Fun, full, fall weekend!

We fit in lots of fun fall activities this weekend. Here’s how we filled the weekend. 

Friday:

- I went into the office which isn’t typical for a Friday. I sometimes have issues with my VPN connection. It can take a LONG time to save files when I WFH and since I had a long to do list, I figured being in the office was best. Plus I had a client call at 8:30 so I wouldn’t have been able to workout if I had WFH (being able to squeeze in a workout is the main benefit of WFH). One of the items on my list was to write my self-review for 2024. It’s so early to write a self-review but my company keeps moving up the deadline every year it seems. I’ve been tactfully lobbying for a pay increase over the last several months so I wanted a really strong self-review with lots of examples of my contributions. My role has changed dramatically in the last 2 years. For example, I used to rarely travel… this year I will do 20+ trips. Plus I have a direct report that I manage/mentor now. I don’t love comp conversations but I know many of my male colleagues aren’t shy about asking for what they want so I had to go outside my comfort zone and be more direct. 

- I also voted early while I was downtown. There was a steady steam of people at the voting site. I really liked the idea of voting on Election Day with Paul since our polling site is next to his school. But I wanted to make sure nothing got in the way of casting my vote!!

Saturday:

- It was a chilly morning with temps in the upper 30s which felt good on my 5 mile run. I needed to wear a vest and LS shirt for this run. 

- After I showered Phil headed to get groceries and I took the boys to the fall event at our church’s pumpkin patch. Taco helped me pick out our pumpkin and he picked out 2 small ones for him and Paul while Paul jumped in the bounce house (Taco is terrified of bounce houses - Paul was scared at his age, too). The boys also enjoyed a pumpkin sugar cookie. A woman offered to take a picture of me with the boys so I took her up on that since I am in so few pictures with the boys! I was wishing I had worn make up that day but oh well. This is my weekend mom look.

- After quiet time that afternoon we went to a free tennis clinic that is put on every weekend at a tennis bubble close to Taco’s school. The boys had so much fun!

- Then it was off to a pumpkin carving party at our friend’s house! I worked on making sweet and smoky chili while Phil carved our pumpkin. After dinner the kids all watched a movie together while the adults played cards. It was such a fun night!!

We usually carve a cat but this year we went off brand and Phil carved a hand as it was one of the easier stencils in our book of patterns. Our friend’s cat pumpkin was amazing! 

- The boys’ and I went to Sunday school on Sunday morning. I volunteered in Taco’s room which was pretty easy and fun. I helped in the music room and played the piano while 2 of the teachers went to hear their grandson sing in church. I was a little nervous to sight read a piece but the kids are 3-4 so not a very judgmental audience! I took some pics of the boys on the way home from church for our Christmas card which was quite an ordeal… 

- In the afternoon Phil golfed with some friends while the boys had swimming lessons and went to the fall festival at Paul’s school. There were bounce houses, food trucks, games, llamas, and more! The boys had a great time.

Could we have fit more into the weekend? I don’t think so! 

This afternoon I fly to Detroit for a work trip. I’ll be back around dinner time on Wednesday so it’s a pretty short trip. Then I get a week break from travel thank goodness.

How was your weekend?

A Fun Fall Weekend + Defining Fall Fun

Good morning and happy Monday! Our weekend did NOT get off to the best start but ended up being a good one. On Thursday morning, I commented to Phil (who was working from home) that we were all pretty healthy finally after a rough stretch of various viruses and cold bugs. An hour later he said - "I think I have a fever." Sure enough, he did and he continued to feel worse so he scheduled a covid test for 4 pm and I canceled the work happy hour at a coworker's house that I was very-much looking forward to!

So the kids were home with us on Friday while we waited for his covid test results. He wore a mask and tried to keep his distance from us/didn't pick up or touch either kid. I tried to work as much as I could but I was only able to monitor emails/do a few pressing tasks. We let Paul watch more TV than usual but I made sure to get out of the house with them in the morning for a walk.

Our double stroller days are very numbered. Paul does NOT like to be strapped in anymore. Womp womp. I convinced him to stay in the stroller for this 40 minute walk but it took a lot of negotiations.

