation to work out at home has been lacking, and so to get back into a habit, I joined a gym again. I’ve been going in the early mornings a few times a week, and I am LOVING it, much to my surprise. With the new gym routine, mixed in with my hot yoga classes, I have been using these 40-oz water bottles almost daily. I have them in several colors (the black leopard is my fave). They are fantastic. They hold so much, don’t leak if they get knocked over, and keep my water super cold. I am still a Yeti and Stanley girl at heart, but the straw tops leak and aren’t ideal for gym/yoga studio use.
3. Because of my increased exercise, including a lot more lifting/strength work, I have been so sore. I’m also old, haha. I get a lot of fatigue/pain in my lower back, and I needed a new heating pad. This one is AMAZING. First, it’s huge. Second, it’s so soft and plush and comfy. Third, it gets super hot and maintains the heat for long periods of time. It was an upgrade I needed to make, and I am so, so happy I did.
4. Like so many people, my favorite season is fall. One of my fave parts of this time of year is the change in weather. I live in leggings and cozy, oversized sweaters and sweatshirts this time of year. I added this adorable Mama sweatshirt to my collection this year and I adore it. It’s so cute! It’s also lightweight enough where I don’t get overly hot, but still super soft and cozy on the inside. I get compliments every time I wear it too.
5. Another sweatshirt I have been obsessed with is this one from Athleta. Holy moly, it’s so warm and soft. It’s thicker than the Amazon one I mentioned, but it’s a great one to wear to/from the gym, to Kieran’s evening baseball games, and around the house when it’s chilly out. LOVE. I see myself wearing this one all winter long. I have it in the purple color and it’s so pretty.
6. I recently tried the ginger flavored sparkling water from Whole Foods, and I am obsessed. It’s so light and refreshing with a gingery taste that is not overwhelming. I stock up every time I go to WF. It’s lovely!
7. I have made some changes to my skincare recently. I added in a prescription tretinoin cream, which I got through the online prescription service, Nurx. First, the cream is serious stuff and has to be used carefully – it’s like an extra-potent retinol. So far, I’m loving what it’s doing for my skin. And the online service was so easy to use. Highly recommend!
8. Because of the increased sun sensitivity the tretinoin cream creates, I’ve been trying out some new SPF moisturizers lately. My current favorite is the Hydra Vizor by Fenty. It’s light and smooth and feels wonderful on the skin. I’m still a religious user of my squalene cream by Biossance (nothing beats it), but it doesn’t have SPF, so I layer the Hydra Vizor over top each morning. Works like a charm!
9. My next one is not for everyone. My sister and I have a fascination with keeping our ears clean. Weird, I know. For my birthday, she got me the Spade ear cleaner, and I must say, it is addicting! It’s simple and safe to use, and it really lets you see inside your ears to get them super clean. Love it more than I probably should, haha.
10. I have been on a Mrs. Meyers lavender kick lately. I am not a lavender-scented person usually – it’s always way too strong for me. But the hand and dish soaps in lavender smell incredible. I’ve also been loving these scent boosters in our laundry, along with the dryer sheets. Dan is weirdly picky about scented soaps, and even he loves the lavender scent. We’re converted!
11. Last but not least, I have been burning this salted honey candle all month long and absolutely love it. It’s sweet and cozy without being overbearing. It has vanilla notes, but again, not overly sweet or spiced, which is hard to find in a fall candle. It is sold out online, but I just picked up a second one in person at the store. Best fall candle!

And that about sums up September! I hope it was great for you guys, and let’s hope October is just as wonderful!

Xoxo.

[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.]