Sunday Inspiration: October 22

Wow, another Inspiration Sunday! I skipped two Sundays in Blogtober in order to post some sponsored reviews, so I've done less of these than I expected to. However, I have a lot of things I want to share this week. So let's jump right in! 

Imagine how different the world would be if we just believed women.

— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) October 10, 2017

"now that I have a daughter I have learned finally that women are people, please clap"

— Jessica Luther (@scATX) October 10, 2017

Unfortunately, over the last month, a lot of stories about sexual harassment and assault in Hollywood (and honestly, most professions) has been coming out. I'm a big believer in putting money where my mouth is: if I say I abhor animal abuse, I have to stop using products that test on animals; if I say I abhor child abuse, I cannot watch Woody Allen movies; and if I say I will not support the abuse of women, I cannot watch movies made by people (or starring people) who abuse women, like Roman Polanski and Johnny Depp. I encourage everyone to think before they pay money to watch movies: are these people you want to support? If not, don't give them your hard earned cash. 

I'm not talking about World Mental Health Day, really. Mostly because I don't want to. And that's the key. We don't have to talk about our mental health issues, but we need to be able to feel that we can if we want to.

— misery magnet (@ElenaBjxrn) October 10, 2017

World Mental Health Day was earlier in October--and it's always a day that I really struggle with. I am relatively open about my mental health. I suffer from severe anxiety, sometimes so bad that I manifest physical symptoms like dry mouth and eye twitch. Specifically, in the last few months, I've been having panic attacks nearly daily. However, there are some things I just don't want to share; and seeing the above tweet reminded me that... I don't have to share. I am under no obligation to make myself a figure for mental health just because I happen to struggle with my mental health. Talking about it is a privilege that I happen to have, because I've never been made to feel like I was inadequate for it (although certainly some people don't know how to deal with how high strung I am); what I want for World Mental Health is that everyone feels like they can talk about mental health, but they don't have to. 

#612 Purrfect by mayblooms featuring Miya

For my last item, let's talk about how cute this outfit is. Does anyone remember when everyone had those black flats that looked like cats around 2012? Those were the hip fashion blogging shoe. Oh and the over-the-knee tights that looked like cats too! I am not a fan of cats, but I inexplicably love clothes with cats on them; it's so kitschy and funny to me! I'm on the hunt for a pair of cat shoes now. 

It's My Birthday!

I'll be honest, I'm never sure what to write for birthday posts! As I've gotten older, my birthday means less and less to me. It's just another day; I still have responsibilities and I can't just stop everything to celebrate.

I also hate receiving gifts these days. I like the idea of it, sure, but I am always very aware of how much stuff I have (too much, actually) and how I should be purging what I have instead of just acquiring more. 

So on my 29th birthday, what do I have to say? 

The last year has been a big one. I've dealt with a lot of serious anxiety; instead of getting better, I've found my anxiety getting worse--but my awareness of it, and how it has changed my health, has increased. How's that for mixed blessings? I've also had a lot of fun: going to Disneyland, taking Forrest on road trips, watching him learn so much in the span of a year... it hasn't been all bad, certainly. 

I think we all tend to take birthdays very seriously and in the current social and political climate, it's hard to find joy in little things. So I've decided today (and today only, because my resolve is terrible), I'm turning off social media and spending the day doing the little things I love. Watching Sesame Street with Forrest. Making us our favorite lunch (mac and cheese with chicken & broccoli). Going to the park. The little things that I so often find myself taking advantage of. 

Here's to another year! Thanks for reading my blog, as always. 

Things I Love: October 14

Another week, another TiLT! I've been really enjoying keeping notes for these posts, because it gives me something to really look forward to writing. 

How is everyone feeling about Blogtober? As I've posted on Twitter, I've been feeling exhausted from so much writing and planning. Basically, trying to stay ahead of writing 7 blog posts a week (usually in advance) is really difficult for me--but I'm glad I'm making it work and hopefully you are all enjoying these posts! 

