October Favorites

I am the broken-est record of broken records, but I can’t help but say that time is FLYING.

How is it November already?! How is Thanksgiving just over two weeks away!? My mind is blown.

We had a very, very busy October in these parts. We soaked up the gorgeous fall weather and did some fun outdoor fall activities, including a hayride and a visit to one of our favorite local farm stands.

Sweet brother convos.

We went to a ton of Kieran’s baseball games – the fall season just wrapped last week, and his team made it to the championship game. We lost, unfortunately, but the boys played a fantastic season and are already looking forward to spring. Kieran had his first triple ever, and it was a highlight we’ll be remembering for years to come!

We also experienced the highest highs (and eventually the lowest low) with the Phillies’ postseason run. It was so much fun watching my 8-year-old experience his team in the World Series for the first time. We soaked it all up and lost quite a bit of sleep in the meantime.

And while the Phillies lost to the Astros, it was a Cinderella-style run that no one saw coming, and we fans ate it up. Kieran was on cloud 9! And even though the Phillies didn’t get there in the end, we still love them and feel so much pride for that underdog team. AND we have an 8-0 football team with the Eagles. WOAH. Go Birds.

Finn had some fun school activities this month. I chaperoned his very first field trip ever – this is his first time on a school bus and he was bewildered but LOVED it.

He also had his school picture day! I can’t even take how grown up he’s looking these days.

We found time to relax for the first time in awhile – our weekends have been booked solid with youth sports, birthday parties, etc. for months now. It was nice to have some downtime! We always make time for some good ol’ fashioned puppy snuggles.

And then it was Halloween! Finn went as Chase from Paw Patrol. Kieran opted for Carnage (a Marvel super-villain).

This was the first year I wasn’t able to convince him to do a joint costume with his little brother. I knew it was inevitable, but I wish I could have squeezed one more cute costume duo out of them. They’re still pretty darn cute, in my non-biased opinion, haha.

And now November is here! I’m still processing how September and October went so fast. Wow.

That said, we’re looking forward to kicking off the holidays with Thanksgiving in a couple weeks. We’re also traveling soon to visit Dan’s parents in North Carolina, which the kids are SO excited about.

In the meantime, I have some fun new discoveries to tell you about from the past month. I’m excited about these!

1. First up, what I’ve been reading. So, this has been the slowest reading month for me ALL YEAR. I am stuck on a Colleen Hoover book, Reminders of Him, and while it’s OKAY, I am just not a huge fan of hers. I know that is a super controversial statement because everyone is obsessed with her, but this is the third book of hers that I’ve been underwhelmed by. I think they are all OKAY but nothing worth freaking out over. People are going to hate me for saying that. This book is going by at a snail’s pace and I’m not at all excited to get into it. Sigh. As soon as I finish it, I have a whole slew of books I’m planning to attack, so maybe I’ll have more to report next month!
2. I upgraded my food scale to this one this past month, and I’m kicking myself for not doing it sooner. This one is so much nicer and has a much larger scale surface, which makes measuring in larger dishes so much easier. I use it for macro tracking and baking all the time. It’s great!
3. I bought this electric lighter and love it! It’s so cute and small, recharges quickly, and makes candle lighting a breeze. A small item that has made an impact in day-to-day life.
4. I have been obsessing over this mango ginger tea lately. I usually have ginger tea on hand for whenever my stomach is upset or bothering me, and this mango version is heavenly. I still get the benefits of the ginger but it tastes like sweet mango. SO good. I drink it almost every day (even when my stomach is perfectly fine).
5. Speaking of tea, I have been using these raw honeys in my tea daily. I LOVE THEM. My good friend gifted me a honey set for my birthday, and I was so excited. These honeys are soooo tasty. We have the matcha, lavender, and blueberry varieties and they are all amazing. It’s also a great way to support a black-owned business! The honey is top notch, guys.
6. This sweatshirt from Costco has been my newest favorite cozy item lately. I actually bought it in several colors. It is SO COZY and soft. Can’t beat that price, either!
7. I also snagged this lightweight jacket at Costco, too, and it has been a staple. It’s the perfect weight for spring/fall. It’s a cozy layer but not too heavy or hot. I’ve been wearing it almost daily. I have the light gray color and it’s so pretty in person. I don’t always go for the clothes at Costco, but there were some good finds this past month!
8. We’ve all been obsessing over this cheddar and caramel popcorn. The whole family loves it. I actually buy this at Costco too – it comes in a huge bag.
9. I have been obsessing over this Salt candle from Magnolia. I bought one, burned it in record time, and went back to Target and stocked up on a bunch of them. The scent is so nice – its light and fresh but subtle. LOVE.
10. I recently bought this greens powder to try. After using Athletic Greens for a bit, I determined that it was NOT worth the price. I felt fine while taking it but no noticeable changes over time. So far, I’m really enjoying this one (especially for the price point). I have the mango flavor. I drink it in a glass of cold water on an empty stomach every morning. It’s good so far, and I do feel like I have more energy throughout the day. I will report back after using it for some more time.
11. This last one might be my favorite discovery from the past month: this Simple Modern 40 oz tumbler is AMAZING! It’s a dupe of my favorite Stanley tumbler but at a fraction of the price. It’s sleek and keeps things very cold – AND the straw doesn’t come out (unlike the pricier Stanley). I am loving it and could see myself stocking up on these in the future. It might beat out all my other straw tumblers (gasp!). It looks like they are low in stock on Amazon at the moment, but hopefully they’ll restock soon.

And that wraps it up! I hope you all have a wonderful November and Thanksgiving. I’ll check in again next month with some more life updates and goodies for you! 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.]