Happy Halloween! Johnny made this cute little candy corn guy in his first grade class. I think it’s adorable! We are supposed to get one of our extremely rare rain showers today, but everyone is much too grateful for rain to complain.
I kept my October goals simple, and we had a nice month. A very brief (three day) visit from my parents was a definite highlight of the month. We hadn’t seen them since our Vermont family reunion, back when we were selling our Massachusetts house. My mom helped me with my goal of having Lily practice at least five days a week; she worked with Emma on piano as well. My dad read books to the kids, and we all enjoyed spending time outside together – which helped with my goal of enjoying fall, even if the weather is still too warm for fall, really.
I was pretty careful with commitments. The kids are wearing their Halloween costumes from last year, so I didn’t have to do anything for that! We did decide to put some lights in our ceiling – and, of course, that is a larger project than we anticipated. We will see how long it takes to finish! Johnny and Lily were really worried the first day that they would fall through the floor above (our playroom) because of the holes in the ceiling, so we did a mini-lesson on how houses are built.
November goals should be quite simple:
- Enjoy Thanksgiving with my brothers (at one of my brothers’ homes). Theme: gratitude
- Enjoy time with Mike’s family around Thanksgiving. Theme: gratitude
- Host another Multicultural Kid Blogger retreat. Themes: education
- Finish up all Christmas prep. Christmas is my favorite time of year, and I like to spend December enjoying it. I see that month as a time to enjoy family, reflect on the year, and recharge in preparation for another January. Themes: responsibility, simplicity, and gratitude
What did October look like in your home? What do you have planned for November?
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
LOVE that candy corn guy! :) Hm – now I’m wondering if I could get completely ready for Christmas this month, too… good idea!
It makes December so much nicer! Good luck :)
How cute! My son also came home with a Candy Man that was a candy corn lol. And yes, we had some nice rain on Saturday too. People were worried it’d rain on Halloween but I think with this crazy drought, not many would complain!
I think the weather turned out perfect some rain (we need more!) but then clear skies for the actual evening. But yes, I wouldn’t have complained at all if it had rained all night!
I was not able to some of the goals I set for myself! I hope to do them this month :)
Good luck! I fall short on meeting my goals several times a year, but I am convinced that I still get more done than I would if I didn’t set them to begin with.
Things were so busy this past month as I made three of four of our kids’ Halloween costumes and we did Halloween activities. Next on the list, is our four kids’ fourth birthday this month. I am curious about your Christmas preparations. We need to get our cards done before December due to a card exchange. What do you do to prepare?
I buy all the gifts before December, and this year we are doing a fun advent calendar. We also send out cards, and I need to get those done soon!
My October goals were just to get through it! I think that’s pretty much my theme these days. Breathe through each day, day by day.
That’s a good approach to life, especially when it gets as busy/complicated as yours has been!
Sounds like great goals, MaryAnne! My main goal for November is survive jury duty :)
Good luck!
I need to get back into the habit of making goals again. I’ve been a bit remiss in that area.
This month I’ve felt good to survive.
I hope November is easier for you!