Anyway, without further ado, let's get to the things I love this week, shall we? 

1. #WizardTeam: A Harry Potter Podcast

I swear, I don't mean to include a new podcast every week... but I really, really love this one. #SorryNotSorry. I love the podcast Potterotica, but sometimes I just wanna hear my fellow nerds talk Harry Potter. #WizardTeam is run by the women behind Black Girls Create and I've been binging the past episodes of the podcast to catch up. I have 110 episodes to catch up on. I'll be done in... two weeks. That's my prediction. 

2. Pumpkin Patches

Listen. Guys. I really love October. I really love Autumn. Need you question why pumpkin patches is on this list!? We made it out to our favorite farm and pumpkin patch on Sunday and it was so much fun. Forrest is so obsessed that I think we abandoned him in a pumpkin patch, he'd be fine. He would have spent all day there. We came home with 7 (yes, 7!!) large pumpkins and 5 (yes, 5!!!) small pumpkins. You read those numbers right. I would almost be embarrassed, but our porch is looking adorable. 

3. Visiting Wineries

Danny and I aren't the kind of people that usually go to wineries. I'm not entirely sure why not, because we always have a lot of fun. And now, Danny works just down the road from a really nice, fun winery that we visited last week. We had so much fun! We sampled wines, watched Forrest point out every flower, and spent time chatting with our friends. It was warm, it was Autumnal, it was fun. I loved every minute. 

4 Ideas for Fun Fall Dates

For me, Fall always reminds me of cozy days spent indoors, usually alone, or just watching movies. But it's also a good time to get a few last fun dates in before the weather gets too atrocious. Danny and I like to plan fun family activities together, but sometimes, it's nice to get out of the house just the two of us. He helped me put together a list of 4 fun date ideas, perfect for Autumn. 

1. Bake cookies together. 

This is a fun indoor activity for when it's a little rainy or cold outside. Who doesn't love baking cookies? And if you have a toddler or baby (like we do), it's something they can have fun with too. Baking, or cooking a dinner, together can be really fun, especially if it's not something you usually do as a pair. I am the primary cook in my house, but sometimes, Danny likes to help out and we have so much fun every time. I highly recommend these maple cookies or these chocolate shortbread cookies. 

2. Have a cozy picnic. 

This was Danny's suggestion: load up the car with blankets and your favorite snacks, stop at Starbucks to get some hot cocoa or coffee, and drink to a lake or mountain. Open the back of your car, create a nest, and cuddle up. We drive a hatchback, so this is something we used to do pretty often, but haven't in a while. Might be time to bring it back! 

3. Go apple picking. 

Is this the standard Fall date idea? Yes. Is it still fun? Oh yes it is! Apple picking is one of my favorite things to do, because at the end you have a ton of apples. You can use them to plan another date where you bake apple pies, make applesauce, or preserve them in your favorite way. How fun is that? 

4. Go wine tasting. 

This is Danny & I's favorite thing to do together. We love visiting wineries, trying new wines, and listening to live music at our favorite places. Most metro areas have at least one winery close by or a restaurant that offers wine sampling. We love trying new wines together and finding new favorites. It's affordable and adventurous, and if you visit an actual winery, you can actually see the grapes on the vine--which is always really novel to me! 

My Top 5 Must-Watch Scary Movies

When it comes to October, and Halloween, I’m a bit of a scary movie fanatic. My husband and I own almost every scary movie ever made—and every year, we get a bit optimistic and try to make a list of all of them with the plan to watch one every day until Halloween. This never happens because the idea of me staying awake through an entire movie every night is incredibly low, but we can dream. 

This year, we’re going to keep it simple with just our favorites—which got me thinking, what are my favorite scary movies? What are my must-watches every year? These are them—I highly recommend these movies to everyone who loves being scared. 

