Two boys and a girl sitting around a kitchen table eating ice cream cones.

1. The kids started back to school this week and it is always so bittersweet! I think towards the end of summer, everyone is ready to get back into a routine, but I always feel a bit sad for them to be gone all day again. They’ve had a great first few days, but boy, they are TIRED!

2. Next week, Dominic and I will head back to New York for his quarterly scans, as well as neuroblastoma vaccine injection #7. It’s been one year since he was declared in remission; we are praying for another set of clear scans and continued remission.

3. When putting on gloves to play doctor is totally normal because you’ve spent so much time at clinics and hospitals with your brother…

Little girl in pajamas and a unicorn dress playing doctor with gloves and wrapping a pretend bandage around an arm.

Save This Recipe

Enter your email address, and we'll send it straight to your inbox!

4. Isabelle was the only one who needed a replacement water bottle before school started, and I gave this kids Hydroflask a try… she loves it, and I like that it holds more water than most kids’ water bottles (it’s 20 ounces). AND that it comes with a silicone boot so you don’t hear it hitting the table and making tons of noise.

5. A lot of good food for thought >> The Stress We Needlessly Bring Into Our Lives

6. I am SO READY for fall weather… we’ve had yet another week in the 90s here, and I am completely over it. Give me the full-time jeans and sweater/sweatshirt weather.

7. And also soup and chili weather! Though I equate chicken noodle soup with kids being sick (I’m sure it’s coming now that school is back in session!), I love the cozy fall favorites like chili, chicken and dumplings, and beef stew.

8. And on that same note, I feel like I’m ready to start on a new crochet or knitting project once the weather cools down. I have all of the yarn and pattern for this knit striped afghan (though in a different colorway – richer blues and berries), so that might be my fall/winter project.

9. We watched the new Beverly Hills Cop movie on a whim the other night and laughed so hard!

10. TGIF! That sweet puppy face through the morning mist…

Golden retriever standing between two hydrangea bushes surrounded by misty air.