Field Notes: September & October
Fall is seriously the best - featuring fun adventures with my kids, great books, beauty products & other thing's I'm loving
It’s been a little while since I’ve done a little personal journal livestream situation. So, here we go…September and October were a wonderful blur!
The back to school transition feels like a distant memory. We’re fully in the groove of having our oldest two in school (my middle daughter is only in preschool a few days a week, but it’s still an adjustment and also SO GOOD for her!), a handful of activities during the week and on the weekends, and I have three full months at my new job under my belt. It’s been a whirlwind of a fall, filled with lots of work, life, and family time.
The weather has been divine. I know that this is not always a good thing because the extremely temperate fall weather is a sign of changing weather, but I will tell you that we take advantage of every single second of it. There were a few weeks in mid September where we were dealing with a pretty serious outbreak of EEE, a mosquito-born illness near our home and the public health recommendation was to avoid being outside after sundown - it was a brutal few weeks. After school activities were rescheduled and in turmoil, and we lost the ability to enjoy several weeks of some of the best weather we ever get. It’s been nice to have a little extra mild weather to spend as much easy outside time as we possibly can.
As long as I’ve been living back in Boston (and even as much as I could when I didn’t live in the area post-college), heading to several BC tailgates a season has been one of my favorite fall traditions. Especially now, seeing friends that I don’t get the chance to see that many times a year, and many of their families, is really special. AND, my kids are into it! They love the experience of going to the tailgate, seeing friends, eating hotdogs or pizza, and going to the game. It’s really fun, and sort of surreal to imagine that not that long ago we were all doing this most Saturdays in the fall together (and it looked VERY VERY different).
Over the summer, one my best friends from college got engaged, and we celebrated her engagement party at a brewery in early September, with her family and local friends. My college crew is a close-knit group, and a lot of us are in the greater Boston area, so it’s always fun to get us all together since it feels like a really fun night out in addition to being a great way to celebrate whatever the celebration at hand is. I took full advantage of the opportunity to get dressed up and wore one of my favorite Doen mini dresses (similar) with cowboy boots (my husband bought these for me as a birthday gift when we first started dating, I think in 2012!?!?). I paired it with this denim jacket, which was one of my first fall purchases this season and I love it so so so much.
I’ve managed to get dressed several times for actual adult occasions over the past couple months. There is a cool pop-up dinner club at a restaurant around the corner from our house that came back this fall after a long hiatus and we finally got in (here if you’re in the MetroWest area, I highly recommend it). We went with our neighbors and my dad and sister and had such a wonderful meal and experience.
I wore an Amazon set. I cannot recommend this set, I purchased it on a whim about a year or so ago when I was feeling extremely shoppy.& frustrated that nothing fit my postpartum body quite right. The fit is not good & the pants stretch out very quickly (saggy butt is no bueno). But, I appreciated the look for the night. This is the only time I’ve worn the set. I should have listened to my gut and returned it immediately — instead it sat in my closet past the return window. Reminder going into shopping season - clothes from amazon at prices that are too good to be true, are usually…too good to be true. The heels, however, are great, and on major sale if you need a strappy silver sandal! If you’re shopping for a pant like this, my recommendation would be to go for the Donni Kick flares, or something like this.
My husband and I went away for a perfect long weekend to Nantucket at the beginning of October. It was glorious. You can get a little peek into what we did and what I wore here. New England seaside towns in the fall are underrated/a well kept secret. Nantucket is one of our favorite places, particularly in October, particularly with my fave travel companion. If it’s not already, put a weekend at the Wauwinet on your travel wishlist!!
I have been going into my office a lot, which means that most mornings, I get ready at an early hour (or, at least, mostly ready, and then deal with finishing touches right before I run out the door. I think I’ve gotten pretty good at it, and wrote about some of the things I’ve been wearing (and how I style those pieces in a variety of different ways) last month.
Relatedly, I have felt like my work/life balance has been all out of whack. I’m still adjusting to my new job, getting up to speed, figuring out my workload, not wanting deprioritize anything, and getting into a groove. It’s normal and to be expected and I know it will all work itself out. To help me with this, there have been many mornings or early evenings where my husband has been taking our kids more than usual- to make sure I can make an early meeting, or have plenty of time to wrap up at the end of the day. We normally tackle this together or take turns as needed (which is commonly needed!) but this has been outside of our normal give and take. Which is fine because that’s how partnership works (in our opinion). But, I started to feel like I wasn’t getting as much time with my kids as I typically do, and I could tell that they were feeling the same way.
I planned a couple fun (simple) things to do with them, one of which was a Friday trip to the mall a few towns over from us so that I could make a return in person, and then so we could make a trip to the CAMP store and to dinner at Shake Shack (as a family we are aligned on the superiority of Shake Shack fries!). I knew my husband would not be upset to have a little time to himself at home (home alone time is a sacred & scarce resource these days!) so we made the trip just me and the kids.
First off, the mall on a Friday late afternoon is an experience all to itself. I rarely go to the mall these days, so I am not in tune with the traffic flow or activity patterns. On the one hand, a wide-open, but somewhat contained indoor space where your kids can run around is pretty great. On the other, the distractions & reminders of “no we aren’t buying that” can be a lot. Also a lot?? Getting to the CAMP store (which is like a huge toy store, but all the toys are set up for kids to play with in a giant play area with pretend areas, slides, craft areas, etc.) to find out that they were only doing a ticketed event (ps that my kids had already been to) that was sold out, was…not cool.
