My September Joy Curriculum

I've written in depth about WHY I've started making these little joy curriculums this year. In short, life is short. My dad died when he was 36, which means I've already lived 3 years longer than him and sometimes I wonder if I'm living these days to the fullest. I don't mean huge fancy trips, big purchases, or gigantic life changes. I mean those little moments of our every day that string together to create a LIFE. The stopping to pick up the four year old when she just wants a snuggle (even though my hands are busy chopping veggies for dinner). The moment when I could choose to sit and just chat with my 8 year old about all the beautiful little doll clothes, paintings, and bracelets she's made that day while she entertains herself (even though, man, I'm really behind on emails). The pause as I hustle from corner to corner of my home, tidying, doing, walking in circles really when my 10 year old is REALLY excited to tell me about the last chapter in his book. Can I stop and make eye contact and give freely of my attention (even though I really just need to unload the dishwasher before dinner). The choice to snuggle up next to my wonderful husband after a long day and watch our favorite movie (instead of trying to squeeze ONE last productive task in before bed.) OOF. Some nights I lay in bed and think, welp, botched another day…and it can get me down, ya know? So, I thought, why not make a list of WANT to dos that I treat with JUST as much urgency as my HAVE to dos. What if I actually pondered what the coming month meant tome? Took stock ofhowthings are actually going and where it seems like we're headed as a family (and as a human myself!)? Then, made a nifty little list that would help me get closer to that dream version of my life…. And thus was born the Joy Curriculum. I can't say I'm perfect at it, actually I'm pretty rubbish at following it so far…but even a 25% is better than not trying at all! Here's my September Joy Curriculum (of which I'll aim to do all, but may only do half :) 'A little bit sad about the place you are leaving, a little bit glad abut the place you are going. It is a time of quiet wonder.' Robert McCloskly fromA Time of Wonder This completely describes September for me. I've gone from my least favorite month (see ya, August!) to my absolute favorite month. And yet, there's a pause in my mind, a quivering exhale before taking the next step into the -ber months. I'll miss the wildflowers everywhere, but I'm looking forward to seeing the first yellow leaves on the very tippy tops of the trees. I'll miss the abundant sunshine greeting me when I wake up in the morning, but I'm looking forward to the coziness of a cup of tea by candlelight as the sun rises. I'll miss the spontaneous pool days and creek dips, but I'm looking forward to cool weather picnics under the trees delighting in the relief of cooler weather. I'll miss the trips, the loose schedules, the lazy mornings, but I'm looking forward to getting back to our life giving rhythms and flexing our self-discipline muscles a bit more. I feel so keenly the passing of time in this season of motherhood. My youngest turns five this fall, her chubby cheeks and limbs becoming more defined, more angular. My oldest is in the liminal space between childhood snuggles and carrying the heavy bag for me. My sweet middle child is on the cusp of growing more into a woman, reading chapter books and learning to use a sewing machine. Again, so much to miss, but so much to look forward to. So, what are my goals this month? Shore up our slow family rhythms, the ones that anchor us when the tides of life ebb and flow. As my children get older, their circles ever widening, I feel the need to build a foundation for us all to stand firm on more than ever. I plan to lean into the nostalgia of early autumn, the school supplies, the comforting feeling of starting new rhythms, the cleaning out of my mind and my space to make way for the inward tendencies that cold weather brings. Matching our books and movies to the season. You KNOW I'm a seasonal vibes gal, through and through. I must make my book stack AND my watch list match the season, the month even! (Yes, an October movie/book is entirely different than a September one ;). Here's what I'm curating for our reads and watches this month: My Book Stack A sloooooow read:Sense & Sensibility My bedtime escape reads:Mad Mabel&The Midnight Train A betterment read:The Memory Making Mom Family Book Stack: Indian in the Cupboard(just for fun ;) The White Stag(for our history time line) The Cabin Faced West(for my daughter's current pioneer fascination ;) (past favorites that would be perfect for this time of year:The Phantom Tollbooth,Matilda,Ronnia The Robber's Daughter) My grown up watchlist: Mona Lisa Smile(back to school, collegiate vibes ;) The Intern(Nancy Myers in the early fall ;) Sense & Sensibility(after I finish the book!) Sanditon(to continue my Jane Austen vibes ;) Family Movie Night: The Big Green(soccer season is HERE baby!) The Princess Bride(fairy tale family fun ;) Christopher Robin(the hundred acre woods is VERY autumnal ;) Charlotte's Web(I love the turning of summer to fall in this movie!) Getting our closets ready. I always use the change of seasons to assess our wardrobes! I keep a VERY tight ship with our clothes, we do a load of laundry every day but Sunday which means we never need more than 5 outfits total. So that's exactly what I aim for! We're still very much in summer clothes here for the next month or so, but I'm taking stock of hand me downs, last year's cold weather clothes, socks/underwear, outerwear and making a list of what we ACTUALLY need to buy. So far, all the kid's need underwear and socks so I just placed an order fromHanna Anderson's fall sale! Next, we'll dig through the hand me down bin (we have ONE) to see what boots, pants, wool layers still fit. I usually wait until October to buy pants and sweaters…if I buy too soon they grow out of them before we actually NEED them ;) I'm trying to be VERY choosy with what I add to my capsule wardrobe this year. So far, I'm thinking I'll make do with what I have and ignore all of the advertisements for fall styles! Establishing solid rhythms after a wild and crazy summer. I'm a rhythms lover…a daily rhythm is a solid anchor for me to flow through my days making space for both workandrest. Otherwise, I find myself running around like crazy all day without actually accomplishing anything REAL. I'm starting with my morning rhythm (I wrote about my morning routine earlier this year, but I'll be tweaking it a bit to fit the changes in our season of life this fall.) Mornings are SO foundational for me, when it's good it makes the rest of the day GREAT so that's where I'm starting. You can start with an area of your life or day that feels chaotic right now! Leaning in to early autumn whimsy. Apple picking, apple stamping, starting a quilt for winter, airing out the sweaters, rolling beeswax candles, collecting and pressing the first fall leaves…I'm putting these things in my to do list because I don't want September to pass by without enjoying them. Make a cup of tea and enjoy the process. I'm always flipping through myAutumn Seasonal Family Guidefor inspiration ;) Freshening up our stationary and school supplies. I live by my notebooks and find that September is when they need replacing. It's true what they say, if you're a 'back to school' lover as a child you'll always see September as a fresh start. I usethis notebookfor my random lists,this notebookfor my daily and weekly planning, andthese notebooksfor different categories like common placing, recipe ideas, and work ideas. Have some autumn vibes music playing at all times. Nothing creates a vibe better than music. We're retiring our summer-y playlists and queuing these ones up instead: The September Playlist(like living in a fall romcom, I love this while cooking dinner ;) Extraordinary Mornings(we put it on EVERY morning when we start breakfast and keep it on until lunchtime) 80's Hits Playlist(pure nostalgia to dance to while we clean upafterdinner) Phew, that was a long one… If you made it to the end then you, my dear, are a true kindred spirit ;) Biggest of hugs and the happiest of early autumn days to you, Jillian