This post is sponsored by Saucony.

Does anyone else feel out of breath at the end of October?  It seems to be a crazy month every year, and I'm always excited about November, which seems to be a slower month in between Halloween and school craziness and then the Christmas holidays.

(pictured above: Vivi's Saucony Ideal Sneakers; Brigie and Ellie's Saucony Monsters; Vivi's leg warmers; Brigie's Leg Warmers; Brigie's Jacket; Vivi and Brigie's Vest; t-shirts are vintage)

Brigie has been talking for weeks about raking leaves and jumping in them, and this week she looked out the window before school and was SO excited to see our backyard finally covered in leaves.  We have someone else cut our yard, so I picked up a rake on the way home from school, and the girls put on their play clothes and favorite Sauconys and dashed outside for some fall fun.

I feel like when things get so crazy, it becomes easy to overlook the beauty in the every day.  We live in such a curated, fast paced world, that sometimes you really have to pause to take in the absolute loveliness already just there.  Sometimes all you really need is a rake, some comfy shoes,  and no real agenda and you have an afternoon of wonder and fun.

With little ones, the afternoons can get long, sometimes lonely, and often frustrating.  I have discovered that when I let the to do list go a little and relax my expectations (does the house really need to be clean right now? do I really need to make this happen in this moment?) and just focus on them a little more, I find that there is so much joy to take in.

So much of it is just being easier on myself.  As moms, we feel so much pressure (mom guilt, anyone?) to get so much done and accomplish so much.  It's ok to have nights where we have cheerios for dinner or let the dishes pile up in the sink a little.  It's so much better when I can lean into the crazy instead of always working against it; that is just tiring, right?

(Also love my Sauconys!!!  Find my jacket here.)

My girls are loving their Sauconys - and I love how easy they are for them to slip on and velcro themselves.  Ellie loves that hers match Brigie, too.

Brigie and Ellie's shoes have little monster faces on the back, which they also find super cute!  It's such a fun detail that makes them feel extra special.

So excited for this little breather in between the crazy to be still for a little bit and soak in the joy these crazy little people bring!

Thank you so much to Saucony, for sponsoring this post!