Halloween Pajamas for Kids

Graham loves Halloween almost as much as he loves Christmas. Before having kids, I wasn't that big on Halloween even with my birthday just days before. But now, I love it! We love to decorate the house for Halloween, and as you know, I can't resist matching holiday PJs for the boys! Halloween PJs are the official start to the holiday season. I like to break them out on October 1st so they wear them all month long. But let's be honest, they'll be wearing these all winter long! Thankfully with the cooler than usual weather, they won't be too hot in them. Many years, we're still in the 90s through September and into October here, so it has been lovely. 

This year I actually remembered to buy these early enough, before all the cute prints were out of stock. Since I tend to go overboard with matching jammies, I did Burts Bees this year because they're more affordable but still super cozy and well made. Jack & Charlie are still wearing Graham's hand me downs from 3 years ago! I also always size up at least one size in PJs because they'll often wear the holiday prints for 2 seasons that way. 

Here are a few of my favorites from past years too!

Here are links to few of my favorite prints for Halloween pajamas this year!

Burts Bees // Ghosts, Hanna Andersson // Baby Gap // Pottery Barn Kids // Spearmint Love //

 Little Sleepies // JCPenny //

I'm so excited for spooky season! We have a lot of fun events in October, and like I said it feels like the kick off to my most favorite time of year!

Lifted Her Look - Week 2

 

We're already two weeks into my Lifted Her Look Challenge and I'm having a lot of fun! I love looking for inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram, and then trying to figure out how to create similar looks in my own closet. One thing I've learned already is, I need new basics. I haven't really updated my wardrobe in years, a new dress or top here and there, but I need classic pieces. I have Rent the Runway for fun items to wear for events, but I want to build up a capsule wardrobe that I can enhance with rented pieces throughout the month. I've also noticed, I really need new shoes! I have my converse and a couple pair of sandals, but that's about it. I need boots and a few other options to mix in, especially with the seasons changing. 

Monday was kind of a bust for me. I probably would have felt better with my hair down, but it was hair wash day and so I thought I would try the slicked back ponytail everyone does now. It felt like a flashback to middle school. The sneakers with jeans and the fitted top have too much of a 'mom' vibe and not in a good way. In hindsight I needed a looser fitting top to balance out the outfit. Honestly, I probably would have felt cuter if I just wore my usual athleisure instead. 

This blouse has proven to be the most worn top in my closet. I've had it for years, I think before Graham was born (also seen here). When I worked in San Francisco, it was one of my favorite tops for the office. It's great colors for fall but works year round. I went to the grocery store this day and got complimented by three different people, even though it's old it has stood the test of time! While this outfit probably would have been cuter with boots, it was still in the 80's that afternoon so I tried to style it for fall transition with the cropped jeans and sandals. These jeans were the first pair I bought when skinny jeans were going out of style, and they are already feeling a bit dated. Overall, I felt cute on Tuesday and liked this look, which is the whole purpose of doing this little challenge. 

Wednesday was a fun one! This is an outfit I never would have put together without finding this inspiration on Pinterest. I didn't have a brown belt, but luckily was able to dig this one out of the back of Andrew's closet. And I finally got a chance to wear my high top converse too.  I felt cute and it was fun wearing something totally different for me, but still felt like myself. 

This is one of the first looks I had saved after I bought this dress for a girls trip a couple years ago. I love the look with sneakers for a more casual feel. It was perfect for this in between weather we've been having. Crisp mornings, but warm in the afternoon. I'm ready to dress like fall but it's still been too warm to pull out all the sweaters. I felt really cute for work and a quick errand, but it wasn't the most practical for playing with the boys ha! I quickly changed after we got home from school pick up. 

Today is a casual day working from home with only one meeting so I wanted to be comfy. I don't look quite as chic as the woman in the photo, but it's comfy and feels like a good simple look for a early fall day. I like that her shoes are more delicate than mine, maybe if I were at the beach that would help!

Thanks for following along for my challenge. I'm already thinking about what outfits I can put together next week. Another thing I've learned is planning ahead helps. Just like with the kids, there is something about setting out your outfit the night before that makes the morning run so much more smoothly. 

Hope you all have a great weekend! 

Inspiration Photos 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 //

Fall '23 One Room Challenge (ORC) - My Home Office

 

The One Room Challenge has been around since way back when I was first blogging (it started in 2011)! Before everyone even really knew what a blog was, and long before the term 'influencer' was coined. I've always wanted to participate. I love the concept of community coming together to celebrate each other and cheer one another on during a project. It reminds me of two challenges I participated in back in my early blogging days, Blog Everyday In May and the Pinterest Challenge. In the old days of blogging, these types of challenges were pretty common, and the blogging world in general was more about building community and friendship than anything else. Lately, I have sensed a shift back towards that mentality and I am here for it!