A fail for me. But you know what, my kids were rockstars. They rose to the occasion. Also, CAMP came through and helped them build their own slime (this is truly a terrible item it literally gets everywhere and I am still scraping bits of my daughter’s hot pink slime off our kitchen counter stools), but they thoroughly enjoyed the process of picking their colors and scents and mix-ins and participating in the mix-in process, and I very much appreciated that when I told them they could each pick a toy when I was feeling very guilty about our scheduling snafu, the make-your-own slime was the choice, and not the giant, life-size bluey stuffed animal that I saw them both eyeing. (I would have said no…I think).
By the time we sat down for dinner, we were all starving. We scarfed our food and I had to go back up to the counter to get a second round of fries for all of us. I don’t make a habit out of taking out all three for meals by myself, mostly because meals last approximately 3 minutes right now, but this was an exceptional evening. A couple sitting behind us stopped me and said how amazing they were and how impressed they were by all of us, and I almost cried tears of joy from the experience.
It can be nice when people share solidarity when you’re out and about and wrangling kids is really hard. Good to know they’ve been there too, and we’re in it together. But this couple noticed that we were all so happy and getting along and I was so so so so grateful for their comment. Telling us we we’re crushing it when we’re crushing it. I love it - note to self to do more of that.
And finally, the highlight of the fall is, of course, Halloween. It was very fun to see all of my kids get into the fun this year (okay, Willa mostly a bystander, but she did stay out with us all night). My son is dino-obsessed, and so he guided the kids in the direction of a group Spinosaurus family costume. It was very sweet. And also, bittersweet to see how quickly Halloween becomes something kids want to celebrate with their friends — my son was thrilled to spend the entire Halloween evening running around with his friends from school from house-to-house and collecting over five pounds of candy - truly remarkable.
Thing’s I’ve been loving…
Eadem Lip Gloss - This was gifted to me by the brand and has quickly become something that I will be purchasing over and over again. I have two colors - one is a clear gloss that I love to put over a pencil, and the other is a slightly pigmented berry shade. I like that it is NOT STICKY, nor does it have a gross taste (there is another similar product that is both exorbitantly priced for a lip gloss & has a bad taste that I just cannot deal with). I am also currently using the Dark Spot Serum from the brand, in hopes that it helps fade some discoloration I have on my cheeks.
UltraViolette Sunscreen - I am passionate and diligent about my SPF application and wearing, and when I finished up the last of my La Roche Possay that my dad brought back from Switzerland last spring, I took to the depths of the internet to figure out how I could get EU-level sun protection without leaving the country. Mrs. Derm came to my rescue and I followed her instructions to get my hands on this sunscreen that is incredible and makes your skin glow. Just ordered my third and fourth bottles.
Lemme Sleep Melatonin Gummies - These work. I only take 1/2 the serving size. No grogginess. 15 out of 10 recommend.
Mederma Overnight Scar Cream - this is random, but I cut the front of my shin this summer and did not do a good job making sure it healed propertly, and the scar bothered me in so many photos from the summer. I did a ton of scientific research (by scientific research I mean I immediately added the highest rated product on amazon to my cart & checked out) and, after a couple months of fairly consistent use, I can definitely tell the scar has faded. Next up, getting rid of my mostquito bite scars.
As winter approaches, my daily skincare routine gets a few more steps as I focus on staying hydrated all day long (my skin tends towards the dry side). This moisturizer is a must (originally gifted to me by the brand over a year ago, and now something I purchase and repurchase on my own). PLUS, last time I ordered, I added the Elastic Skin Serum to my cart, and I love it. So hydrating, so plumping!
Nood sent me a sample of their boop tape & sticky bras and they are by far the most user-friendly I’ve every used. Specifically, their “Game Changer Lift & Shape Bra” is incredible. A true game changer. Shop open-back or bra-free dresses for the holiday season with ease! Their Black Friday Sale has started — use code HOLIDAY30 for 30% off sitewide. I’m already plotting this.
Shrinking is back!!! Please watch! Also, Apple TV has a lot going on. Get a 3 month trial and pack in Bad Monkey, Slow Horses, Bad Sisters and Presumed Innocent. I’m sure there are more, but we have either watched all of these, or they’re on the top of our list (or we can’t wait to watch the next season!)
Reading lately has been happening mostly in the form of audio books, and there have been a number of really good ones. My top 3 from the past couple months include:
All Fours - Miranda July. This was the book heard around the world this summer, but I just got caught up with in. 60 minutes into this and I immediately texted my closest bookworm friend
and asked her if she had read it yet. I knew it was going to be juicy and salacious, but, it was different from what I expected. I loved it. So much that I convinced my book club to read it for our October book, and nearly everyone has said that they are actually reading it. I found the behavior of the protagonist appalling, frustrating, and also, totally relatable. Give it a chance, I think, at the minimum, it will give you A LOT to think about!The Au Pair Affair - Tessa Bailey is my go-to when I want something a little smutty but with a solid plot. This delivered.
The Ex Vows - Jessica Joyce - This was a very fun romance that I really loved!
The most popular things from September & October…
J.Crew Sweater that I have been wearing on repeat
Rib Kick Flares - We love em, and will be wearing them all winter long.
Tuckernuck Nina Flats with the sexiest toe box — RESTOCKED FULLY IN OXBLOOD - RUN!
I included these pants in this piece about travel outfits, and I can tell you all have been loving them too!
ICYMI:
Some recent pieces that you might enjoy…
What The Heck Do I Wear for Work — Workwear inspo
2023 Holiday Gift Guides (this year’s guides are coming soon!)
Inspiration if you’re going to the Eras Tour!!!!
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