Fall Food: 2 cozy things I have made + 3 on my wish list

 I have already made PUMPKIN MUFFINS so we could bring some to Jack, and they were as delightful as I imagined they would be-- hot take: THEY MUST HAVE CHOCOLATE CHIPS.

I also ADORE this salad, and it was perfect with arugula and chicken mixed in the next day and as a stand-alone side dish the first day. I think beets would be an excellent addition.

I have big plans to make these pumpkin oatmeal cookies from NYT cooking

I also really want to slot in these enchiladas

And! For some reason, it does't really seem like fall to me until I make spicy chicken and sweet potato stew with apple bread.

Dorothy and I have big plans to go to Trader Joe's and buy a bunch of pumpkin and fall things for a big snack board dinner on Saturday, so we can watch Toy Story 5 with Ben and Minnie while Cooper and crew goes to HOCO. SO COZY, you guys!! Will report back on fall treats.

What food screams fall to you?

(Minnie's class can finally bring books home from the library-- kindy has to leave their books at school-- and Minnie snagged a cookbook with big plans to make the cake below).

Fall "fashion"

 I did not have to buy ANY fall clothes because! I have lost weight and my old fall clothes look totally great again. BUT, I did need to buy a new jacket. (Also I have now bought THREE pairs of jeans--- none necessary).

HOW CUTE IS THIS?

I wanted something cropped at the waist and also fluffy and beige. Quince was sold out of the coat I really wanted, but I found a pretty good copy at Athleta. AND THEN I found one for EIGHTY DOLLARS CHEAPER at Athleta Girl. I am an xxl child, apparently. That tracks. In all the ways.

And! Because this a coat for a child, it has a little beaded fidget sewn into a pocket-- so awesome.

I immediately took it out for a latte

SPEAKING OF FASHION. LOOK AT ME WHEN I WALK MINNIE TO SCHOOL. AM I A DREAM OR WHAT? (def did not brush my hair).

Dorothy and Minnie, though, have their fall fashion on lock

That pic of Minnie is of her getting her pre-vaccine treat-- a surprise stuffed animal pet for her doll that she opened immediately after her shots, and the anticipation of the surprise stuffy (WHICH ONE WOULD IT BE?!) worked pretty well.

On a random day off school last week, all 4 kids got flu and covid shots. Then they got a post vaccine treat (Coop had a separate appointment because he had PLANS on vaccine day). (yes, Minnie had a pre and post shot treat **shrug**).

Minnie also came to my weekly meeting with me last week because Ben had a dentist appointment. She was DELIGHTFUL (and made a rare fashion miss in an old Easter dress that's not a shirt and non-matching leggings, but when you're five and dress yourself, you're always taking risks, you know?)

Speaking of delightful! Fall dog:

Fall Rhythms

 A really sweet and lovely dance mom whom I have apparently known for years (I introduced myself to her in the hallway outside Minnie's jazz class, and she was like oh we know each other from the little gym; you shared your pearls of wisdom and then I felt like a total tool on at least 2 levels) was talking about the fall busy season (she has 4 kids elementary school and younger) and said something so wise: we need to live our schedule for a couple of weeks before we figure out what's working and what's not.

Well, I am impatient, so I am writing this after living our full schedule (school plus gymnastics for Min  plus dance for Dorothy and Min plus diving plus crew for the fall play and speech season prep work and fall work schedule for Jack) for just one week, and right away, I can see that I need to spend less time putting food in boxes. OMG.

this is the kind of after school snack I bring Cooper 4 days a week and Dorothy twice. it is a meal.

A few things that are working well:

Making Friday night fun! So far we have done a movie night (K Pop Demon Hunters, natch) and a stuff-your-stanley ice cream event

Therapeutic coloring: In an effort to make the house a cozy place that the kids feel like they can totally relax and unwind on because they are so busy these days outside the house, I bought a bunch of color-on table cloths and leave them out with baskets of crayons and markers, and we pretty much all love it. Everyone stops by the table at some point to do some coloring. Minnie also likes access to workbooks and markers after school, which buys me some much-needed catch up time before the pick up/drop off onslaught

Making weekends as fun as possible. YES we do tons of chores and weekly prep, but we also have so much downtime, thanks to dance and diving being low weekend commitment sports. We have been trying to go out more as a family and also to make errands fun by pairing them with a treat of some kind. Ben and I have started going to Costco solo after we run on Saturday or Sunday because if we are going to spend that much cash at a place, we might as well enjoy ourselves.

Don't remember where we were going, but we looked happy about it

quick trip after school to grab bread for grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner turned into a junk food binge and Dorothy having a friend over to make frozen gummy bears (frozen in sprite)

Making sure the activities are darling

Appreciating the sunrise, as long as I have to be up walking the dog and starting my day

Leaning into carpooling and also the sun setting after dinner

our leg of the car pool is always better with baked goods. my car is a mess.

Working from couch with my stuffed animal come to life

How is the new season treating you so far?

5 on a Friday: Fauxtumnal Obsessions (check back for real fall faves in a couple weeks)

 1. Pumpkin cream cold foam. OMG YOU GUUUUUYS. Best Starbucks offering ever. And I say this as a Starbucks fan who embraces that (completely tone deaf and basic) aspect of my personality. OBSESSED with it, and it has been my Friday coffee go-to (I take Coop and Dorothy out for coffee every Friday and am hoping to have a cute video of all of our live coffee photos at the end of the year). Also IT IS TOO HOT FOR A PSL HERE. Seriously, where were these summer days when the pool was still open??

Okay the second pic here is actually a Saturday, but Friday was rushed.

2. Close-toed shoes. EVEN THOUGH it is above 80-degrees here right now, I am all done with sandals until next year.

3. Plum lip stain, darker brown hair (I accidentally bought the wrong shade but I actually LOVE IT), and fall-scented dry shampoo.

(I cannot even wait to see these fall fam pics!)

4. SPEAKING OF FALL SCENTS! I finally used up the last of my palate-cleansing clementine Mrs. Meyers hand soap, counter spray, and dish soap (such a good between-seasons scent) and stocked up on my fall favorite acorn spice. I cannot even wait for my seasonal allergies to abate so I can bust out some fall scented candles.

5. JOGGING OUTSIDE. Who even AM I, you guys? We ran for TWENTY MINUTES IN A ROW. (30 minutes total running).