While I've always wanted to participate in the challenge, I generally make excuses like; I am too busy, I don't have time, the project is too expensive, etc. But, I'm done with excuses and would rather lean into the fear and put myself out there anyway. So here we are! 

I'm excited to officially be a part of the Fall 2023 One Room Challenge "ORC.' I've decided to tackle my office space. It's a small and manageable space to tackle in 8 weeks, and I think it will have the greatest impact. I spend the majority of my time in this room, and it's generally a complete disaster and catch all/drop space. This disorganized mess makes me feel overwhelmed and unproductive, not ideal for the room I spend the majority of my time. Not to mention it's attached to our primary bedroom so that sense of disorder and chaos spills over into that room. 

My office space was actually a really big selling point to this house. Since Andrew and I both work from home, we needed a dedicated place for us both to work. My office is a loft space above the entry way that you access from our primary bedroom. It has a window overlooking the front of the house, and has a really nice built in desk and shelving. It's just enough space for an office and because of the window and loft space, it's bright and airy. Because Andrew has so many meetings and needs a quiet space to focus, he uses the extra bedroom. And since I don't spend too much of my day on the phone or WebEx video calls, the loft works well for me. 

While the bones of my office area great, it is definitely uninspiring and boring. I need to add a little character and warmth to make it someplace I want to spend my time and inspires me to be productive. Plus, if it's beautiful it will motivate me to keep it clean and organized! Right?

So without further ado, here are the before photos of my office! These photos were taken on move in day, after we had repainted the interior Benjamin Moore White Dove and replaced the carpet as well. The current before photo I'll save for the end, it's a disaster! These help visualize the space more clearly. 

I have so many ideas for this space and I think within these 8 weeks, we can make a big impact! I'm excited to take you along for the transformation! I hope you come back next week for the inspiration photos and mood board I created so you can visualize the direction I hope to take this cute little space. Here is a list of some of the items I hope to tackle with this project! 

• Clean out office cabinets and organize
• Hang new shelf 
• Vision board
• Accent wall with wallpaper
• Valence 
• Gallery wall 
• New light fixture
• Paint cabinets
• Hardwire internet 
• Style desk top
• Cabinet pulls
• New office chair

Also be sure to head over to the ORC page to look at what other creatives are working on this time! There are so many inspiring folks out there, I'm excited to be inspired and cheer them on!

30 Days of Home

 

I've noticed something that I really struggle with as an adult and in motherhood is feeling overwhelmed, so much so that I let it paralyze me. Which as you might imagine, makes it so I don't accomplish things, and that feeling of overwhelm spirals. I know how much better it feels to complete tasks and get things done that have been lingering on my ever growing to do lists, but the overwhelm stops me in my tracks. 

I had been thinking, I should do one tiny small thing every day, and watch the results compound over time. I even sat down to make a list (my favorite thing to do). I wrote out a long list of things that I've been wanting to accomplish in our home since we moved in over two years ago. I thought if each task was small and manageable, only requiring a few minutes of my day, that would be a great place to start. Well, I made a list to start September 1st, and then I kind of forgot about it. 

That was, until I saw Leslie Graham started a similar series of "Nurturing Home" on her blog and social media channels. It has been so fun to watch her videos and see everything she has accomplished. It got me thinking, if she can do it, so can I! So, I gathered my list and figured there is nothing better to keep me accountable than to put it out in the world. My brain really likes things to make sense and be orderly, so I'd love for this to start October 1st. But, I think that is really just me making excuses for myself. So here we go, September 26th and starting 30 Days of Home!

Here is the list of things I'd like to accomplish, not necessarily in order. Some of them will require more time and effort, but others are very quick and easy to accomplish. My plan is to show up on Instagram stories each day to update progress, and I'd like to create a few Reels for when I have time or it makes sense for the task of that given day. I'll be sure to update here too if there are links to posts from a given task. I hope that you'll join me on the journey and maybe it will even inspire you, too! 