1. Trick or Treat 

This is, hands down, my favorite movie to watch right before Halloween or on Halloween. It’s so good! I love the vignette style; I love the stories; I love how they are all intertwined by the end. It’s just a good ol’ fashioned, spooky Halloween movie: a little gory at times (I look away; I can handle scary, but not gory), but overall really, really fun. 

2. Coraline

My husband gave me such side eye for including Coraline, but here’s my logic: This movie is terrifying. Forrest keeps bringing me the case and asking to watch it, but I won’t let him. The concept of having your eyes replaced by buttons? That’s scary. There are some scary scenes in this movie! I love watching it throughout October, because it’s the right amount of Autumnal, spooky, and whimsical. Just like Autumn itself. 

3. Cabin in the Woods

Another movie that doesn’t get the credit it deserves, I absolutely love this movie. I love that it is scary, while also spoofing horror films, while also being very, very funny at times. I also love that the end is so totally an end: the world ends! Nothing good happens! It’s such a fun, goofy movie to watch close to Halloween and my husband and I always end up having long conversations about the same things (such as the recurring mermaid joke). 

4. Halloween

This is such a classic movie. Jamie Lee Curtis plays the perfect, slightly nerdy babysitter with frankly awful friends; the kids are bumblingly awful; and the killer is immortal. It’s perfect! Even after watching it a hundred times at least (it’s perfect for watching on Halloween), there are still parts that scare me, like when the killer is standing in the bedroom wearing the sheet and glasses. 

5. Scream

An absolute 90s classic and one of my favorites. I own all 5 of the Scream series; you read that right, I own all 5 of them. This movie had such an impact on me as a kid and I still find myself idolizing Sidney. (And also, this was the movie that introduced me to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, one of my absolute favorite bands of all time.) Scary, goofy, and nostalgic all at once. Plus, this movie gave us a revitalized Drew Barrymore career; I mean, what a gift. 

Things I Love: October 7

Remember that Inspiration Sunday post I did? Well, waaaay back when I first started blogging everyone used to do Things I Love posts… especially Things I Love Thursdays (TiLT). It was a staple of blogging. When you had nothing else to write about, you’d do a TiLT. Boring week? TiLT. Feeling a bit bored with your blog? TiLT. It was easy. And, honestly, it was fun. 

Blogging can feel a bit stuffy now. Everyone trying to think of the best clickbait titles, trying to make the best Pinterest-worthy graphics, trying to write evergreen content. Siiiigh. 

In Blogtober, I wanted to take things back to what I originally loved about blogging… that sometimes you just put up… whatever. that you posted the things that were really happening in your life. Nothing glossed over. No perfect photos of your curated living room. No boomerangs of your vacation that ignored your lost luggage or the fact you cried for 20 minutes because you missed your dog. We wrote honestly back then. And while it’s not better or worse now, it’s just different—but I do miss a little bit of that rawness. 

I say, let’s bring back the TiLT. Let’s make this a thing again. Ok, I’ll make it a thing again. Here’s what I’m loving this week. 

1. My One Line a Day journal

I was inspired to get a One Line a Day journal by both Charlotte and one of my mom friends. My mom friend has a toddler a few months younger than Forrest and while we’ve both always been journal keepers, it is much harder to keep up on after having children. Some nights I can write for hours; others, I can barely lift the pen. It just depends! However, a One Line a Day format gives me the space to just write one fun or important thing that happened. Recent entries include Forrest saying something particularly funny or what we made for lunch together or how he made me sad that he destroyed the Halloween gingerbread house we built together. Just little things! 

2. Family Trips

My husband and I decided, before Forrest was born, that we would try not to do a ton of gifts for birthdays and Christmas (and other gift-focused holidays). We wanted to focus on creating experiences for him, whether that is a party, taking him on a day trip, or taking him on a longer vacation. For Forrest's birthday, we decided to visit the aquarium; I got him a few books for birthday gifts and our relatives got him some presents, but our gift to him was an aquarium trip. He loved it! And it was so much more fun for all of us to have a nice drive to the coast, visit the aquarium, get lunch together, and then get ice cream together. 

