Oh hello – Is it October already? That summer went fast! It’s a slippery slide now to the C-word… Shh…
Read on to discover all the October favourites that my family have been loving this last month.
These are all things you can enjoy together in your home, plus a couple of #treatyoselfmama items that you mums thoroughly deserve!
Family Favourites in October
Puzzle: Collector Edition Disney Wicked Women 1000 Piece
£13
My husband and I had no plans at all for the half-term week and decided at the last minute to take a couple of days off work and just spend time playing with the boys. Completing the Harry Potter 3D puzzle we did last month gave us confidence in trying a 1000-piece puzzle, and we grabbed this one from Argos.
This Disney Wicked Women puzzle has the perfect autumnal feel with six iconic female villains in gorgeous jewel colours. Ravensburger makes the best quality puzzle pieces, with that super satisfying click when it all goes into place.
This jigsaw has the perfect mix – easy enough to be fun, hard enough to be a challenge too. If you are short on space like we are, I also recommend a handy puzzle roller to quickly remove it from the table for dinner.
Game: Trapped Escape Room
I always fancied going to a proper Escape Room (there’s a fantastic one at South Bank in London). So, we are really pleased with Trapped Escape Room. There are 3 different variations you can buy, and we ended up with the Art Heist version.
The game has a surprising number of pieces for such a small box. We unpacked the box and then basically set up an art exhibition with various paintings, a brochure of the artworks, name tags and some other things. Your aim is to solve different puzzles, put the clues together, steal the correct painting and flee the scene.
Game Hack
To make it even more fun for the kids, we set up a refreshments table with drinks and snacks. My husband and I added a free wine bar for ourselves, because, well what’s an art show without that, right? Then, each of us adopted a (dodgy) accent to get into our fake characters.
The game was great fun. We played as one team, but you can choose to break up into partners and compete against each other. You only get one game in the box, and once you solve the puzzles you won’t want to play it again. For the price, ‘Trapped’ was a wonderful taster for a proper Escape Room. It’s an evening activity the whole family can enjoy, perfect for autumn nights at home. (Wine bar optional!)
Film: Kiki’s delivery service
[DVD] £9.99
Also available on Netflix (included in subscription)
There’s something magical about watching a Studio Ghibli film in the autumn. Kiki’s Delivery service is just stunning. It’s about a little girl who’s a trainee witch and spends a year in a village to practice her magical powers. Except of course she’s not a very good witch, and, instead, it’s her winning personality that makes her beloved in the town. Her sarcastic black cat adds witty commentary as Kiki sets up the titular delivery service and helps a great cast of kooky and loveable townspeople.
The mood is equal parts innocent and mysterious, with that trademark calm and inviting Ghibli storytelling. If your family hasn’t seen it yet, definitely add this to your list.
Video Game: Nintendo Switch: Animal Crossing
We have been massive fans of Animal Crossing since the game out in March. It is a match made in heaven for quarantine and I find it really soothing for anxiety days and a healthy alternative for my younger son when he’s played a bit much of the action games (like Fortnite etc).
October saw the autumn update, so the island has slowly turned a soft golden yellow. In October, Nintendo’s Halloween event was amazing. They gave us plenty of pumpkin-themed items and introduced farming. On Halloween a new character, Jack the pumpkin Czar, and let us trick-or-treat with the costumed villagers and gave us two hilarious new ‘reactions’ and even more DIYs.
One thing my son and I love to do is to rummage through the custom design patterns on Pinterest. This month we found Gravity Falls inspired Mabel and Dipper outfits and we had so much fun dressing up and doing photo shoots with those.
And recently we hosted a mini-Halloween party in our 50s diner area for our islanders. Jackson got really creative and made his own Halloween costumes and face paint in the custom designer app.
The game is of excellent value with the free updates. If you like games that are cute and non-competitive which flex your creative muscles, I recommend it. I can’t wait to start mushroom season in November!
Subscription: The Week Junior (UK)
£25.99 for 13 issues
With Covid numbers, fall out of Brexit and all the scandals in polictics there’s no shortage of intense news these days. It’s not surprising that our little ones pick up on our overwhelm.
To counteract this, we have now subscribed to The Week Junior in the UK. The kid-focussed weekly newspaper gets delivered to our door (plastic-free) and brims with balanced articles, engaging stories, gentle debate and vibrant photographs. It’s got all the current events plus the cool and unusual (and sometimes gross!) stories you haven’t heard about. Animals, sports, books and more, it is easy to read and asks great questions.
The paper arrives on a Friday, and it magically moves around our house as we each pick it up and get lost in it!
This month we’ve joined in on a few fun arguments like whether curtseying and bowing should make a comeback? We’ve weighed in on whether drive-ins are the best way to enjoy events now. And even wondered whether the Premier League should be smaller. It certainly livens up our dinner table!
