The first month of fall has come and gone! The past few weeks have been absolutely packed for us. Eric took his last two weeks of paternity leave before our youngest turned one (!) so we worked on all the projects. We went apple picking, baked apple everything, filled and planted another raised bed, saw family and friends, did so much paperwork and then capped it off with two birthdays. My youngest two have birthdays two days apart which is a bit wild.
On a personal level, I’m feeling pretty depleted. There’s been a lot going on. My oldest child is hyper-social. I’m still nursing my one-year-old 6-8 times a day. I’ve been focusing more on nutrition, sleep and health in general but my cup still feels like it’s draining faster than I can fill it. I find myself dreaming about our family escaping to the woods for a weekend, a week, a month… that’s how I know I’ve got too much on my plate, because life is objectively pretty good right now. Just a lot. So I’m going to be sparse for a bit while I handle the burnout.
On the blog, I’ve been starting my annual updates of popular posts. I’ve added to my Gluten-Free Twin Cities Restaurant Guide and next up is my gift guides! I’m planning to add one for women this year, hopefully before holiday shopping kicks off in November.
Anyways, let’s take a look at the month that was.
Favorite new recipes: We’ve been loving this double chocolate zucchini muffin recipe (I love that it’s made with almond flour–fewer refined carbs, more fiber and hidden protein for the kiddos) and also this pumpkin ricotta pasta bake. They will both be featured in the fall meal plan, coming in October!
Favorite books: I’m currently enjoying Low Tox Life by Alexx Stuart. I read several short books in September and would recommend Ooh La La! French Women’s Secrets to Feeling Beautiful Every Day (I have more to say about this one in a future post), Njuta, Nordic Lifestyle, and Arctic Paradise for my fellow French and/or Nordic lifestyle book lovers.
I also published 25 Nordic Lifestyle Books for Your Inner Scandi Girl this month, so check that out for more inspiration!
In kids’ books, I bought my 3-year-old Little Witch Hazel for his birthday and all the kids adore it. The illustrations are beautiful, the stories are peaceful but interesting, and it’s just all around a great book (for adults, too).
Favorite purchase: None because I’m working on decluttering right now. I’ve only refilled/restocked consumables for the most part. I’ve passed on a bunch of hand-me-downs this month, given away various odds and ends (outgrown diapers, garden produce, etc) and I’m looking forward to tackling the toy collection with the kids before the holiday season. Small houses impose limits, if you don’t want to be swimming in a sea of clutter to get around. And actually, I like that. Our “starter house” will probably be our forever-while-living-in-this-country-at-lease house. I don’t want to upsize!
Favorite show: GBBO is backkkkkk and we’re here for it as usual. Eric and I catch up every Friday night after the kids are in bed with a bowl of popcorn. The best way to ring in the weekend 🙂
Looking forward to next month: I’m starting to think about our next trip abroad, now that we’re recovered from our trip to Colorado 😛 We’re planning to visit Sweden next year, hopefully over the summer if all works out. We want to spend a few days in Stockholm and then relax at a rural cottage for a while. Unsure if we’ll make it to Lapland on this trip although I’d really like to go. If you’ve traveled to Sweden recently and have any recommendations, let me know in the comments!
What’s a recent favorite of yours: recipe, book, purchase or something else? Happy October!
xx Claire