1. Order pictures for frames upstairs
2. Clean out Primary Bathroom cabinets
3. Put Photos in frames upstairs
4. Order Wallpaper samples
5. List holiday clothes to sell online
6. Finish planting in the backyard
7. Order side table for out front
8. Finish entry table DIY project
9. Order art prints for living room frames
10. Hang 2 frames in family room
11. Order prints for dining room
12. Hang plant in the bathroom
13. Organize boys' bathroom cabinet
14. Organize laundry room cabinets
15. Schedule carpet cleaning
16. Schedule tree service
17. Schedule air duct removal
18. Organize Andrew's office closet
19. Order covers for front chairs
20. Clean patio cushions
21. Get bark for planter in back
22. Get driftwood to finish sand box area
23. Get quote to finish fence and front gate
24. Stack wood along back fence in rack
25. Get pots and plant small area in backyard under window
26. Order art for brothers bedroom frames
27. New frame for G's alphabet print
28. New print for empty frame in G's room
29. Hang mobile in brothers room
30. Hang map in Graham's room

Have you ever done something like this to help with the sense overwhelm? I'm very hopeful that the feeling of accomplishment I feel after getting things done will help me feel more at peace in my home as well as motivate me to be more focused and productive in general. 

Our Favorite Fall and Halloween Kids Books

It's officially fall and our house has shifted seasons! Graham loves decorating for holidays, it comes by him naturally. So of course, we got out all the fall and halloween decorations over the weekend. One of my favorite things to do during the holiday season is style their bookshelf with all our favorite seasonal books! Such a simple but fun tradition for them. Celebrating the holidays with kids is one of my favorite things about motherhood. 

Pick A Pumpkin // B is for Boo // Gilbert the Ghost // The Leaf Thief // Pumpkin Pie // Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn // Mouse's First Fall // Bear Has a Story to Tell // Spooky Pookie // Duck & Goose Find A Pumpkin // Sophie's Squash // Spooky, Spooky Little Bat // Fletcher and the Falling Leaves // Little Blue Truck Halloween // Cats Night Out

All the boys love story time, it's been an integral part of our bedtime routine since Graham was little. Usually Charlie just runs around in circles while we do story time, but Jack loves reading as much as his big brother Graham. 

Growing up, my Dad always read to us each night, so it's been an important part of my motherhood journey as well. I'm so glad that the boys enjoy story time and I hope to continue reading to them as they grow. And of course, every time Papa is here during bedtime (anytime really) he reads to the boys too! 

What are your favorite holiday and seasonal books?

Lifted Her Look Week 1

It's been literally years since I first tried to launch this series on the blog, so even though this wasn't a full week of outfits, it's better to start than wait for perfection. So here we go! 

I'm really trying to find my style again after becoming a mom. It's really hard motivating to get ready each morning when I work from home and don't have to get dressed and put outfits together. However, I have noticed a big impact that getting ready for the day has on my mental health. When I take the time to do my hair, makeup, and put an outfit together I notice a significant impact in my mood and productivity throughout the day. 

The way this series initially started was to find an outfit online, and try to recreate it with clothes in my closet. But now, my outfits are also inspired by whatever Rent The Runway options I have that month, so it will be a little bit of a combination. 

I didn't get ready or document my outfits on Monday or Tuesday this week, so we'll start with what I wore Wednesday! I rented this matching set, however I think they've been washed a different amount of times so the fading makes it look mismatched together. So I styled it with jeans and my white converse for a cute, but casual and easy look. I worked from a cafe for a few hours after school drop off, then back home for a while to get a few things done between meetings. Then I met my sister for dinner out! It was the perfect, comfy outfit for a busy day.

Here are my inspiration looks, and then the way I styled it. 

Day two, Thursday started with an early morning hair appointment right after I dropped the boys at school. So, I did my makeup but went with a comfy & casual outfit since I had to get out of the house early and get straight to my appointment. I had big plans of changing when I got home for rest of the day, but by 3pm that hadn't happened so I called it.  

Today is another casual day. I have a little bit of work and only one meeting, plus a few things to do around the house today. Then I'm picking up Graham early and we have a play date with a couple neighborhood friends. I wanted to feel put together but also comfortable. 

Looking forward to next week. My goal is to get ready for the day (do my makeup, hair and get dressed) at least 4 days!  

Image Sources Pinterest & Rent the Runway

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 //

Fall Bucket List

Tomorrow marks the start of my very favorite season, Fall! Maybe it's because I'm an October baby, but I just love all things Fall (so basic, I know)! This year it really snuck up on me. Now that we're in our new routine with the kids at school, time somehow moves even faster. A friend was asking about the calendar so we could plan our annual holiday traditions, and it seemed so far away, but September is already whizzing by in the blink of an eye! Hopefully even with busy schedules, we'll find time to squeeze in all our favorite Fall activities and traditions. 

Go to a Pumpkin Patch / Of course, what would fall be without a visit to the pumpkin patch! I always loved doing this as a kid around my birthday. We'll likely go to a couple, since a few destinations on this list also have a pumpkin patch. 

