Kate's Monthly Take - November 2019

The winter months are especially hard in Chicago and unfortunately, the bitter cold and snow have made an appearance far earlier than I would have liked. While the cold months drag on, maintaining health and getting bundled kids out the door is a real struggle I’ve realized how important it has become to have a community of support around us. I would be lost without the teachers and families that have helped pick up a child from school when I couldn’t, taken them to dance class or helped to ensure that they didn’t leave their mittens at school yet again. All of these little efforts help to make raising kids especially during the dreary winter months a little bit easier and during this month of Thanksgiving, I’m grateful.

Enjoy my Monthly Take!

Kate's Monthly Take - November 2019

Mood

  • Some days I feel like “Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit, when there are footprints on the moon” and other days I can barely drag myself out of bed…so I’m hoping I can find some sort of happy medium for the remainder of the year.

Currently Coveting

  • I love real Christmas trees and we generally get a 9 foot Fraser Fir which I love but I really want another more spartan tree for our kitchen or dining area. I love the look of a German Goose Feather tree but want something larger so I think I’m putting this tree Alpine Balsam Fir from Balsam Hill on my Christmas list. I can’t decide if I prefer unlit or not but in general I want the tree to be decorated a bit more sparingly than our main tree. I suppose I should go with lit because I love staring at the lights on Christmas trees during the holiday season.

Favorite Product

  • With our second and third kids we haven’t been the most consistent with focusing their attention on learning to recognize their letters and counting etc… Some days it’s just a miracle that we get them all dressed, fed and out the door. Our middle child sometimes has a hard time focusing on more structured learning mainly because he would rather be playing. Of course, playing can also involve learning which is why I’m loving Peaceable Kingdom and eeBoo card games that are keeping us all entertained and learning at the same time. Peaceable Kingdom’s Alphabet Go Fish Matching Game is perfect for our preschooler whereas our second grader is really into eeBoo’s Spanish Bingo Game.

Design Pick

  • I’m really into this neo traditional home with sleek modern amenities all set in historic New Canaan, Connecticut. Sounds like a dream home to me, and it is for many - it’s the 2019 This Old House Idea House and I’m sold! When I was little I really wanted to live in CT so maybe it’s a sign. The exterior, the kitchen and the decks are my favorite!

What I'm Reading

  • I just finished reading My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress written by Rachel deLoache Williams based on the Soho Grifter and con artist Anna Sorokin who took New York City by storm. It was entirely addictive and had I been aware of the trial earlier this year I’m sure I would have been addicted to the news but for now I’m obsessively researching the story after the fact.

What I’m Listening To

  • For a while I’ve been thinking about needing to close a chapter in my life and start something new so I’ve been listening to the incredibly inspiring Second Life Podcasts. I’ve been picking and choosing the guests so I haven’t listed to them all but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Eva Chen, Jennifer Meyer, Rachel Zoe, Christina Tosi and Emily Henderson amongst others. The pod has given me hope but also continues to acknowledge that nothing worth having is without hustling.

What We're Reading the Kids

  • The kids have been reading all sorts of different things this month but nothings stands out more than the following. Lucy discovered graphic novels at our school’s Scholastic Book Fair and has read Smile a minimum of 30 times often at the breakfast and dinner table. Our 2 year old is equally obsessive requesting readings every night of Zombelina or Zombelina School Days, I’m anxiously awaiting the debut of Zombelina Dances the Nutcracker because there is only so much reading of the same book that one parent can take! And George, well he truly loves cars and trucks so much that almost every book he pays attention has cars at the core. Good Night, Little Blue Truck fits that theme perfectly and is one of his new favorites!

What I’m Watching

  • I’m on episode 2 of HBO’s new show, His Dark Materials and I’m hooked. I haven’t read the books by Phillip Pullman but am loving the combination of fantasy and science fiction as well as some pretty great costumes and cinematography. It airs on Monday nights and it’s so nice to be addicted to a show again!

Instagram Handle

  • This time of year is all about entertaining and holiday gatherings and @ainttooproudtomeg posts the most wonderful food boards. Honestly, I can sit and watch her videos of her putting them together for hours…I swear they have a soothing effect! The boards offer all sorts of inspiration and are easy enough to scale down in size for the celebration in your life!

Guilty Pleasure

  • Does stealing from my kids candy stashes count? Because even though Halloween has passed I’m still doing it. Especially, searching for all the chocolate! Shhh…don’t tell!

I Need A Vacation

  • It’s only been a week or two of cold weather and I’m already dreaming of someplace warm; Marrakech to be exact. I traveled to Morocco when I was studying abroad during college and would love to go back and perhaps skip the hostels. Outside of Marrakech one can spend time in the Atlas Mountains and while I drove through them during my initial trip at stay a Sir Richard Branson’s resort, Kasbah Tamadot would be heavenly. My sudden desire to return to Morocco was most certainly influenced by my recent reading material.

Shit My Kids Will Eat

  • Kid Tested & Approved - We had some house guests in town right after Halloween and we had a big Sunday breakfast and tested out some possible recipes for Christmas morning. These homemade overnight Cinnamon Rolls by Baker Bettie and Ina Gartens’ English Muffin Breakfast Bake were crowd pleasers all around. They all take a bit of prep work the night before but were both so delicious, I especially like the egg dish with sliced tomatoes on top!

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