August has come and gone in the blink of an eye; in typical summer fashion! It seems that the more fun the month, the quicker it tends to move. I thought the end of the month would be an appropriate time to reflect on the highs of this month and take a short glimpse into what I am looking forward to in the “-ber” months ahead. Speaking of fashion, I cannot get over Shiloh’s fashion sense, it is the funniest thing to witness her fashion sense…this day she insisted on wearing all purple, then proceeded to find a headband in my bathroom lol
~Back to school always tops the list as something to prepare and look forward to in August. This year I have a high schooler (how?!) It really does go by in the blink of an eye. Something I do love about back to school is the supply shopping; who doesn’t love some new stationary and project supplies? Living in Texas there isn’t too much back to school clothes shopping happening (at least in our house) since it’s still 100+ degrees here. I tend to focus on a few things such as shoes and jeans, and leave the rest to the “-ber” months when it cools off more. She has had a great first few weeks and has made several new friends, something this mama is thankful for!
Getting back into more of a structured routine is great for the kids and I. I love having the kids all home with me and getting to spend more time together, but I do start running out of screen free ideas towards the end of the summer when it’s debilitatingly hot outside, plus the girls love to be out and spending time with their friends too. In this picture, I walked in and Sophia was completely passed out in Sierra’s lap, it was so stinking sweet!! Sophia is starting to get so close to walking so I am sure by September she will be completely mobile and running amuck to keep up with her two sisters!
~Something I have been focusing on lately is decluttering our home. I don’t have a ton of before/after pictures but let’s just say every trash day our can is out and it’s full lol! It feels great to let go of things that we no longer use and either donate them or in some cases dispose of. (I try not to just trash things unless I can’t rehome the item).
You don’t realize how much you’re holding onto until you get rid of the “just-in-case” items and only keep what you really use or truly love. Another perk is that now it takes a fraction of the time to pick up my home each day and I get more time to spend with my girls instead of always organizing or cleaning. In this picture I’ve been working on replacing some of our downstairs bathroom’s items. The mirror that was there was too big for the space and was broken on part of it. It is a very small bathroom that also serves as our guest bathroom as well so I decided on some shelves to give it some dimension and keep things as much off the floor as possible.
~A habit I’ve tried to pick back up is reading, which I love to do already, but sometimes it can be hard to find the time. I kicked my phone out of bed at night which has helped me to not get sucked into mindless scrolling that I so easily get into. I’ve read two books this month which isn’t too crazy, but feels like an accomplishment! I so do love fiction thrillers haha
~Sierra got her braces off this month, which was so exciting for her! I swear teens/tweens these days don’t seem to go through the same awkward stages that I remember so vividly going through!
~My birthday was also this month (29!) so that was an exciting day spent with my family along with a great dinner with friends and a fun concert! I didn’t think to take pictures that night, but that’s the best, right? Not feeling like you need to be on your phone! So enjoy this picture I took this month of me feeling v strong after I worked out at the gym lol
All in all, it was a great month and I honestly can’t wait for the season ahead! I am already dreaming of pumpkins and Christmas trees lol but seriously life couldn’t be better. I am finally starting to get more into a groove of having the littles with me all the time and actually leaving the house (harder than it sounds for me!) I always have them with me, but it’s just easier to be at home, so getting out is never much of a priority for me, but it’s great for all of us, hence starting at the gym. The girls can play with other littles at the child care center and I get a workout and some quiet time in. Everyone having a little more independence has been great and working out has been great for my mental health too. I’m slowly starting to leave my survival mode persona behind me finally and that feels great; for all of you mamas going through it now, it does get better, one day at a time!
What are you all most excited about for this fall?!
xx Emily