Visit Apple Hill / Such a classic Fall destination we're so lucky to live close to. It's always quite the circus on the weekend, and now that the kids are in school I'm not sure we can do a weekday visit. Perhaps I'll pick up Graham and the twins early one day and we can hope they nap in the car on the drive there. The ultimate fall destination with apple cider donuts, apple cider, you pick flower bouquets, breweries, wineries, pumpkin patches, and apple picking! 

Host our annual Pumpkin Carving Party / Our tradition the past several years is to host friends for a pumpkin carving party! So far, the Dad's seem to be the most involved in the actual carving but it's so fun to get together and celebrate the season. I usually make a fun, spooky treat too! 

Larson Family Winery Harvest / Another favorite tradition! We joined this winery wayyyy back when I was still living in the fog, but we've kept our membership and love to visit. We originally joined because it was close to the city and dog friendly, and now we stay because it's kid friendly and affordable and good wine. They do several events throughout the year we try to attend, but the Harvest and Santa brunch are a must!

Neighborhood Halloween Parade / The best surprise of our neighborhood was finding out it has an adorable Halloween parade every year for the kids. The first year we invited some friends last minute, then last year made it more of an event. It's a blast, all the kids are so cute in their costumes. Now we've gotten to know some neighbors too! So I'm sure it's going to be so fun. It also happens to fall on my birthday this year!

Trick or Treat / The neighborhood adjacent to ours is BIG for trick or treating. People drive over and park to walk around the festive houses. Graham has had the BEST time the past couple years and I know that brothers are going to love it this year too! 

Go to the Farmers market / I love a fall farmers market! I've been wanting to go to the Folsom or Sacramento market so that will be a fun morning activity one weekend we're home and don't have early soccer. 

Pick Apples / Perhaps on our visit to Apple Hill we'll be able to pick some apples. Or we can visit The Orchard in Auburn. But if all else fails, we can go pick some at Mimi & Papa's house (unless the bears get them first)!

Decorate for Halloween / We love to decorate for the holidays at our house. I've always loved pumpkins and fall decor, but since becoming a Mom I've really leaded into Halloween. It's so fun! Graham has been asking for weeks so we told him this weekend! 

Fall Front Porch / I love lining the porch with pumpkins, grasses & mums! I can't wait to have our front looking so cozy and festive for the autumn season! With a little spooky twist until Halloween of course! 

Bake a Fall Treat / bake something yummy and seasonal with the boys. Maybe some pumpkin scones, pumpkin pancakes, apple pie, or apple bread. I also though caramel apples could be really fun! Anyone have a delicious recipe they want to share? 

Fall crafts / I love doing crafts with the boys, and I've been pinning fun fall and halloween theme projects for us to work on. I also bought a couple kits from Target because they're always a hit too, and so easy! 

Decorate Sugar Cookies / Decorating sugar cookies at Christmas is a Magliozzi tradition, and I've selfishly taken it a bit further, expanding to most holidays because it's just so fun!  

Fall Floral Arrangement / this one is more for me than the family. But I love getting a few various flowers from Trader Joes and making my own arrangements. 

Read a cozy Fall Book / Carly shared a fall read on her Bucket List post, The City Baker's Guide to Country Living and described it as the "perfect" fall book. So I think that will be the one I read! I can use my new kindle that Andrew got me for our 8th wedding anniversary. 

Watch my favorite Fall Movies / Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic will always be favorites, but I've been dying to watch You've Got Mail too. Why don't they make movies like they used to? Does it make me officially old for saying that?

This probably isn't the most realistic bucket list, but being my favorite season, there are just so many activities I want to squeeze in! I like this list because it's a few things for me and a few things for the whole family to do together! Lucky for me, Graham is as obsessed with all things fall as I am, so he will love checking things off the list as much as I do. We already have big plans for getting the house decorated this weekend. 

What's on your fall bucket list?

Foothill Spotlight - North Fork Chai

 

I thought sharing my love for where we live and all our favorite places would be a fun new series for the blog! Some of the highlights of foothill living, so we're calling it Foothill Highlights. If some clever person has a better name please tell me, this was the best I could do for now. 

What better place to start then one of our family's most favorite places, North Fork Chai! We've been going for years, I'm not sure anyone loves their scones more than Graham. They started selling Chai back in 2018 locally at the farmers market and local events, then in April 2019 they opened their cafe in Newcastle. I'm sure my parents are who told us about it, but once we tasted their scones we were hooked! We come more often than we probably should! It's become a place we go as a family for special weekend treats, birthdays, a quick stop on our way to cut down Christmas trees, you name it! 

