I’m so glad that both of my girls love to be read to. They are always down for a good story time and when I can get those snuggles in, I take them. The only issue with that is occasionally, they can get stuck on a certain book or two and want to read it over and over again. This is actually a crucial way children learn so I usually oblige them, but I’m human. I can only take a Pete the Cat book so many times in a week before I am going to go crazy.

So that is my main motivator to do seasonal books. These are books that are put away with our holiday decorations and only come out during that season. So far, every time the girls act like they’ve never seen these books and get so excited to get them out. It gives Drew and I a break in reading some of the same books over and over again year around. These books also help us prep them for what to expect for that season regarding weather, holidays, and history.

I’ve done a little round up of some of our favorites from past Halloween seasons and a couple of new ones I’ve added. Let me know what books I need to add! Also, you can get these cute and comfy pajamas here!

1. The Little Kitten by Nicola Killen

2. One Black Cat by Robie Rogge

3. Little Witch Hazel: A Year in the Forest by Phoebe Wahl

4. Gilbert the Ghost by Guido Van Genechten

5. Mother Ghost: Nursery Rhymes for Little Monsters by Rachel Kolar

6. Cats Night Out by Caroline Stutson

7. Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago

8. Vampirina Ballerina by Anne Marie Pace

9. Day of the Dead: A Count and Find Primer by Greg Paprocki

10. La Catrina: Emotions - Emociones by Patty Rodriguez

This post contains some affiliated links, however I wouldn’t recommend anything I don’t already love!

Hey friends!

It’s that time of year again, I can’t even believe it! This second part of the year is just flying by.

The girls are pumped for Halloween. Already made decisions about their costumes, Evelyn is excited about trick or treating, and Hazel loves all things pumpkin! I wasn’t always a huge Halloween person but these two little girls make it so fun, I can’t help but get into it.

I love putting together boo baskets for them to really kick off the holiday season. These baskets will keep the girls busy for days going through everything.

The girls don’t really need a whole lot of little nick knacks, so I reused a lot of stuff we’ve gotten from previous years for their boo baskets this year. I also use this opportunity to grab a few holiday themed clothing items for parties, adventures, and pictures for the season.

Here is a breakdown of what we did in each basket.

For Hazel:

1. Pumpkin Pez Dispenser

2. Orange Striped Pajamas

3. Boo Straw

4. Witch Hat Clip

5. Handmade Black Star Wand

6. Handmade Ghost wand

7. Black Shoes

8. Little Poppy Co. Bows

9. Spooky Season Sweater

10. Skeleton Bubble Wand (Target Dollar Spot)

11. Cat Glow Wand (Target Dollar Spot)

12. One Black Cat Book

13. Orange and Black Leggings

14. Black Jelly Bag

15. Ghost Name Tag

For Evelyn:

1. Ghost Pez Dispenser

2. Black and White Striped Pajamas

3. Boo Straw

4. Witch Hat clip

5. Handmade Black Star Wand

6. Handmade Ghost Wand

7. Black shoes

8. Little Poppy Co. Bows

9. Cat and Jack zip up sweater

10. Skeleton Bubble Wand (Target Dollar Spot)

11. Cat Glow Wand (Target Dollar Spot)

12. The Witch Book

13. Orange and Black Leggings

14. Black Jelly Bag

15. Ghost Name Tag

I always try to include pajamas, a shirt or sweater, and a new book to go along with whatever holiday or season it is for.

Do you do holiday themed baskets for your kiddos? What did you include in yours?

Happy October!

This post contains some affiliated links, however I wouldn’t recommend anything I don’t already love!

An apple a day keeps away anyone if you throw it far enough.

If you’ve been around these parts for awhile, you know that one of my favorite fall activities is apple picking. I posted about it in a blog post here. However, I am pretty particular about when we go. I like to wait for (usually) the one cool day in fall we get here in Southern California.

We got lucky this past weekend when a storm moved in, and despite early reports saying it would be a pretty bad storm, it basically brought a touch of rain, low lying clouds, and some much needed cooler temps. We headed off to Los Rios Rancho, in Oak Glen California.

I’ve added a few more tips here now that we’ve gone with two kiddos, I hope you find them helpful! Don’t forget to read my previous blog post with more tips too!

1. Go early in the season if possible. We went two years ago at the tail end of the season and the apples were pretty picked over. You had to really search which was frustrating for Evelyn when we told her “no” to every bruised apple she tried to put in our bag. This year, we came so early in the season, the girls had no problem finding great apples to pick! You’re paying a premium price for these apples because of the experience so you want to get good ones! I also think the premium price for these apples is well worth the memories we were making.

2. Bring layering clothes. This is for mostly cool days but even on those warm days. The temperatures in the mountains can fluctuate depending on wind, cloud coverage and time of day. It was in the high sixties most of the time we were there and coming from 100 degree temps all week, it felt pretty cold when we first got up there. But after hiking around the orchards for an hour, we all got hot and were grateful to be able to start peeling off the layers.

3. Get there right as they open! If you are there to grab some special family pictures, get there first thing. Otherwise, you’ll have people walking into your photos for the rest of the day. We were one of the first families in the orchard. We also make sure we take pictures first before we let the girls go since it’s harder to stop them once they realize how fun it is. So we make sure we grab those family pictures early in the morning right when we get there!

4. Call the orchard before you go! These are working farms generally and times and offerings can vary depending on things at the farm, including weather. The day we went was the day after they had wind gusts of 70mph. I called and made sure they were open but they were opening a bit later so they could start fixing up the damage they got from the wind the day before. So always check, it could really ruin your day if you get there and they are either closed or half of their offerings are unavailable.

I’m so grateful we are able to get find a weekend to make these memories and start this little tradition with our girls. Now I’ve got this bag of apples and I need to use up! Anyone have any good recipes?