October was a nice month.

There were pumpkins and apples, sick kids (and me, too!), and birthday celebrations.

Somewhere in between the first and Halloween, I spent time nursing my kids with Hand Foot Mouth disease, ended up giving it to Sanj, and then getting it back from him. It’s been a lot of time in quarantine lately and I’m just excited to be well soon.

When you’re kids are sick, you feel empathetic because you want them to get better and feel helpless. When you’re sick and your kids are sick and you can’t take a day off from being a mom… well, that’s not my idea of fun. Feel me?

As everyone started to feel better, we began doing and living our lives outside the house again. We went apple picking for the first time and pumpkin  ̶p̶i̶c̶k̶i̶n̶g̶  looking. Let’s be real, no one was carving pumpkins this year. There was also a pig roast involved somewhere!

I somehow managed to get small fireworks for Diwali so we can celebrate at home.

It was nice. Nice to be around family, nice to have my kids not crying because of the fireworks, nice to bake apple pie from fresh apples. But I guess what was one of the nicest things about October was celebrating the boys’ first birthday. We had family over and we cut cake and took pictures in their birthday suits and they had cake for the first time ever and they were so loved and it was nice.

And when everyone went home and the kids were all tucked in, Sanj and I gave ourselves a pat on the back because we somehow figured out the first year.

I’m telling you, this month just flew by. One moment we were cutting cake, the next, lighting fireworks; and before I knew it, my sister surprised us at our front door to take all the cousins trick-o-treating. To be honest, I wasn’t planning on taking them out; everyone was still on the mend and it had started to get cold so it wasn’t really something I wanted to do. I didn’t even order costumes for anyone. Yea, I was that mom this Halloween. Look, at least we gave out candy!

I had a Minnie Mouse dress for Serena that I bought last year (was wayyyyy too big back then, but just fits her right now) and was able to quickly put on her. She had fun saying ‘trick uh tweet’ and holding hands with her cousins. It was nice.

Reading: In between all the mending and pumpkins, I’ve been able to get some reading done. It’s been really important to me lately to stop and take care of myself. For me, that’s not just physical, but mental, too. I started reading — by —. It’s been a really eye-opening book on how to make yourself better than you already are. The message I got is that it’s not about being the best at something, it’s about just getting better.

Listening: I found my old iPod from when I was in college. I bought a charge and have been listening to my ol’ school jams as I wash dishes. It’s only a few minutes but it’s still nice.

Watching: Oh, you mean besides watching Smurfs everyday? No T.V. to be quiet honest. I’ve just been focusing on other things so I can be better.

Working on: The blog. This ol’ blog here has been neglected lately. First, it was the bust summer, then it was the overwhelming HFM disease. Now, I’m refocusing my creative energy and getting some “draft” posts published and brainstorming for some new ideas for this holiday season. Can’t wait!

Well, that’s all I’ve got for October, love. It’s been fun and it’s been real, but I’m pretty sure the boys are fighting and I’m going to need to mediate right now. Let me know what you’ve been up to!