Preparing Our Homes for a Full Season

Hello! Happy October!

This is a very full month for our family! With Homecomings, a quick rip, and a medium-length anniversary trip and preparing for fall, I feel like we are in the THICK of it.

I am not sure what IT is, but you get me, right?! This is where we start preparing to celebrate the holidays.

And before we get overwhelmed, let’s get ready! I have a friend who always says preparation time is never wasted time. So let’s take time now to prepare, shall we?!

Today I am going just to show you a couple of ways I am preparing for the fall and winter so you can take what works and try it out.

First, and this is something I have mentioned in other episodes! But I feel like I am asking myself this monthly.

I am asking myself, what matters in this season?!

October is going to be pretty full, so what matters to me, and what is going to matter to my family?

Those tend to be different things, right?

Here are a few things that matter…

Dinner, I want us to eat at home! I don’t want to spend a ton of money right now, making sure we are saving for Christmas and all the expenses that sneak up around this time, so I want to make sure we are managing our money well and here at the Tapley household, the best way o reign in our budget is to stop eating out! 

Gym time. In the past year, going to the gym, a shout-out to Einhorn CrossFit, has been so good for me! My body and my mental health. It is where I get to connect with friends, and since our whole family goes it’s really a fun way for us to connect at home. We compare notes, how we almost died or WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS TAYLOR THINKING when she did this workout!

Who am I spending time with? I can’t say yes to everything, or I am saying no to together things!

With a busy month looming, I don’t have the extra time to pour out like I normally do, so I want to make sure I am using that time well.

I want to spend time with my kids, and during the school year, when Zoe is only home on the weekends because of the dorm, I want to keep my weekends free.

I want to make sure I am able to see my best friend over coffee, I want to work alongside my assistant and just use my time wisely.

Unfortunately that means saying no to some events. And I HATE missing out. But just yesterday, I realized that I had booked myself, and I had to text a friend and let them know that I was going to miss a baby shower. I was just making myself super anxious and rushing around, and I knew I needed to let something go. I missed out, and I had that, but I got to spend a little extra time shopping for Zoe’s birthday gift instead of rushing around like a maniac and not being thoughtful.

So what matters to me? Dinner with my family, Gym time, and who I spend time with.

I think we have talked about this before, but I as I go into a busy month, I have to ask myself, what am I saying yes to?

What am I saying yes to this month…I can tell you this, it’s a lot less than other months!

I am saying yes to counseling. I started back yesterday and..will report back!

I am saying yes to stricter phone boundaries…not for my kids for me! If I am already feeling crazy busy. I don’t need the added “shoulds” from social media. Whether it’s reel trends I should be doing or parties I should be attending to memories I should be making. I am putting my phone down more!

I am saying yes to stretching more, taking vitamins, and taking my greens! I’ll link what I use in the description, but I am just trying to care for myself better! Am I entering my literal self-care season?! I think so. And I feel good about it! We only have one body, and I want to encourage us all to care for it! So I guess I am saying yes to caring for myself but in a natural, literal way!

The other things I am saying are yes, anything outside when it is under 80*. Sit outside and work YES, sit by the pool in the sun YES, go for a walk with the pups YUP! Fireside chat and wine, COUNT ME IN! As the weather turns this, exas chuck is outside as much as possible! I love summer, but I love not sweating too!

Things I am saying NO to! 

I struggle with this because it looks so different every day. I can tell you right now I am saying no to comparison. I am saying no to looking at people’s content that makes me feel sad or inferior. I am saying no to spending money! I just mentioned on IG that Jesse and I are on a bit of a spending freeze. This happens every October. As we check our budget from summer, school prep, and then prepare for Christmas, we realize we need to REIGN it and put a freeze on it! It is so helpful as I am an accidental amazoner. And the amazon fairy delivers just what I need! This obviously goes along with what I said earlier about eating out!

The last thing I do as we enter into a busy month that just so happens to be followed up by the holidays is print out a monthly pdf. And I put EVERYTHING on it. All the kid’s appts, dog appts, jesses schedule, and anything else that is going to take time/ planning. If I can see it all laid out, it makes sense in my brain, and I can tackle it a little easier.

Basically, I am just taking this time to reassess my boundaries. What’s good, what’s working, what’s not?!

Do I need to delete my email app from my phone?

Do I need to take IG off my phone during the weekend?

What daily habits can I start? Greens, vitamins, dog walks?!

What’s working? What’s not? 

I hope that this conversation isn’t coming across as a bummer; I don’t mind busy seasons; I just know what I need to do to prepare and plan. Being stressed, overwhelmed, and hurried is not what God has for us. 

Being sure in what we are doing, rooted in what He has called us to, and full of peace in our season is WAY better! 

So take it from me! If you are looking at a busy month, take a little bit of time and ask yourself these questions….

What is essential to my family and me right now?

What are you saying yes to?

What are you saying NO to?

What boundaries need to be adjusted?

What habits can I start to support me?