Welcoming Fall

Welcome, October. My favorite month.

It stays warm, hot and humid. Pretty light here on Long Island. I can feel like true summer wow into the end of September. Today, October 1, is the first day it really feels like fall. I’ve been up since 5 AM watching the leaves swirl outside the window, fall lights lit up on the bookshelf, with bats crudely taped all around the living room by my almost 5-year-old.

Fall for me is about new routines, embracing traditions and nurturing my quiet little life. Today it begins.

New Routines

Now that my older baby is in school most of the day gone are the days of what I called “Ferrell Summer“ which was really just me playing, mom, teacher, camp, counselor, best friend, snack, bitch, made to my two kids. We did a lot, and I’m really proud of how much time we spent outside and how little time was spent in front of screens.

However, now that mine are older daughter is back in school most of the day I’ve been trying to settle into a routine. Everything is dictated by my to-do list. If it’s not on the list, it’s not getting done (hey, plenty on the list never gets done). After trying 10,000 different complicated apps and systems, I’ve found that my notes app with the bubble bullet format is just what works for me.

The Night Before

• Making a to-do list

• Preparing the coffee maker

• Laying out my morning outfit

My day is 10x better when these things are done before I wake up, which brings me to my next topic.

One of the greatest lessons I learned as a first time mom was to start waking up before my daughter. This made sure I was properly awake, caffeinated, and ready for the ensuing insanity. With baby #2, this has been more of a struggle. We don’t sleep train, so waiting for a developmentally appropriate “full night’s sleep” has been a looooooong journey. Hopefully, we’re almost there at 16 months! Anyways, it’s been extremely challenging to get up before my kids do when my sleep is so broken up. I’m aiming to do this at least 3-4x a week so I have more time for myself.

I have also found routines for my girls helpful. Some of these include

• having a snack and activity laid out before the bus arrives home
• getting homework (yes, homework! for kindergarten!) done ASAP
• strengthening our bedtime and morning rhythms
• having a hard set nap time and semi-strict bedtime on school nights
• reinforcing some family traditions that we let slip over the summer, like donuts on Sunday mornings and Friday movies

Some routines for myself have included:

• yoga (I love Kassandra!)
• reading (will I ever get through The Terror??? stay tuned)
• socializing 1-2x a week
• continuing to use and abuse my walking pad (IYKYK).

Fall Goals

I have so many things that I put off this summer. So many things, in fact, that I quickly realized that I was fully preparing on having a personality transplant on the first day of school and magically turning into someone who doesn’t procrastinate, feel tired, or have a whole baby to take care of.

So, my to do list is endless. Whose isn’t? My goal isn’t to get it all done. My goal this fall is to do a little each day, and then to rest. It’s so hard when your work is your home and your kids. It never feels done. Could you imagine plopping down on the couch at your office job? It always feels wrong. This fall I’m hoping to change that.

As I write this there’s the urge to write the word more, compulsively. I want to bake more! More time outside! Write more! Call more! More, more, more!

Maybe I need to do less.

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How are you planning on spending your fall?
Let me know below!

O.