TGIF, you guys. Always keeping it real-- today was a whirlwind of a day that has left me tired and exhausted. I kept pondering what I should put up on the blog for you today when I remembered it was Friday the 13th! It's always a little eery when these come around, lol. Call me superstitious but weird things definitely happen... ya'll be safe out there. Being the 13th also means we're pretty much halfway through October now. I figured today would be a good day to go ahead and share the top five most popular blog post from the last month. If you're new to these posts- I always put these up around the 15th so it's really a glimpse of the end of last month + half of this month.
1. OURA RING UNBOXING - Over the last few weeks my sleep has been out of whack. I've been staying up too late, randomly waking up in the middle of the night and just feeling extra tired. I love the data my Oura Ring gives me on my overall sleep. It captures a ton of information which always helps me to see where I can make changes and improve. Check out this post for an unboxing from when I purchased the ring + my overall experience.
Read here: Oura Ring Unboxing
2. MY AMAZON STOREFRONT - Did you do any shopping for Prime Days this week? I ended up skipping out this time but you can always find my favorite items + everyday picks in my Amazon Storefront. This post also has some extra info on the specifics, links, etc.!
Read here: My Amazon Storefront
3. FALL SWEATERS I LOVE - I'm definitely in a buying mood for new fall clothes! I've been on the hunt for some good long-sleeve basics, namely sweaters. In a perfect world, one day I will have the perfect "capsule" wardrobe with go-to pieces that I can keep wearing for years and years. I'm loving all of the styles + different textures from the ones in this post!
Read here: Fall Sweaters I Love
4. WHAT TO BUY FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST | HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE ROUND-UP - The time to start Christmas/holiday shopping for gifts is here! It's so crazy though, right? I can't believe Christmas is just a little over two months away. Lots of new gift guides will be coming to the blog in the next month or two, however this blog post from a few years ago is a complete, all-in-one guide for everyone on your list. I still recommend (and would personally buy) all of these items for gifts or myself now. There's a little bit of everything for the gals, guys, beauty lovers + more.
Read here: Holiday Gift Guide Round-up
5. MY SEPTEMBER WELLNESS GOALS - Okay, September came and went LIKE THAT. I went through a weird July/August this year so September was a little bit of a "reset" month for me. This blog post was all about my wellness goals + getting myself in a better place mentally, physically + spiritually. I'm definitely still working on a lot of the goals, however ya'll will be happy to know that I started a new book for October, have been keeping up with my workouts + reading my Bible. I will say I'm back to slacking with healthier eating... my job is so busy this time of the year that I'm eating out more often and if we're keeping it real- just allowing myself to eat what I want. Sometimes you have to pick and choose your battles, ya know? Between that and all the fall foods, it's a toughie for sure. I was excited to see that this post was in the top five for the month, though. I went back and read through it myself which was a nice reminder of my goals + progress!
Read here: My September Wellness Goals
What do you have going on in October?
OCTOBER WATCH LIST
+ The Good Witch
Something new I grabbed that I can't wait to try are these Cinnamon Sugar Space Balls from Lesser Evil. How cute and fun, right? I'm obsessed with their popcorn (the Himalayan Gold is my fave and SO good) and I usually love anything cinnamon sugar. They remind me of those cheese puffs we all use to eat when we were kids, haha. For such simple, clean ingredients, all of the products that I've tried from them taste great. Another one my favorite snack brands is Quinn. I picked up a new bag of the Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels which I always love. The Sea Salt Pretzel Sticks are really good too if you can find them!
Alright, let's talk bars. I'm obsessed with these Simple Mills Almond Flour Bars. They are SO good, ya'll. I've tried a couple different flavors, I like the Banana Bread best. It's nutty, a little chewy and has a great flavor. I also thought I'd give Bobo a try today, too. I've actually been really curious about the Oat Bites for the longest time but they only had these Oat Bars. I chose the PB Dark Chocolate flavor which I'm excited to try.
Okay now I don't really consider tea itself to be a snack but 'tis the season. Maybe with an oat bar though, that could be good. Lol. Regardless, something switched on in my brain this week and I'm back in my hot beverage girl era. I love making a hot bevvy right before bed. It's a nice way to relax and unwind at the end of the day. I've also been adding in my magnesium + dream dust which I think has been making me get sleepy a lot sooner. I've been using the Traditional Medicinals Nighty Night Tea so I picked up a new box of it, the Nighty Nighty Extra and the Dandelion Chai Probiotic.
I hope ya'll enjoyed my little mini haul. Most of these items you can find in regular grocery stores too but I'll also link everything here in my Amazon storefront.
What's your go-to snack?
It is time, witches!! October is HERE which means Halloween IS ON! Outside of Christmas, Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love everything about it- spooky vibes, decorations, candy + cool weather (if we are lucky this year!). It's the best. There's just a different feeling in the air during October, ya know? I don't know if it's nostalgic to me or what. It just has a different energy and excitement that I love. Every year I always find October flying by way too fast and feeling like I never have enough time to celebrate all of the fun Halloweeny activities. This year I'm making a little to-do list with some of the things I hope to squeeze in so that I can fully enjoy the month.
Recipe for this yummy Halloween snack mix I made last year!
OCTOBER TO-DO LIST [ALL THE HALLOWEEN THINGS]
+WATCH HALLOWEEN MOVIES - What is October without Halloween movies? Every year I try to squeeze in all my faves: Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, Ghostbusters... maybe a Harry Potter marathon? I love all of the classics. I also still haven't seen Practical Magic which I NEED to watch. It's been on my list for what feels like years at this point. What are some of your favorite Halloween/fall movies? I'd love to watch as many as I can!
+READ FESTIVE BOOKS - Placing my order ASAP for In the Company of Witches and maybe The Ex Hex? I'm definitely in the mood to read some fun, witchy books this month.
+MAKE A SNACK MIX - Last year I made this yummy, viral sweet + salty snack mix on Halloween which everyone loved. I always love a good pretzel, candy + Bugle type of combo. It's a fun little activity + snack that feels festive and is super easy to make.
+ORANGETHEORY HELL WEEK - If you're an OTF member, you've definitely heard of "Hell Week." It's a challenge at Orangetheory that takes place every year during the last week of October. It's eight high-intensity workouts that are suppose to be a notch above the regular workouts. I've never participated before but I *think* I'm excited to sign up this year? I don't know whether to be excited for afraid, ya'll pray for me. Lol. You have to complete at least four of the eight workouts during the week but since I'm already planning on being there, why not? In my own mind, it feels like a Halloween vibe and activity which I'm all for.
+HAVE A DRINK - The MO for "have a drink" is to find a fun, Halloween cocktail this month. A lot of restaurants + bars do themed drinks for every holiday so I'm definitely down for a fun, spooky drink. I definitely limit my alcohol intake for the sake of health, however I will indulge every once in awhile.
+HALLOWEEN LIGHTS - I'm starting to see Halloween decorations pop up all around town which I love. I always drive around to look at Christmas lights in December, however I don't usually do the same for Halloween. It's usually just if I happen to see them while driving by. This year I want to make an activity out of driving around and looking at decorations. It's so much fun seeing how everyone decorates and what kind of style they have. I love both the spooky + traditional Halloween vibes. The other night I drove by someone's house and the entire front porch was wrapped in all orange lights. It looked SO cool! I can't wait to go all out when I own a home one day.
Is there anything else I should add to the list?
