Restore Magazine - Issue 06

from my heart to yours

Happy Fall Y'all!

Fall is my favorite season, although we don't get much of one here in Arizona. The temperatures here are still in the 90s, but I have noticed the sun is setting earlier and the mornings are a tad cooler.

I grew up in New Mexico and love the fall there. The aroma of roasted green chiles is in the air. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is held every October, it's an amazing sight to see! The mornings and evenings are crisp and cool, which remind me of watching football games on Friday nights.

I love fall boots and sweaters, pumpkins and leaves. While I love most things about this season, I must admit, I'm not a fan of the pumpkin spice latte. I hope we can still be friends! ;)

I'd love to hear about some of your favorite fall things. Send me an email (andrea@andreafortenberry.com) or find me on Instagram @andreafortenberry and let me know.

Andrea xoxo,

I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.

Fall Holiday Prep

It’s officially fall, which means shorter days and cooler temperatures. October 1st began the last quarter of the year; can you believe it? We’re less than a month away from Halloween and then it’s full swing into the holidays.

As I’ve been looking at my calendar and thinking over my own holiday plans, I thought I’d share a list of things to help you prepare for all of the fun of fall and the holidays. A little preparation and planning can help your family to really enjoy these last months of the year.

Talk It Out Together: The most important item is discussing the items below with your family. Talk about what’s really important to each member of the family. Sometimes we think we know what’s important to someone, but tastes and opinions change, so it’s important to seek input regularly.

Figure Out Halloween Costumes: Give your kids a deadline to decide what they’d like to dress up as, the earlier the better! Nothing takes the joy out of something like feeling frustrated under a time crunch.

Plan Your Fall Activities: There are so many family-friendly events that go on during the fall: football games, apple picking, pumpkin patches, fall festivals, Halloween parties and trick-or-treating, to name a few. What would your family most like to attend? Look at your calendar and decide on the events that work best with your family’s taste, schedule and budget in mind. If events require tickets, get them early; sometimes the price is less and you have less risk of it selling out.

Start Packing Operation Christmas Child Boxes: This is such an awesome holiday service project to do with your family! For less than a family dinner, you can give a gift filled shoebox (or two) to an impoverished child. You can even track the country your box is delivered to when you print an online label. Click here for more details. Collection week begins November 14th.

Figure Out Where You’ll Spend The Holidays: Again, the earlier the better on this, especially if you’re buying airline tickets or booking a hotel, as the prices increase the closer it is to the actual holiday.

Start Your Christmas Gift List and Shop: If you start your gift list now, you can find items on sale and purchase them ahead of time, which will give you more free time come December. If you plan to make or buy customized gifts online, you can beat the holiday rush. If you haven’t yet budgeted for Christmas gifts, start doing so now so that you can pay cash for gifts instead of charging them. (Don’t forget your kids’ friends and teachers on your gift list.) Decide as a family who you can buy gifts for and for whom you’ll make homemade treats or send a card to.

Plan Your December Activities: The month of December can get filled up really fast, so make sure to update your family calendar regularly. If you do an Advent calendar with your kids, start planning activities or buying treats when they’re on sale. Again, talk about the activities that are important to your family: putting up the Christmas tree and lights, Christmas parties, baking, skiing, snowboarding, concerts, the Nutcracker Ballet or theater, etc., and find a healthy balance of doing what you love and leaving white space for spontaneity and relaxed family time.

For more holiday tips, check out upcoming episodes of The Perfectionist's Guide to Mothering!

Thoughts on Turning 40

I'm about a week away from my 40th birthday . . . what in the world? I don't think 40 is old, but I mostly still feel 20 and somehow, I've lived twice that many years.

My counselor and I talked through the mini mid life crisis I had over the summer, partly brought on by sending my daughter to high school and knowing this big birthday was looming ahead.

I've processed things and am looking forward to what this next decade has in store. I know it's a privilege to grow older, something I've especially been reminded of lately. One of my dearest friends lost her nine year old son in a car accident just last week. The 14th anniversary of a friend's death happened in late September. She died of cancer at age 28. Again, it is a privilege to grow older.

So instead of lamenting the extra gray hairs, fine lines, and little aches and pains my body shows me, I'm going to be thankful for the years of life they represent. None of us is promised tomorrow, so I'm resolving to be thankful for each day God gives me.

Many of my older and wiser friends tell me that each decade gets better than the last. So here's to being 40, I'm going to celebrate it!

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