// ONE //
“Rain rain go away.” That’s the song we were singing this week. An unusually frigid cold front hit us on Monday and brought tons of rain with it. Luckily, we didn’t get severe flooding like other parts of Texas, but the rain combined with the cold weather made me want to stay indoors.
Me. Only me.
Somehow the kids didn’t get the memo. Indeed, I think all children in the world get together on rain days and conspire to act like rabid animals until we break down and let them outside. They got through to me at least.
So I dressed them up in their rain gear and rain boots (or “puddlers,” as we call them), and we headed outdoors.
They jumped in puddles and danced on the metal grates.
They fished.
And they napped. At the same time. For 3 hours. And that’s why it was worth dragging my lazy self outdoors on a cold, wet October day to let the kids run their sillies out.
I mean, doesn’t everyone want dine in their jammies outdoors in 50-degree weather?
// TWO //
Although we did end up spending a lot of time outdoors this week, I had a few indoor projects up my sleeve to keep the kids entertained. My favorite was this haunted house chocolate cookie kit from Trader Joe’s.
I’ve done a couple of these, and this one is by far the best. It’s the perfect size–not too big, and the finished product fits on a standard dinner plate. Plus, everything is included. You don’t have to make royal icing or buy extra candy. The kit comes with two icing pouches with tips and enough bones, bats and colored spheres to decorate with after you’ve eaten the other half of them.
Lamborghini was soooooooo proud of the final product. He kept exclaiming, “I built a house, I built a house!!” And he insisted on showing it to everyone. Our cookie house was especially cool because it came with special features–two doorbells and a security camera and a fire alarm. Those are the little colored spheres underneath the roof.
I’m not sure if the cookie houses are still in stock at Trader Joe’s, but if they are I highly recommend picking one up.
// THREE //
This month, I set a hard budget for myself on grocery and miscellaneous item expenditures (more on that later). I fell into the trap of going to the grocery store multiple times a week and would grab extra items we really didn’t need.
One thing I’m focusing on is conscientious shopping–aka making a list and sticking to it. And the other big thing is not buying snacks for the kids. Our snack shelf is overflowing, and I’m tired of them not eating dinner because they’ve had so many snacks throughout the day.
I’ve actually been doing a pretty good job of sticking to the budget (only 1.5 weeks left to go for this month!), but I faltered a little bit on Friday when I saw these at Kroger:
They are photographed in my hand and in my kitchen because, sigh, I bought them. But BAG OF BONES CHEETOS!!! So stinking cute. And fun.
I opted for the white cheddar flavor because it looks better on white furniture (yup). Kroger had the flamin’ hot flavor as well. Lamborghini preferred building skeletons to eating them, but The Dot–who admittedly has a Cheetos addiction–gobbled them up. As soon as we run out of these, though, no more snacks from the grocery store unless it is fruit or vegetables!
// FOUR //
I mentioned several weeks ago in this post that I have had the same pair of Lululemon shorts for at least four years and have been on the lookout for new running shorts. I’ve considered buying more Lululemon shorts because I love how comfortable they are and they obviously hold up well, but my main gripe with them is that they don’t have pockets. And with two kids and only two hands, I really need pockets.
At the start of summer, I bought a pair of the Lilly Pulitzer run around shorts to try out. Like the Lululemon shorts, the Lilly Pulitzer shorts are not cheap. However, they are fabulous. First, they have not one but THREE pockets!!! My cell phone fits perfectly in the back pocket, and I can fit two tennis balls in each side pocket. I look super cool when I do this, by the way.
Second, the shorts come in cute patterns. My first pair was in the mermaid cove pattern, which sold out quickly. But I also have the nautica navy color in the 4-inch short. I picked up two more pair in the 3-inch length during the end of summer sale in September and really like them too. I’m wearing the 3-inch shorts here (please excuse the post-nap bed):
The shorts run small, so I recommend sizing up. I’m a size 8 in pants right now and prefer the size large. I have one pair in medium, which fits, but they’re not as comfortable for exercising. The shorts have a cinch waistband that I tie when running because the large is a tad bit loose. But omg they are comfortable. Highly recommend.
// FIVE //
We decided to get out of the house this weekend and take the kids to the Wildflower Festival in town. It is such a fun event. The kids walked from booth to booth and picked up packets of wildflower seeds. Or at least that’s what I imagined they would do.
Instead, the kids ran from booth to booth, scoured each table for candy, and collected said candy in their halloween-themed bags (and mouths) while Bammie, PopPop, Mr. L and I attempted to collect seed packets. Although Mr. L later described the kids’ sugar-high as a “nightmare,” I think we all had fun. And we got so many cool seeds!
Our plan is to spread ours along the roadway and sidewalk green areas so they will grow in the spring. I never think about planting flower seeds in the fall, but I just Googled it and apparently now is the time. I’ll keep you posted on whether ours end up growing.
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