It is a huge month in the Kirk house! Along with the usual excitement of fall starting, a busy work month (can’t believe it’s been one year today since I joined the GMG team!), and some home projects on the horizon, Charlie started preschool yesterday, adding a whole new dimension to our lives. He loved his first day and we couldn’t feel better about our school or his sweet teachers. The countdown to his third birthday is also officially on. I think we’re going to keep things simpler this year, skipping a party (though I LOVED his first and second birthday parties!) in favor of a day spent doing Charlie’s favorite activities. Just a few short days later, we have our anatomy scan and finally get to find out baby Kirk’s gender!! People who wait till their children’s births to find out, I admire you, but I will never, ever be one of you ;) I’m eager to hear your guesses below!!
August Favorites
1. I’ve been doing my annual summer re-read of my all-time favorite book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I legitimately get emotional talking about how much this book has meant to me throughout my life–is that weird? If you haven’t read it, give yourself a gift this month and do so :)
2. I tried on these Madewell maternity jeans in the store over the weekend and ohhh my goodness. Saving my pennies because they were magical. (P.S. If you donate any pair of jeans to them, they’ll give you a $20 coupon to put toward a new pair.)
3. I just got my first bottle of these prenatal vitamins and like them so much more than the giant, fishy-smelling vitamins I was taking previously. Also a big fan of their subscription model (so you never run out!) and ingredient transparency.
4. I just saw that one of my all-time favorite Beautycounter products is the new free gift when you join Band of Beauty and make a $50 purchase. If you’re already a Beautycounter user but aren’t part of BOB yet, I definitely recommend it in order to get the most bang for your buck.
5. I’ve made these vegan and gluten-free “brownies for two” three times over the last two months. Perfect for when you need a last-minute sweet treat at the end of the day!
July Goals
1. Buy and start reading The Heart of Perfection for my small group.
2. Do something special to celebrate the feast of Sts. Zelie and Louis Martin.
3. Start our two-month Contentment Challenge.
4. Plan and price out materials for our much-awaited laundry closet refresh, to take place in the fall.
5. Get creative with summer vegetables by trying a new veggie-heavy recipe every week. (Not every week thanks to my aversions to most vegetables through July and most of August, but we have tried and enjoyed this, this, and this over the last few weeks.)
6. Finish designing 2016 album and curate 2017 photos.
7. Love Charlie well through potty training. (Potty training very much ongoing–we are all just doing our best!)
September Goals
1. Finish The Heart of Perfection (y’all, it is SO good. Cannot recommend highly enough) and pray through 33 Days to Merciful Love.
2. Plan ahead for the many October feast days that are special to our family (St. Therese! St. Faustina! St. John Paul II! October is seriously one of the best months to be Catholic, haha!).
3. Redo our laundry closet…finally!
4. Work out with the Studio Tone It Up app pregnancy routines three times a week.
5. Finish curating 2017 photos and design album.
6. Gracefully enter into life as a school family. I really want to stay organized, support his teachers well, and help him (and really, our whole family) thrive through this new experience. Tips from experienced mamas more than welcome!
‘A Tree Grows in Brooklyn’ is also my favorite book. I usually re-read it once a year; thanks for reminding me. :-)
So happy Charlie had a good first day of school and you did too! I think Madewell was having a $30 off jeans promotion for donating a pair. Not sure if that is still going on.
Had to hop on and add my praise for “Heart of Perfection”. I read it this summer with my two older sisters, as part of an impromptu book club and a reason for us to talk every week while in three separate cities. I loved it and found so many quotes striking. My sisters weren’t as fond, so glad to hear others are loving it!
That’s the most glowing book review ever, I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy! I think a Charlie Day B-day will be super fun, memorable, and a lot less stressful. We did this for my son’s 3rd bday last month and it was great! It basically turned into a three-day celebration and we were required to sing “Happy Birthday” with candles three or four times! :)) it was awesome.
I recently wrote a post on how we helped Caleb transition to Preschool. Sounds like Charlie is already doing well, but you may like some of the tips: https://workingmomsavvy.com/preschooltransition/
Caleb especially LOVED making something and then getting to bring it to school and give to his teachers. :)
I hope you’re feeling really great at this point in your pregnancy, Lisa! I can’t wait to find out the gender of Baby Kirk! :) Happy September and happy 3rd Birthday, Charlie!