With Labor Day now behind us, I always feel like the mad dash to sprint into the holidays follows. The stores have had Halloween costumes and decor for weeks now but Christmas decorations are right behind it. You can’t help but feel the angst of jumping in too.

This weekend, I had the intent to start slowly pulling out some of the Fall decor items and even picked up a few new things at Target, as pictured. Not much has made it out yet but honestly, that’s okay. Fall doesn’t officially start until September 23rd and based on the weather here, it’s definitely not making an early appearance this year.

While the holidays are one of my favorite times of year, I also know that I don’t want to lose sight of this time right now or try to live my life in this constant race to the next thing. The holidays will be here before we know it either way so why not try to slow down as much as we can and enjoy the here and now.

While the schedules are more hectic this time of year, I also know we are starting to settle into a routine of some sort. It doesn’t make things any less crazy but allows us to plan ahead when we can all enjoy dinner together or when we have a free day on the weekend when we can squeeze in some plans to enjoy this weather we are so blessed to have here in So Cal.

This busy time of year means we just need to be more intentional with our time and make sure we are prioritizing the things that matter. Summer’s lazy days and vacation mode mean certain things have taken less priority. Attending church is so important and really just helps set the tone for our week ahead but sports and schedules have interfered with that. My goal is to get back on track and prioritize our church attendance again.

Our home projects have come to a standstill in recent weeks but with the holidays approaching, we know from experience that we if we don’t take the time to get some things done, we will be at crunch time again before Thanksgiving and that is not a fun place to be.

Family time is more important than ever right now. With just two years of high school left for our son, we need to be mindful of spending as much quality time as we can together while not impeding on his social life.

One of the things I do at the start of each week is really sit down and schedule everything out so I know what lies ahead and where any of that valuable free time may come in. This gives me a chance to try and make sure we have that time we need together and prioritize the “extras” that fall outside of our regular work and school routine. With a busy work season for both my husband and I plus the kids sports and extracurricular activities, being able to find valuable spare time can be tougher than it looks, however, if we take the time to really stop, plan ahead and enjoy each day for what it is, we may not look back and think how did those months fly by so quickly?

So, let’s put out some hints of Fall and start slowly easing into it but let’s also not forget about these remaining weeks of Summer that we get to enjoy. Have a great week friends!