Luckily I had picked up some cheap activities in the dollar aisle of Target last month. He LOVED working on these worksheet. He is so my child as I LOVED worksheets and workbooks when I was a kid.

After this quiet time/nap, I took him scooting so he could go see the dinosaur in our neighborhood. He had to get off the scooter and admire this for quite awhile. I thought inflatables were a little tacky before I had kids! We would never have one in our yard but Paul sure loves them! 

When we got back from scooting, Will joined us in the front yard for some leaf fun. Full disclosure - I did NOT dress him!! Phil put this yellow pj shirt and neon green short combo together!! Ha! William was not sure about the leaves at first but eventually came to enjoy them!

 

Luckily around dinner time, Phil's covid test came back negative. It was a HUGE relief. Had he been positive, he would have had to quarantine in the basement for 10 days and our kids would have been home during those 10 days. 

On Saturday morning, something magical happened - EVERYONE SLEPT UNTIL 7AM. I could not believe it when I looked at my watch when I woke up to Paul yelling for me! William slept until 7:15! It was so wonderful - and so needed!

When your parents both work in finance, a shirt like this is the perfect gift!

After lunch that day, we went to the park. Since Paul hates the stroller so much these days, we let him scoot to the park so we could just bring the single stroller. It's about 3/4 of a mile. He made it all the way there and about 1/2 of the way back before getting tired. I had anticipated that happening so had brought the ergo-style carrier so I popped Will in that and Paul got in the stroller. 

2nd time in the swing, first time he enjoyed it (he did not think much of it the first time we put him in a swing)

That afternoon we had more fun in the leaves. The weather was unseasonably warm here this weekend. Too warm in my opinion - upper 70s on Fri/Sat and pretty humid on Saturday. 

Sunday was more of the same - walks and time spent in the leaves. I also pulled out some puzzles Phil's mom had bought for Paul last year. He's old enough to do them on his own now. This was my favorite of the bunch! - it makes a twisty snake. 

So all in all, a fun family fall weekend. Which made me think about what "fall fun" means to us. Thanks to social media, I see a lot of pictures of trips to fall festivals, pumpkin patches, orchards, you name it. We have yet to do any of these things and I don't know when we will? Likely not until we are out of this 'little kid' stage of life. Sometimes I beat myself up a bit and think that I am not a 'fun mom.' But then I remind myself that I never did any of these things as a child either. Granted, we grew our own pumpkins and had 2 apple trees, so a visit to a pumpkin patch or orchard wasn't necessary for us. My fall memories include jumping in leaves, filling those pumpkin garbage bags with leaves (do they still make these??), carving pumpkins, roasting and eating pumpkin seeds and trick-or-treating. These are all things my kids will do - well besides the pumpkin leaf bags because we just put our leaves in yard bags. 

This is not to say that doing those things ISN'T fun - it's just not fun for us at this stage of life. I am mindful about doing things that are fun FOR US or MATTER TO US - not because everyone else is doing it and posting about it on social media. I try to keep this in mind with a lot of things. Kid bedrooms is another area where I do not really do much. Our kids rooms are so basic and not instagram-worthy! And that is FINE because neither kid really cares, nor do they spend time in their rooms right now. When they reach a stage of life where they hang out in their bedroom, I think I will put more effort into it. This weekend we ordered a bed frame for Paul's room and we purchased the frame we went with because it has built-in storage cubbies which will be useful in his bedroom, which is small and kind of oddly shaped. Is it the cutest bed ever? No. Is it functional? Absolutely and it's "cute enough."

It can be easy to fall into the trap of doing what others think is important but I try to make sure our time and effort is aligning with what we value and enjoy doing. But in the era of social media, this is something I need to repeatedly tell myself!

Just a little food for thought on your Monday morning!

Falling Back in Love with Fall

I love this quote by Anne of Green Gables!