3. And That's Why We Drink

If you know me, you know I'm an absolute podcast addict. I have a weekly schedule and I look forward to my favorites every week. I've recently been binging a new favorite: And That's Why We Drink. It's a paranormal and true crime podcast. Sometimes in the true crime community, I feel out of place because I also love paranormal stuff--but this podcast combines the best of both worlds. Like My Favorite Murder, I love that it is a less serious take and is just two friends talking to each other. While I love podcasts like Casefile and In Sight, sometimes I just want something more casual and this absolutely fits the bill. I tip my milkshake to Em and Christine. 

Tell me your favorite things on Twitter! 

My Goals for October

I’m a goal setter by nature. It’s just how I am. I operate best when I have small, easily digestible goals. (I’ve written about this before here.) 

For this Blogtober, I wanted to share a few of my goals, blog-related and otherwise. I always love reading other people’s goals and, especially when taking on a project as big as Blogtober, I think it’s really interesting to share what my hope is for it. Not only does it help with transparency, but it keeps me accountable!

Blog-related

1. Hit 1000 monthly views. This goal has been alluding me for months, but I think Blogtober is officially going to push me over the edge! 
2. Hit 1300 followers on Twitter
3. Post daily to Instagram (I struggle so much with this) 

Personal

1. Add Sunday back into my gym routine. I had been going to the gym Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday—but then dropped Sunday to spend more time with Danny. But now that Danny is back at work (as a teacher), he needs Sundays to prepare his classes and that extra gym day will do me good on Monday morning I think. 
2. Stick to my meal planning. I do a good job meal planning, but usually by Thursday, we’re eating turkey sandwiches or eggs and toast for dinner. 
3. Sign Forrest up for the music classes I’ve been meaning to call about for two months. 
4. Meet my monthly book goal
5. Spend time with friends
6. Take less naps in the afternoon (it’s becoming a horrible habit!) 

What are your goals for this month? 

My Absolute Favorite Autumn Activities (+ A Cute October Bucket List!)

My birthday is October 20, so it’s safe to say that my birthday always has memories of Autumn activities: pumpkin patches, hay rides, carving pumpkins, making costumes… you name it, I probably did it on my birthday! I love pumpkin pie, apples, popcorn balls, and anything cinnamon spiced; I never pass up an opportunity to go to a pumpkin patch. 

I’m a certified Fall Baby. 

For this reason, I always have an Autumn bucket list that I like to turn to. This year, I decided to separate it into two months: October and November. These are two distinct lists dedicated, really, to my two absolute favorite holidays. What’s my October Bucket list? Keep reading!

…But first, let’s talk about my top 3 favorite Autumn activities. 

1. Picking out pumpkins.

The time for pumpkin patches is so short, I really like to get my fill as early as possible—mostly to avoid having to tromp through a muddy field! By mid-October in Oregon, the rains have usually set in, which means pumpkin patches can be a bit of a mess. I like to go early and find the perfect few pumpkins (I always get a large, round pumpkin, a smaller round pumpkin, and then a “funky” shaped pumpkin—just because I worry no one wants those ones and they deserve love too!), then spend future visits just taking photos and walking through the farm stands. 

2. Making my first batch of October cookies. 

What is it about baking that’s…different in October? My favorites cookie recipes in October are my super soft ginger cookies or s’mores cookies (you read that right). And while I make these outside of Autumn, they just taste different when it’s a little bit cloudy out and a little bit cooler. 

3. Collecting leaves. 

I always press a few leaves into my journal in the Fall—usually if I find any vibrant red or orange ones, I like those best, but I also don’t mind the more common yellow leaves. I make it my mission every year to find a larger variety of shapes and color variations, then I press them in my encyclopedia and paste them in my journal. This is something I look forward to all year long. 

Want a copy of my bucket post? Just click the image to download it!