As you might guess from the name, Chai is their specialty. It's phenomenal! My Aunt has it shipped to Oregon on subscription. And I was standing in line behind a woman last weekend who was buying a case to drive to her daughter out of state. When I tell you this place is incredible, believe me! 

Although I rave about the scones, their breakfast sandwich is the actual BEST breakfast sandwich you'll ever have. (For those around during my foggy years, Devils Teeth in the Sunset of San Francisco is a close 2nd place)! The best way to order it is to add bacon, avocado, mixed greens, pepper jack cheese, and the chipotle sauce. There are a few sauces, cheese, and greens options. But that combo is, chefs kiss! 

Although I rarely stray from my scone and breakfast sandwich order, they do have several other options on the menu. The avocado toast is delicious on their homemade bread. They also have quiche and breakfast burritos on the weekend. Sometimes they even have cinnamon rolls! But if it's your first visit, my favorite menu items are a dirty chai latte, scone, and a breakfast sandwich. 

They've recently started a great Monday Market where they have a fixed dinner menu and local vendors set up for people to shop. We haven't made it to one yet, but I'll be sure to feature that as another Local Highlight when we do! You can follow along on their Instagram for menu updates, usually the Friday before.

Another great thing they offer are classes! Most are cooking or baking,  but they have a spoon carving one too. I definitely want to sign up for one of the scone making, or other cooking classes soon. This is one of the reasons I love North Fork so much, they really value community and try to foster it by providing things like their classes, a place to work, a gathering place for people to share coffee and a meal, hosting markets for local vendors, etc.  

For those of you who aren't local, fear not! You can order their amazing chai to be shipped. And if you're semi local and heading to North Lake Tahoe, you'll drive right by it. The perfect place to stop on your way to or from the mountains for a little treat! 

I hope you enjoyed the first Foothills Highlight and will stick around to learn about more of our favorite places.  

Disneyland with Graham

I know it's almost 6 months ago now, but last spring, we decided on a whim that we should take Graham to Disneyland. A short two weeks later, we had childcare lined up for brothers and were on an airplane! I've always loved Disneyland and was lucky enough to go several times with my family growing up and into adulthood. It's always been a favorite for the O'Brien family, Andrew on the other hand has very mild feelings about it. Crowds are not his favorite. But, we had been twice together and I was hoping my affection had started to wear off on him, and now bringing his first born he was bound to fall in love with the place! 

With Graham starting Kindergarten, we realized it was a great time to take him before being bound to the school calendar. Plus, it was a special trip for just the three of us. He was SO excited when we told him, and I think a little in disbelief. 

We flew down on a Sunday afternoon and met up with Andrew's Mom (Gamma), Uncle and cousins at a brewery for dinner before checking into our hotel. It was so nice Gamma drove up from Carlsbad to pick us up at the airport and spend some time together. Uncle Jay has always been a favorite of Graham's, and he brought his vintage Star Wars Lego figurines for him! After a little family time and dinner we headed back to the hotel to get settled and go to bed for a big day the following day. 

We stayed just a quick walk from the park which was ideal. And although Graham hasn't been in a stroller in years, we brought the old single jogger for him and it was a game changer. He was able to rest and we could move around the park quickly. We saw characters right as we entered which was both exciting and overwhelming. A lot to take in for your first visit! We decided to head towards Pirates of the Caribbean for our first ride. In my mind it was a nice calm ride to ease Graham into things, plus he likes pirates! However it turned out to be a little scary for him. He still said he wanted to go on The Haunted Mansion next, which again, was MUCH scarier than I remembered since becoming a Mom. I think Graham had his eyes closed most of the time, but the did great! Next we thought it was best to head over to Fairy Tale town for a little bit, and went for a ride on Dumbo! We lucked out that morning and even though it was Memorial Day, it wasn't too crowded at all. 

Part of what drove the timing for our trip was due to the fact Splash Mountain is being redone, and I wanted to go on it one last time for nostalgia sake. Somehow, even after starting the day with two scary rides, Graham was ready for Splash Mountain after some time on the mellow rides (we may have failed to mention the big drop at the end)! We all got fairly wet, but Andrew got SOAKED. Graham was a great sport about and we eventually dried off. 

I was so impressed with Graham's bravery riding the bigger rides, especially because he is a bit timid. After Thunder Mountain he said it was a little too scary for him, but he said it with a smile. Now he talks about how when we go back to Disneyland, he's going to ride everything! 

Graham is already so excited to go back, and often asks about it. We can't wait to go with brothers and hopefully bring along Mimi, Papa, Gamma and Auntie to make it a family affair.