November 2019
Hi Friends,
Happy Saturday and Happy November! How was your Halloween?! Mine was spent working on a longgggg shoot day, so please tell me about all of the great tricks and treats you had! Any great costumes or stories? I was just too tired and busy this Halloween to do much, but I also just wasn’t quite in the mood. Shocking, I know, but that just mean’s I’ll need to bring the spook and spirit that much harder next year. And I can’t wait!!
October Recap:
I’m going to keep this recap short + sweet, since those of you who saw my 10 Ways to Deal with Grief + Loss post, got a majority of what happened/what I did in October. Like I said, it’s been a rough road after saying goodbye to Bentley. Losing a pet is always tough, and for me, my mom, and my brother, it’s been extra difficult. We’ve all been coping in our own way, but we’re also spending a lot of time together.
For me, October wasn’t quite as productive as September, but it’s been heavily self-love and self-healing focused which has actually been really nice. I’m a bit frustrated that a lot of things on my “list” for the month fell by the wayside, and I was feeling a bit unaccomplished, however, I’m still working on being kinder to myself for not being able to cross off every item on my list. Sometimes, we just need to take time to focus on ourselves and spend time with our loved ones doing things we love.
By the way, not being very productive in order to self-heal or center ourselves is TOTALLY okay. We tend to set high standards for ourselves that are often unfair, so don’t beat yourself up if you feel like you can’t get that to do list done or have to pause “real life”.
So October at Love Always, Nat was about healing, mindfulness, and enjoying yummy and comforting treats, and I know that here on the blog, there will be a lot more of that coming in November!
Acro Yoga is SO much fun. I wasn’t In the mood at all before my mom dragged me to the jam, but by the end of it, I was Loving it. See if you can find a local Acro Yoga; they often meet to play around for free!
My new Tattoo says “Bentlaroo”, one of bentley’s nicknames.
Since I’m continuously working on finding a good life balance, one of my October intentions was to plan a day trip outside of OC/LA. Our girls day trip Apple Picking in Oak Glen was so fun and highly recommend seeing if you can still make it out to a local orchard/farm.
November:
Normally, I’d be giving myself a hard time that I wasn’t all that productive in October, and part of me still is, but I also need to allow myself a break. But I’m doing a pretty good job despite being overwhelmed with work and with the loss of Bentley. So during the month of November, give yourself a break and be proud of everything your doing. In addition to that, it’s also important to really reflect on everything we have accomplished when we’re not crossing off every item on our list, or feeling like we’re falling behind in life. So please, I implore you all to make an intention for November to pause in a moment when you’re feeling burnt out, overwhelmed, or unaccomplished, and actually write out a list of accomplishments (can be things you’ve accomplished in your life, for the year, week, etc.). Let me know how it goes! It’s not always easy to allow ourselves to see our accomplishments, but it’s SO important to do because it can really help us be kinder to ourselves. It’s also a great motivator when we’re feeling hard on ourselves or burnt out.
One of MANY treats I made during the month of OCtober.
Treating myself to a walk with 2 close girlfriends and a good ole Matcha Latte.
I’m gonna fess up and say that I’m a total stress baker and cooker, and your girl cooked/baked up a storm in October, so definitely keep an eye out this month for lots of yummy recipes! Okay, fine, I’ll give you a little hint at what may be coming: I have a ton of apples left from my apple picking trip, and I’ll be testing out some “healthified” Thanksgiving dishes and desserts. Yay! Also, while I’m still in full-on pumpkin spice and apple cider mode, I can also feel the Christmas spirit building, and I may or may not jump the gun with some Christmassy recipes. But who knows!?
I’m very excited about all of the food festivities, as I always am in November and December, but I can also so easily let that excitement take away from the main focus of this time of year. I know, I know. It’s such a cliché thing to talk about this time of year, but bare with me here. Gratitude and Family are very important things to a lot of us, especially around Thanksgiving. But just as much as we’re aware of our need to focus on family and gratitude, there’s just as much frustration and distraction around it as well. Whether it be work stress, financial stress, being around frustrating family members, or the stresses of being a little too indulgent with food, it can be really hard to keep “the reasons for the seasons” at the forefront of our mind. So this November, let’s try to actively do something that is family focused or expresses our gratitude OR both! So on top of starting to write out Accomplishment Lists, I’d also love for us all to pick one intention/activity from the list below so that we can mindfully keep gratitude, family, and peace in our lives this November. Also, with the list below, I highly suggest putting away the phones/technology as much as possible when doing any of these activities so you can all be present and in the moment together.
Family Focused + Gratitude Centered Activities :
Cook dinner together as a family
Choose the recipe together or even try a new one!
Plan a fun family outing
Bowling, Go-Karting, Local Show, Museums + Zoos, Botanical Garden, Afternoon Tea, Paint-Your-Own Pottery, Art class, Volunteer.
Go out to dinner and bring a fun list of questions to ask each other
Get Chinese Food and play Charades with your fortune cookie fortunes
Check out a new workout class with the family (or just one other family member you don’t often spend time with)
Find a festive craft on Pinterest to do together
Have a game night!
Check out a local football game
Recipe test one dish for Thanksgiving!
Extra points if you make a new healthy recipe or recreate an old recipe to make it healthier!
Go to yoga together (or even try Acro Yoga!)
Go on a walk together
Get up early and watch the sunrise with some fresh tea or coffee
Check out a local Farmer’s Market together
Below are my November intentions and list of seasonal produce for November. I hope you’re able to cook + bake delicious food with these seasonal ingredients as much as I plan to! Please also let me know what intentions you’re setting for the month and what activity you end up doing with your family (even if it’s not one on this list!).
Intentions:
#1 Make momma’s birthday really special
#2 Work on establishing a better nighttime ritual
#3 Work on Meditating/Focus on Gratitude
#4 Work on making an accomplishment list when I’m feeling unmotivated
#5 Do one family activity with minimal technology
Seasonal Produce:
FRUITS VEGETABLES
Apples Broccoli
Bananas Brussels Sprouts
Clementine Cabbage
Cranberries Carrots
Dates Cauliflower
Lemon Eggplant
Pears Parsnips
Persimmon Potatoes
Pomegranate Pumpkin
Sweet Potatoes
Turnips
Winter Squash
Last year, we surprised my mom with a trip to universal studios. SHe loves minions and is a kid at heart so it was such a fun idea!
Oh and yeah, it’s my Mom’s birthday month! So stay tuned on the festivities and activities we’ll be doing together! My brother and I ALWAYS try to make it a special time for her since she’s just the best momma. We’re still brainstorming, but I have a feeling that I’ll be sharing a lot from her birthday celebrations that you all will enjoy too. I think she’ll also be posting something this month on the blog, so stay tuned! I hope you have a lovely month of November, filled with love, gratitude, family, and peace!