it's almost November

So, somehow I almost made it through October without acknowledging this as one of my favorite months.  The days and weeks and months seem to be speeding by me so quickly these days.  Yesterday I realized that November 1st is LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY and did I really let October pass by with only a trip to get pumpkins?

Honestly though, it hasn't exactly felt like October until the last few days.  We spent a glorious week at the beach earlier this month where the kids got soaked by the waves and the sun shined down on us.  And just last week it was about 80 degrees here in Pennsylvania.  But now, it's finally starting to feel like my beloved October and I'm going to intentionally soak up these last few days of the month. 

As I've written about before, autumn has historically been a time of significant change for us.  Year after year we have moved in the fall and so every year as the leaves start to change, I start to feel a little restless.  This year was no different.  But instead of giving in to those feelings, we started settling in.  We found our way back to Friday night as homemade pizza night.  Our morning routines and bedtime rituals have started to fall back into place.  We light candles and play music and dance our little hearts out when the days start to feel long.  As the weather turns colder and the days get shorter, I'm hoping to settle in even more. 
I've been reading the book "How to Celebrate Everything" by Jenny Rosenstrach (also the author of "Dinner, A Love Story") and it is inspiring me.  It's all about traditions and rituals and how important they are in our lives.  Even the small ones, like Friday night pizza.  I'm determined to create traditions for my kids now that bring them back home when they are grown. 

Go buy this book & also her other ones.  You will not be disappointed!!

And with that, let's go celebrate the end of October - will you join me in finding something to celebrate this weekend?