And we’re not the only ones who enjoy it. The Week Junior is the UK’s fastest-growing magazine.
Home: Yankee Candles Pumpkin Patch
If, like me, you are all about the autumn vibes from sweater weather to pumpkin spice lattes, then you need this candle in your life. It’s a warming fall-in-jar scent, with a light throw (better for smaller spaces), easy on the spice and none of that biscuity smell you sometimes get in a pumpkin candle. This is just heaven, which is why it’s in my October 2020 family favourites.
The candle lasts 150 hours. Mine is barely halfway down and I have burned it ruthlessly this month! I bought mine in the Yankee Candle shop, but if you act fast you can still grab one on Amazon.
Home: ‘Creative Juice’ print – A5
Recently I made a deal with myself. I’d fight decision fatigue by only buying clothes in two colours, which are my favourites pink and green. And that rule has worked out for me so well that extending it to my home décor choices.
This print fits the bill perfectly and is such a joy for my October 2020 family favourites list. In neon pink and emerald green, it just looks amazing on our plain white wall. I’ve simply popped it in an Ikea glass hanging frame and it livens up our hallway no end.
It also comes in a bigger size with a neon orange colourway. You can’t go wrong with anything in the Jacqueline Colley shop. Her style is witty and bright, perfect for these darker evenings.
Home: Cleaner air with the Levoit air purifier
We live in London, and it’s no secret that city air is not the cleanest! We have been using an air purifier, and I can honestly say our rooms have never felt fresher. I love that the filters are really affordable too. There are two versions of the Levoit air purifier, you can get it with or without the diffuser option (they’re currently both the same price).
Parenting hack: Bribes to get the kids outdoors
My two boys love their Saturdays, slouched out on the couch in the pyjama for half the day, glued to their devices. But was so beautiful and bright this weekend, I was aching to stomp in the forest and breathe deep lungfuls of clean air. I pre-empted the predicted tween/teen moaning protests with promises of hot chocolate and a nature treasure hunt. This got them very excited and we were on our way to Epping Forest in record time!
To do this is easy. I just warmed up milk in the microwave and added lashings of Green & Blacks organic hot chocolate. I poured that into a couple of large flasks (like these) to keep warm. Then I packed some mini marshmallows in a plastic container. Plus plastic spoons from Ikea and some melamine cups from Orla Kiely (for similar see here).
Once we had a long walk and a good stomp around, we perched on a log and poured the steaming hot chocolate to warm our insides. Who says you can’t have a bit of luxury in the great outdoors?
Book recommendation for teens (and YA fans): Turtles All the Way Down
My 13-year-old son thoroughly enjoyed Turtles All the Way Down by John Greene (author of The Fault in Our Stars). He described it to me as a story about a 16-year-old girl detective with mental health issues (OCD and anxiety).
She sets out with her friend to find a missing billionaire and collect a hundred-thousand-dollar reward. However, her real journey is with her mind. Other well-meaning people in her life want her to be cured. But in the end, she finally discovers her cure is actually to live with it and come to terms with it.
People magazine said it’s ‘A tender story about learning to cope when the world feels out of control.’ I think a lot of us could use some of this right now!
Treat yo’self mama: Neal’s Yard Remedies foot balm AND potted pink poinsettias (see in-store)
TWO October favourites for treating wonderful you!!
Neal’s Yard Comfrey and Mallow foot balm
First up is the Neal’s Yard Comfrey and Mallow foot balm. It promises to revitalise tired and overworked feet, soothing and nourishing.
This was just a sweet little pot of comfort, I love it. My feet can get really dry and since we don’t have access to our pedicurists right now, I think we definitely deserve a luxe treat. This one has an unusual mix of marshmallow, almond and wheat germ, but it doesn’t smell sweet at all (who wants sickly sweet on their feet, right?). It’s really thick, comes in a pretty glass blue jar, spreads beautifully and sinks right in. Great to do a bit of self-care! Especially when you collapse into the couch in front of Netflix at the end of the day. Right before popping on your fluffiest socks.
Potted Pink Poinsettia
The other cheerful treat I picked up this month was this gorgeous potted pink poinsettia. I picked it up from Waitrose, but you might be able to check your local garden centre. . Every year I get a red poinsettia, but I’ve never seen them in pink, and this one is dazzling.
My top tip for keeping your poinsettia alive is to make sure it doesn’t get cold. Don’t put it on a window ledge or by a draughty door. A warm sunny spot on your desk for example is great. You only need to water it about once a week unless your home is really dry.
And that’s it for my October family favourites round-up. Hope you found something you fancy on that list.
Leave me a comment below with what you’re currently trying, I’d love to hear your recommendations.
And if you’re looking for more family fun this month, you might want to read grab my free printable Nature Treasure Hunt
