October @ Glance

No one belongs here more than you (Brene Brown)

October… with windows open, it’s deliciously cool - before sweaters become essential in the morning, but a good time for cute ankle booties. Pleasant picnics in the park, apple picking and baking, nature walks and leaf peeping, golden landscapes … cups of endless tea and guilt-free snuggling with a book if it’s rainy, odd scents of pumpkin latte in the air …. ahhh, October it’s my favorite month, perhaps because it also feels so precious, racing past in a flaming blur.

Lots of goodies are planned for this month!

Personal Goal: Make a photobook of our summer holidays! Modern day whittling - taming a few thousand photos stored on my camera roll and turning them into one, tidy, printed, book. I have marked a few slots in my calendar every day for photo editing. I’ll go at it for an hour, while listening to an audio book or inspiring “Ted talk” and hope to be able to import them all into a Snapfish (recommended by friends for ease of use and affordability) or Shutterfly (used in the past, easy with fun templates) at the end of the month. Who knows, I might even make a year book .. I can already see the smiling faces of happy grandparents as photobooks make such great holiday gifts.

October Challenge: This month I challenge you (and myself) to take one habit to build or to break. I was hugely inspired by the book I read last month - A Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg and am trying to apply its principles to reclaim the time lost to Instagram first thing the morning and use it in a more productive and meaningful way. Easier said than done - I tried meditating - but kept falling asleep, tried reading uplifting books, but found them exhausting - then finally tried Duolingo app (I am learning French) and Bingo! Love the 2-for-1 as I replaced a bad habit and created a good one at the same time.

Quote to live by: No one belongs here more than you (Brene Brown)

Autumn Bucket List: fun family friendly activities that won't break the bank

Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn (Elizabeth Lawrence)

Autumn is finally here, setting the trees aglow with golden colors and urging us to cozy up with a cup of tea or pumpkin spice latte, catch up on our reading lists, admire the leaves and turn on the ovens. We are overwhelmed by a desire for comfort and are dizzy with fear of missing out on all the seasonal cozy activities autumn offers before giving in to winter charms.

I put together a list of fun fall activities that our family enjoys and looks forward to every year and plan to print it out, frame it and let the kids tick them off as we indulge in them. Some activities can be spontaneous and take place every day, others need a bit of forethought and planning, but all yield a good reward in the end. Most autumn activities can be done together with family for little or no money at all. Kids always remember these simple times together, even when things don’t go exactly as planned. Hope you get inspired to make your own or make a start with mine.

The thing we found about the quality family time is that if we are not intentional about it - it just doesn't happen. Thus we try to single out one special activity each week and do our best to keep with the plan.

We live in the Garden State within an hour’s drive to the best NJ and Upstate New York farms that offer signature autumn activities such as hayrides, corn mazes, pumpkin decorating (and picking), scarecrow making, live animals, live music and food trucks and even early Halloween Fun. We always try to take the scenic route and enjoy the fall foliage as we head towards the farms and there is nothing better than a hot picnic and a chance to roam free for our urban family.

I am particularly fond of apple picking and hope to bake a pie, crumble or a cobbler with my bounty and maybe even dip one in a homemade caramel sauce or have them sliced and enjoy with honey. What do you like doing with your apples?

What’s on you Fall Fun Guide?

September @ a Glance

“Awareness is learning to keep yourself company. And then learn to be more compassionate company, as if you were somebody you are fond of and wish to encourage.” - Geneen Roth

The summer’s been relaxingly slow, lovely to enjoy, with little pressure, and a lot of happy family time. We’ve been away in the UK for most of August, and as lovely at it was to travel and not keep to a particular schedule, we all came home craving our regular routines. We’d been eating out a lot, often choosing delicious over healthy (yum yum, but not so good for the tum tum!). Which means I really need to kick my butt back into gear in the gym. I haven’t styled a single photo while away, and haven’t written much since the beginning of the year, but I am itching to do some shooting and writing this month. Busy work period is about to begin, and I need to get ready - wish me well!

I love the seasonal changes September brings and hope to embrace them all starting with the traditional apple picking (and pie baking) and a long awaited visit to a sunflower farm - activities we do as a family. Downton Abbey (a favorite moment of escapism - but, I have to admit, always imagining life as “Lady Me” rather than enjoying the role of the servants in the kitchen, guessing I’m not alone in this fantasy!) is being released this month and I simply can’t wait to see it. Home cleaning and organizing are top of my list this month, with a few new projects to tackle (bathroom storage and kids bedroom). Morning Tea Date with a friend is something I enjoy immensely, hope it will become a standing arrangement over time.

PERSONAL FITNESS GOAL: Work out at least 5x a week! I am a member at a local yoga studio and try to make it there for a Slow Flow, Yin or Nidra class at least 4 times a week. I also love swimming and joined a gym with a pool a while back. Our fitness instructor left, and I found myself lacking motivation. Recently I learned about the BBG program (accessible via Sweat app) and gave it a go both at home and at the gym. I will report back once I had a chance to test it thoroughly. Also, at last, my ballet classes will resume! It is a small group mixed level Adult Ballet class with challenging bar exercises and creative dance sequences (adagio) that I can never memorize, but I have such fun in the company of other women - none of us expect to make it to the big time, perhaps we’re all a little past that point, but we have so much fun with each other, I wouldn't dream of missing out. Different teachers, same ladies - so good for body and soul.

THIS MONTH: Childhood Cancer Awareness month. I try to give a small donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital every time I pop into a grocery store. Will make a point for making a larger one this month.

QUOTE TO LIVE BY: “Awareness is learning to keep yourself company. And then learn to be more compassionate company, as if you were somebody you are fond of and wish to encourage.” - Geneen Roth