I've struggled to really embrace fall this year.  I usually love this time of year but this year I wasn't quite ready to let go of summer.  But over the course of the last two weekends, I started to fall back in love with fall.  I think I came to the realization that ready or not, fall is here so I might as well embrace it.  After all, it is a stunning time of year in the Midwest, and it can be a brief season so I might as well make the most of it!

I just have to look out my window to be reminded of how beautiful this time of year is.  I've said it before and I'll say it again - I feel so lucky to live where I do.

The last two Sundays, I've gone on long runs along the mighty Mississippi.  It's a beautiful area with paved running and biking trails lined by trees.

The trees in this residential area along the river seem particularly beautiful this year.

I recently rediscovered a running path that I hadn't ran in over 2 years which takes you closer to the Mississippi River.  The fall colors are stunning. I can't wait to run this path with my friend Lori when she visits this coming weekend!

The sun was shining and the reflection off the water was beautiful.

The path I ran features a bridge that runs parallel to the shore of the river.  I love the juxtaposition of the great outdoors and urban life in this photo; it's a peaceful wooded area but you can see the Minneapolis skyline in the distance.
   

This running path is probably 5 miles from the center of the city but it feels like a different world. The 2 pictures show how the fall colors have begun to peak over the last week as they were taken in the same area!

This past Saturday, I also had the chance to go for a nice long bike ride with my friend Courtney. We covered about 24 miles and saw lots of beautiful fall colors along the way. 

Biking is so much more fun with a buddy!

After fighting the transition into a new season for awhile, now my mind is saying:  "OK fall, I'm ready for you."

Have you greeted fall with open arms or have you struggled to embrace the change of seasons? 

Fall-la-la-la-la

As I said last week, I am SO ready for fall.  I know not everyone feels this way as fall might mean going back to school if you are teacher or student, etc.  But I LOVE fall.  So when I saw Shoshanah do this post last week (via here), I had to play along!

1.  What is your favorite fall activity?
I would have to say running.  There is nothing better than running in cool fall temps.  The crisp air feels amazing after the endless days of humidity, and it's beautiful when the leaves start to turn.   And the air just smells differently.

2.  Do you follow a football team?  If so, which one and why?
Hells no.  I am not a sports person.  I do participate in this game at work where you pick one team each week that you think might win - so I watch the betting lines to figure out who I will pick and I monitor the scores so I can see who got strikes that week, but that's the extent of it.  And I do all that because I am a competitive person - not because I care at all about the actual game of football!

3.  What is something fun about fall in your area?
Well, the Twin Cities marathon is in the fall and it frequently makes the list as one of the most beautiful fall marathons - and having run it, I can say it is a beautiful course!  So if you are a runner, come run it!!!

Besides that, since we have quite a large presence of Germans, there are lots of Oktoberfest celebrations. And there are many apple orchards to visit - which is something I have actually never done but hope to do this fall!

4.  Fave fall outfit staples?
That's an easy one:  skinny jeans, a comfy sweater, and tall boots.  I also love outerwear and get excited to pull out my jackets and scarves!!

5.  Thing you are looking forward to most about this coming fall season?
Going to Nora's wedding in St. Louis!  I'm a bridesmaid so get to wear a pretty dress (which arrived last week!) and stand up next to her as a witness to her marriage to Knight!  And on top of that, I get to see Becky, Mandy, and Nilsa!!

6.  Favorite fall holidays?  Traditions?
Well, my favorite fall tradition is Julia Child Night!  We'll hold our 4th annual event this fall and are already brain storming about the menu.  I absolutely love this tradition that my aunt and I started - as does everyone who attends as the meal is seriously to die for!  It's really one of my most favorite days of the year.  I love sharing my passion for all things French with my family!

My favorite fall holiday is of course Thanksgiving.  It's actually one of my favorite holidays over all.  I love the food, the weather, and the time with family!  Also, it's the time of year that I do my "10 Days of Thanksgiving" post series, which I really enjoy as it's fun to reflect on all the wonderful things in my life.

And last, but not least, I love changing my weekly latte from a vanilla to a pumpkin spice latte!

Wow, there are a lot of exclamation points in this post. What can I say, I just adore fall. What are some of your favorite things about fall?